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ELCA congregations observe “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday
CHICAGO — On Sunday Sept. 11, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will observe "God's work. Our hands." Sunday. Across the country, thousands of ELCA members will engage in the church's dedicated day of service to help make a positive change in their communities, build and deepen relationships, and share God's love.
Since the ELCA was formed 35 years ago, the church has been deeply rooted in faith and in sharing its passion for making positive changes in the world. On "God's work. Our hands." Sunday, ELCA congregations will participate in God's work in the world — restoring and reconciling communities and pursuing peace and justice. The day of service builds on the congregations' ongoing work in their communities.
Service activities include assembling items for homeless shelters, collecting for local food pantries, cleaning neighborhood parks and writing thank-you notes to first responders.
Service offers this church an opportunity to explore one of the most basic Lutheran convictions: that all of life in Jesus Christ – every act of service, in every daily calling, in every corner of life – flows freely from a living, daring confidence in God's grace.
More information about "God's work. Our hands. Sunday is available at elca.org/dayofservice.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with nearly 3.3 million members in more than 8,900 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
773-380-2877
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly summary of actions
Chicago —The 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly met Aug. 8-12 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. Gathering under the theme "Embody the Word," the assembly worshiped together in services of eucharist and lament, experienced a liturgy rooted in Indigenous traditions, and heard a public apology in a nonlegislative session to Iglesia Luterana Santa María Peregrina for harm experienced from actions taken by the Sierra Pacific Synod and this church.
The following key actions were taken by the assembly:
• Elected Imran Siddiqui of the Southeastern Synod as vice president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
• Directed the ELCA Church Council to establish a Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church to reconsider the statements of purpose for each expression of this church, the principles of organizational structure and our shared commitment to dismantle racism, with findings to be reported to the 2025 Churchwide Assembly in preparation for a possible reconstituting convention. Directed an external audit of the governing documents of the ELCA to consider diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, with findings resulting in recommended changes to the governing documents.
• Authorized revisions to the social statement Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust; approved exploration of reconsideration of the four stated positions of "bound conscience."
• Encouraged members, congregations and synods of this church to educate themselves about Indigenous peoples, calling on the churchwide organization to work with synods and Indigenous partners to identify sources of funding for ministries for Indigenous peoples, and encouraging restorative justice that could include the return of land to the appropriate Native nations.
• Referred a proposed study of pay gaps for rostered ministers to the Church Council.
• Mandated a review process of the roster manual and policies related to specialized ministries, on leave from call status, and protocols for removal from the rosters; encouraged bishops and synod councils to use sparingly the process of removal from the roster for nondisciplinary reasons.
• Approved the budget proposal for the triennium, including a spending authorization of $68,814,000 for 2023 for the current fund, along with a spending authorization of $22,869,000 for ELCA World Hunger.
• Affirmed limits on the use of nondisclosure agreements by the churchwide organization; urged synods, congregations and other ministries to apply the same limits.
• Reaffirmed the commitment of this church to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, directing the churchwide organization to set a goal of a 50% reduction of net greenhouse gas pollution by 2030, with a long-range goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
• Called for a review of the nomination and elections processes used by synods and the churchwide organization.
• Responded to memorials on diversity; nuclear weapons; voting rights and Washington, D.C., statehood; strategies for fortifying urban ministries; a Black migrant strategy; the right to boycott; gun violence; LGBTQIA+ welcome; substance abuse; Roe v. Wade; remembrance of Armenian, Assyrian and Greek genocide; parental and medical family leave; a process for pre-identification of nominees for the Office of the Presiding Bishop; revisions to the mission development process; consideration of communion practices related to remote worship; affirmation of the task force created by the Church Council to review the discipline process; and a social message on child abuse and protection.
• Approved or ratified amendments to the Constitutions, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions of the ELCA, most of which were related to general clarifications and updates; inclusive language; synod-authorized ministry; designation of advisory members by the Church Council; boards of the separately incorporated ministries; and election procedures for officers and the Churchwide Assembly.
• Elected members of the Church Council, Committee on Appeals, Committee on Discipline, Nominating Committee and boards of the separately incorporated ministries.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3.3 million members in more than 8,900 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
773-380-2877
Candice.Buchbinder@ELCA.org.
ELCA Fund for Leaders awards TEEM scholarships
Chicago — Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Fund for Leaders will award 375 scholarships to students attending the seven seminaries of the ELCA for the 2022-2023 academic year.
This year the ELCA Fund for Leaders will distribute around $3.5 million through several types of scholarships, including direct full-time scholarships, federal chaplaincy ministries scholarships, mission developer scholarships, and synod or congregation scholarships.
A new category this year will award $400,000 through 80 scholarships for Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) candidates who are identified by their synods. TEEM is a certificate program, not a full-time degree, and the candidates go through the same candidacy process as other rostered ministers. TEEM candidates usually end up serving the congregations that nurtured their call.
"TEEM is doing theology in a fine balance of action and reflection, study and ministry at the same time," said the Rev. Dr. Moses Paul Peter Penumaka, director of TEEM at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, Calif. "TEEM is not only transforming the face of the ELCA but the heart and mind of the Lutheran church. When TEEM candidates go to seminary, the whole congregation goes to seminary. TEEM is a practical way of making congregations vital, vibrant and viable."
Marissa Krey, director of ELCA Fund for Leaders, emphasized the need for scholarships across all categories of rostered ministry. "We think it's vitally important to provide support to all leaders answering God's call to serve in a variety of ways," she said.
Learn more about ELCA Fund for Leaders scholarships.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3.3 million members in more than 8,900 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
773-380-2877
Candice.Buchbinder@ELCA.org.
2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly - Day Four
The 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly concluded Aug. 12 at the Greater Columbus (Ohio) Convention Center. Day four included a service of Holy Communion and the seventh plenary session.
Imran Siddiqui was installed as ELCA vice president during the closing worship service, which included a prayer led by Secretary Sue Rothmeyer with intercessory response from the voting members and church leaders.
Patricia Davenport, bishop of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, offered the sermon. “Our call is God’s call for us to live in faith and hope and peace in the world, that people might see Jesus in all that they do and all that we do,” she said.
During plenary, the assembly acted on the remaining memorials removed for separate consideration:
- Memorial B11 – Specialized Ministries and On Leave from Call Status: Directs (642-76) the Church Council to establish a process for examining policies, procedures and constitutional provisions related to specialized ministry calls and on-leave from call status, as well as protocols for removal from rosters and communication on such actions. The memorial also urges bishops and synod councils to use sparingly any action that removes a minister from the roster for nondisciplinary reasons until this review process is complete.
- Memorial A4 – Greenhouse Gas Reduction: Reaffirms (672-45) the church’s commitment to engage in creation care and to act in support of 50% reduction in 2005 U.S. levels of greenhouse gas pollution by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, including having the churchwide organization meet these goals. The memorial also urges continued work with the Creation Care Network, encourages congregants and rostered ministers to witness to the climate emergency and affirms the Mission Investment Fund’s “Green Building” initiative.
- Memorial B5 – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility (DEIA) ELCA Governance Audit: Authorizes (538-175) the Church Council to determine parameters, expenses and revenue sources to provide for an external audit of the “Constitution, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions of the ELCA” that examines diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the church’s governing documents. The memorial calls on the Church Council to report the findings of the audit and directs the legal committee to recommend changes.
The assembly also acted on the remaining resolutions from the Reference and Counsel Committee, honored outgoing synod bishops and recognized Church Council members completing their service.
The 2025 Churchwide Assembly will be held in Phoenix.
2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly - Day Three
On day three of the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, the assembly elected Imran Siddiqui, a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Atlanta, as vice president—the highest position a layperson can hold in the ELCA.
Siddiqui was elected on the fifth ballot, with 550 votes to 264 votes for Roberto Lara Aranda, a member of St. Peter Lutheran Church, New York City, and assistant to the bishop for communications and development in the Metropolitan New York Synod.
“The top three people for this position were people of color, and that’s fantastic,” Siddiqui said after his election. “That doesn’t mean we have solved racism yet. We have a lot of work to do, church. … I believe we can do it.”
Siddiqui grew up Muslim and became a Lutheran in 2011. He is currently the vice president of the Southeastern Synod, and his six-year term as ELCA vice president will commence on Nov. 1, 2022.
On this day, the assembly was invited to wear black as part of the “Thursdays in Black” campaign toward a world without rape or violence led by the World Council of Churches.
The day opened with a morning prayer service that included a sermon on “embodying the questions” from Benjamin Stewart, ELCA pastor and Gordon A. Braatz Associate Professor of Worship and director of the Zygon Center for Religion and Science at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
The results of the first common ballot were reported and all candidates on the 95 tickets who received a majority were declared elected to the Church Council and boards.
In other business, the assembly adopted (751-19) the 2023-2025 budget and continued action on memorials removed for separate consideration. Memorials acted on today include:
- Memorial A8 – Land Back: Calls for (737-65) ELCA ministries and partners to engage in deeper collaboration with Indigenous partners, including incorporating land acknowledgments as part of public gatherings, exploring the creation of restorative justice programs, and studying funding needs and sources for ELCA Indigenous congregations and service ministries.
- Memorial B8 – Separation Agreements: Affirms (721-79) a churchwide organization commitment to limit the use of nondisclosure provisions and to urge other expressions and partners of the ELCA to also limit the use of nondisclosure agreements, including as a matter of course or in termination of calls of rostered ministers.
- Memorial A14 – Roe v. Wade: Encouraged (776-27) support and prayer for people affected by the overturning of Roe v. Wade, including rostered ministers and lay staff at congregations and social ministry organizations. It also called for conversation on the church’s teaching on abortion and related topics, as well as synodical reviews of the impacts that overturning Roe v. Wade and other related local rulings may have on pastoral counseling and the pastor-client relationship.
The assembly also received a report from the Conference of Bishops by Tracie Bartholomew, chair of the Conference of Bishops and bishop of the New Jersey Synod.
Voting members discussed and acted on proposed amendments to the Constitutions, Bylaws and Continuing Resolutions of the ELCA. They also considered resolutions and approved (708-93) a motion that authorizes a possible revision of the social statement “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust” that will reconsider the church’s current concept of the four positions of bound conscience.
The assembly also recognized the ecumenical and interreligious commitments of the church, including “A Declaration of Ecumenical Commitment” (adopted 1991), “A Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish Community” (adopted 1994), “A Declaration of Interreligious Commitment” (adopted 2019) and “A Declaration of the ELCA to the Muslim Community” (adopted 2022).
Many guests representing the ELCA’s full communion partnerships, shared dialogues, and partner coalitions and councils presented greetings to the assembly. Those who presented greetings in person included:
- Denis J. Madden, titular bishop of Baia and auxiliary bishop of Baltimore
- Eddy Aleman, general secretary of the Reformed Church in America
- Herbert Nelson, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
- Mark Pettis, ecumenical and interfaith relationships manager for the United Church of Christ
- Vashti McKenzie, interim general secretary and president of the National Council of Churches and bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
- Esther Lederman, director of congregational innovation for the Union for Reform Judaism
- Saffet Catovic, head of the Islamic Society of North America’s Office for Interfaith Alliances, Community Alliances and Government Relations
2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly elects new vice president
COLUMBUS – Imran Siddiqui of St. John's Lutheran Church, Atlanta, was elected to a six-year term as vice president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) by the 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The assembly — the highest legislative authority of the ELCA — is meeting Aug. 8-12 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Siddiqui was elected on the fifth ballot with 550 votes to 264 votes for Roberto Lara Aranda of St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Manhattan, N.Y.
"The top three people for this position were people of color, and that's fantastic. ... That doesn't mean we have solved racism yet. We have a lot of work to do, church. We have a lot of work to do and I'm confident; I believe we can do it," said Siddiqui, addressing the assembly following the election.
Siddiqui, who grew up Muslim and became a Lutheran in 2011, has served as vice president of the Southeastern Synod since 2018.
The position of vice president is the highest a layperson can hold in the ELCA. Carlos Peña is currently serving as interim vice president following the death of Bill Horne last August. Horne was elected vice president by the 2016 Churchwide Assembly.
"I thank you for your faith in me," Siddiqui told the assembly. "I will try not to let you down."
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with nearly 3.3 million members in more than 8,900 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
773-380-2877
Candice.Buchbinder@ELCA.org