ELCA Assembly Friday afternoon 1: Off the cliff

American Lutheran Publicity Bureau ^ | 21 August AD 2009 | Richard O. Johnson

[lightman]

The Bible study from Proverbs was led by Peter Mayer (lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffet) and Pr. Ron Glusenkamp. Mayer led in an intermittent sings, such as a chorus: “Who names us and claims us more than silver or gold?” The Bible study was interactive, with Glusenkamp presenting brief meditations, and then asking the house to discuss certain questions.

Phil Harris reported for the Election Committee. The report of the “common ballot” has been printed—this is the lengthy ballot for Church Council and other churchwide committee offices. There were 69 different election, and 65 of them produced a result (usually because there were only two candidates). A second ballot will be taken for the other four.

Next the eight remaining candidates for Vice President were introduced; they have been given three questions, and each will respond to them. I’ll put all the questions and answers together, though they answered them separatedly. First question: What Bible passage has guided your life, and how has it shaped your leadership? Second, what’s the most important challenge facing this church and how will you address it? Third: One of the directions of ELCA is to step forward as a public church. How can ELCA effectively fulfill this objective?

Jim Martin (Defiance, OH, small business owner): Difficult to select one passage. I might choose Galatians 2.20 “It is no longer I who live, but Christ in me.” There are times the light shines brightly in me, other times when it has been covered by a bushel, and I need Christ’s forgiveness. Q2: Most significant challenge might be choosing the most significant challenge. I’m trying to figure out where God is in all that we are doing this week. The VP will surely play a major role in sorting things out. Q3: With today’s reliance on internet, church’s web site, facebook, etc., are going to play heavy roles in our getting the word out. Each of us need to be evangelists. We’re going to have to get our of our Lutheran comfort zone. It is God’s work, but it is our hands.

Norma Hirsch(Chief medical officer Hospice of Iowa, from Des Moines): Matthew 28 (great commission). I had no difficulty in selecting this passage. As a hospice physician, I recently cared for elderly man who dismissed me with this verse every time I visited. As he grew weaker, he could speak fewer and fewer words. Last time it was so soft: “I am . . .” Q2: biggest challenge will be that of healing; that has been my vocation my entire life. I would seek to work with leaders across the church to be a healing presence. Q3: Our young people took the lead when they descended on New Orleans. We have demonstrated many times this week we are a public church. We can be a strong public church by empowering our young people in their respective ministries.

Ryan Schwarz (venture capitalist, McLean, VA): Isaiah 6.3-8, on the awesomeness of God. Isaiah is humbled by that presence. God comforts him by asking “whom shall I send” and Isaiah says “send me.” He has a calling from God to be a humble servant. Like Isaiah, I’ve always felt the call to serve God in daily life. Q2: Most significant challenge will be reaction of laity to decisions made this week. It will be immediate, deep, profoundly negative. Q3: Mission statement of my congregation is to “share Christ’s love with the greatest number of people.” The great commission. No more important way to share God’s love than to proclaim the redemptive and transforming gospel of Christ. This church can most effectively witness by keeping the main thing the main thing, and forming lives that reflect Christ’s command to love one another.

Thomas Taylor (history prof., Wittenberg U.; VP S. OH Synod, from Springfield OH): While many of you were getting life verses at confirmation, I was getting baptized in the Baptist church, and I didn’t get one. For many years my active verse was “Here am I, send him.” But about ten years I got convicted of that. Now a synodical vice president. Verse on my mind this summer is from Ecclesiastes “For everything there is a season.” I always assumed that applied to everyone at once, but this week I’ve learned that while some dance, others mourn. Q2: “For now we see through a glass darkly.” For some the coming months are seen through a glass darkly, for we are in a time of change. This is difficult because we don’t know what will come next. It will be a challenge to live up to “bound conscience.” Q3: This is a church with long tradition of respectful conversations between theologians and scientists. This is a set of issues—science, climate, etc.—seems far afield. I have two pieces of advice: Listen to the young people; and take advice of resources of our seminaries and colleges. Lastly, we need to pray.

Robert Benne: Romans 12.2: “Do not be conformed to this world . . .” This is important to me as a professor, a Lutheran teacher and scholar. This verse assumes that faith involves mind as well as heart. Interaction between Christian faith and society has always fascinated me. I’ve dealt with religion and economics, politics, culture, film. Q2: My challenge would be to be fit to the job. I’m here by mistake; I forgot to remove my name. I’m too old, and I don’t want the job. But if elected, I and other top leadership would be forced to model the bound conscience because I disagree deeply with the directions of the ELCA. My winning would probably shorten my life, and those of the bishop and secretary, and it would not be a good idea to vote for me. Q3: One of my profound disagreements with ELCA is how we understand ourselves as public church; better to change from direct to indirect approach, so that we be not so invested in social statements, advocacy offices, etc. My approach would be more income, using the ministry of the laity in their public callings. Those laity need to be formed in their Christian moral conscience. Laity are on front lines, they should the ones who are the public arm of the church. One well-formed senator is worth ten thousand social statements.

Carlos Pena (business owner, current VP, Galveston, TX): We are indeed blest to have lay leaders like these who are willing to step up to the plate. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want . . .” Psalm 23 is important to me, not because the idea of lying down in green pastures sounds appealing right now, but because it reminds me that with God, there is nothing I can want or need. Q2: I’ve served as VP, and before that on Church Council. Challenges over these years have not change: to remain faithful to our mission, and not be redefined by issues which are not at the core. Q3: I’m reminded of Mark 12.31: Love your neighbor as yourself. Who is your neighbor? God tells us to love and serve the needs of the neighbor. I can’t imagine a better example than the bishops who went to the Holy Land, a bold example. Another is you, as the leaders of this church, boldly accepting the malaria initiative and HIV/AIDS strategy. The next step is how can we do it better?

Yau Chiu (plastic surgeon from Ohio, raised as a Buddhist, from Youngstown OH). Matthew 22.34 “Love your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself.” Q2: Membership decline. This is not particular to ELCA. We’ve become blasé about evangelism. I’d like to use my personal experience to enhance evangelism. Q3: We are good talkers, Bible readers, but not so good at getting our hands dirty. If I have anything to do with it, I’d like to motivate you to roll up your sleeves and get yourselves dirty to be witnesses to Christ.

Nanette Dahlke (Libertyville, IL, VP Metro Chicago synod): Romans 8: nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Q2: “Marked with the cross of Christ forever.” We are claimed, gathered, sent. Challenge in this time? “Gathered.” In this time and place, after this assembly, the VP is going to need to be the chief gatherer. Q3: The church is not a building . . . the church is the people. You are the church, I am the church. The way to be a public church is for us to live our faith in our daily life.

Comment: This was interesting, and it was good that it got this far. Pena, for all his engaging popularity and enthusiasm, was not impressive in this setting. In their different ways, Schwarz and Benne were perhaps most engaging (and not just because they would be my preferred candidates!). But what they said is not what the assembly wants to hear, so they will not be elected. My guess is that some of Pena’s votes might be diverted to one of them, probably Schwarz (since Benne has made clear in the CORE meetings that he’d prefer CORE people to vote for Schwarz). If it were to go to a fourth ballot, it likely would be Pena, Hirsch and Schwarz. This time it required only 2/3, however, which Pena got on the previous ballot, so whether it goes further from here depended on how many votes he may have lost after on this ballot. Well, he dropped considerably. With only 8 candidates, this vote was done electronically, and the result was: Pena 371 Schwarz 221 Hirsch 123 Dahlke 109 Chiu 76 Taylor 54 Benne 48 Martin 13

That’s a remarkable drop for Pena—he lost 286 votes. Hirsch also dropped, so Schwarz was the big pick up. The next ballot, which will happen tomorrow, only requires a majority, and there will be three candidates. I would still look for Pena to win, because the “revisionists” will definitely not want Schwarz. But this has to be considered one of the “surprises” of this assembly.

The assembly returned to the discussion of ministry recommendation 2. Pr. Marshall Hahn (NE Iowa). At my ordination I vowed to preach and teach according to the scripture and confessions. We now have a social statement that I believe is at odds with that vow. Still it is one thing to be in error, it is worse to act on that error. When I return form this assembly I will be having a discussion with my bishop to talk about what this means for me as a pastor, as a synod office. I urge others to do the same: talk to your pastor, your bishop. This is not about me, but about the church; not about fear, but about faith. Solveig Carlson, SC Wi. I’m not a theologian, but I was a bishop’s wife. I have three children, one gay. Each of them know they are children of a heavenly father. My job is to love, not to be a gatekeeper. My 95 year old mother is at opposite end of spectrum from me. At the end of one discussion, she said to me, “I don’t get it, do you?” When she met my son’s partner for the first time, she welcomed him, grabbed him around the neck, pulled him down and embraced him. Stepping out of the boundaries. I urge the passage of this welcoming embrace.

Karl Moyer, Lower Susq. I speak with love and respect for all my colleagues. Several persons have taught us well regarding the notion that homosexuality is not compatible with Scripture. I think of Robert Gagnon, Robert Benne, Robert Jenson, Carl Braaten. Others have said just the opposite. We are not able to understand in common what the church teaches. When this is the case, we are in no position to be taking votes. For us to say one thing and do another costs us integrity, credibility, and ability to evangelize.

Pr. Leslie Williamson, Metro Chicago. Scripture makes clear that sin involves brokenness. Committed same gender relationships do not create such brokenness in and of themselves; they function just as heterosexual relationships. God is not a random God who discriminates against same-gender relationships. The couples I know live in love and faithfulness. Scripture interprets scripture, using reason and experience as guide.

Pr Mike Johnson, W. NDak. Pastors called to preach and teach in accordance with scripture and confession, and called to holy living. We are to fear, love and trust God. If we trust scripture with regard to what it says about Christ, why not trust it in regard to sexuality? Scripture and holy living cannot be separated. Christ frees us for holy living, not from holy living. Pastors are called to model this holy living; one living in clear contrast to Scripture makes a sham of ordination vows and abuses Christian freedom.

Cheryl Walker, IN/KY. Dear children of God, through our baptism we were called to share our gifts. But first we were created in our mother’s womb, and God loved what he created. He promises us in Genesis we would not do this alone, we would have a partner. And now a story, because I believe that’s what the Bible is: a book of stories to teach us. In Northern Indiana, there is a free dental clinic. The one who runs this clinic would tell you he is enabled to provide this clinic because of his partner John.

Fred Heinz, NW Oh. Social statement recognizes our struggle. We have a confession of faith, and a confession of ignorance. We cannot throw out Biblical teachings, even if a movement is characterized as progressive. As a Christian, I put aside my desire of a fully inclusive church for the sake of those who may stumble. This is a time to listen--and a time to wait for clear direction.

Larry Christensen, SE IA. I read my Bible, I’m not in favor of sin. I’m concerned not with how the present policy affects GLBT people, but how it affects the rest of us. It forces us to point fingers, to be self-righteous. Jesus says “look to yourself, to your own sin.” He asked that we apply the law ruthlessly to ourselves, but graciously to others.

John Karriker, NC. I do not believe this can be justly or legally implemented. What about a straight single pastor—will he be de-rostered if he lives in a committed, monogamous relationship outside of marriage? 85% of my congregation voted against these proposals; they are also studying how to leave the ELCA.

Carla Thompson Powell, Metro Chicago. We heard the greetings from the LYO and the Youth Convo, asking us to approve these measures. We have been in decline almost since our inception, in part because of our inability to listen to our youth.

Tim Deal, NC. I rise to speak to its practical implications. What will happen if a church calls a single pastor. Will the call committee have to ask, “Do you plan to date? Whom will you date? When does a relationship becomes ‘committed’? When it becomes ‘lifelong’?”

The question was moved, not by Jeff Ruby (happy now?), and a vote was taken. Before announcing the vote, the bishop asked about how many machines had possible technical problems because the vote is close. (Seems to have learned his lesson.) Call for question defeated 640-360 (64%).

[lightman]

Thrid of five reports--more to follow.

[Zack Nguyen]

Thank you for your good work in posting the proceedings. This church is in the process of destroying itself. By the time a church gets to the point of embracing homosexuality, it has made many small compromises along the way, compromises the faithful usually do not notice.

The best thing the faithful Christian can do is find a different church as quickly as possible. The faith of your children, and their children, is at stake.

[lightman]

Lutheran (EL C S*A) Ping!

* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH.