Posted on 11/25/2010 7:26:40 AM PST by rhema
Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America are proposing changing rules to make it harder for congregations to leave the church body.
At its Nov. 12-14 meeting, the ELCA Church Council proposed amendments to ELCA constitutions that would make the process of leaving the church body more difficult for congregations. The changes must be approved by the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
“How ironic that ELCA leadership is so committed to disregarding the Law of God on sexual ethics but so determined to use the law of humans to coerce congregations to remain in the ELCA ,” said the Rev. Mark Chavez, director of Lutheran CORE.
Many congregations are considering whether to remain affiliated with the ELCA as they have seen the church body move away from the teaching of the Bible.
Some have cited ELCA publications that question the virgin birth and the bodily resurrection of Jesus and promise salvation to non-believers as examples of the ELCA’s move away from Scripture. Many have pointed to recent changes in church teaching and policy to allow pastors to be in same-sex sexual relationships in spite of the Bible’s clear teaching to the contrary. Still others have cited ELCA congregations and synods that have utilized a radically rewritten Lord’s
Prayer that addresses God as “our mother who is within us.”
[ . . . ]
The proposed changes — all of which make the process more difficult for congregations — include the following:
**A congregation must hold a 30-day consultation period with its bishop before taking a first vote to leave the ELCA, in addition to the current 90-day consultation after a congregation’s first vote.
** The synod bishop is given authority to determine how the consultation will be conducted “in consultation with” the congregation’s council. The bishop will be able to appoint “designees” with whom the congrega- tion will be required to consult.
**The bishop or his/her designee must be granted the opportunity to speak at special congregational meetings regarding ending ELCA affiliation.
**A congregation will be required to vote by a two-thirds majority to join a new Lutheran church body, or else it will be “conclusively presumed” to have become an independent Lutheran congregation, potentially forfeiting its property.
** Congregations will be required to meet any financial obligations to the ELCA before leaving.
** Congregations must wait at least six months before taking another first vote if the original first vote does not achieve the required two-thirds majority.
**Congregations must wait at least six months and restart the process if their second vote does not achieve the required two-thirds majority. Congregations which fail to follow the specified process must obtain synod council approval in order to leave the ELCA.
My guess? This will drive more congregations that are on the fence about leaving to take action now rather than wait until it’s voted upon.
It’s sad that the ELCA is more concerned about clutching power to itself than about the Word of God.
Ah....yeah....that will work. Are they insane? You can’t force people to remain in a church that is no longer God’s church.
When a member sought to leave the church he or she had to be approved by the church board ~ and if he tried to leave anyway and they caught him he'd get a beating.
I believe they called it "showing church authority" in the old church history we have been working with.
Baptists have pretty much grown beyond that sort of thing. Interesting to see the ELCA moving "backwards" into at least church disciplinary traditions.
What could be next ~ I shudder to imagine.
But you can follow the example of the main office of the Episcopal Church and sue anyone who decides to leave for another branch of your communion. Cause God did say it’s all about the property.
ELCAspeak translation: "Congregations leaving! 'Mission support' dropping like an anvil! We have to protect our phoney baloney jobs here, gentlemen! We must do something about this immediately! Immediately! Immediately! Harrumph! Harrumph! Harrumph!"
I’m sure their next act will be to condemn healing on the Sabbath.
ELCA is following down the same path as the Episcopal Church and will end up the same, a dead and defunct Christian church denomination operating as a left-wing political activist organization, feeding off the remains of endowments of past faithful Christians.
And people wonder why I’m not in favor of organized religion.
The ELCA is getting like communist countries - it has to construct fences to keep people from leaving.
* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH.
Glory to the King of kings!
I once had a classmate in a language class in Germany that was the reverend of some Christian church at home. He was a real hipster, and after a few Maß one night told me he didn't believe in the resurrection, or any of it. Nice career choice then.
Or you mistake their disinterest for wonder.
The posts by James Gale, an attorney, are particularly illuminating.
It is his read that these changes could go into effect as soon as they are voted upon and declared "passed" at the August 2011 Churchwide Assembly.
Congregations that are contemplating leaving the ELCA had best begin the process ASAP, as present procedure requires two meetings 90 days apart, the first preceded by 30 days written notice.
Counting backward from mid August that means that a first vote should be taken no later than early May and notice issued no later than early April
GET OUT NOW--
DO NOT WAIT FOR THE NOOSE TO TIGHTEN!
As an ELCA refugee, I found a home in Orthodoxy. Folks should check it out. It is refreshing to be in company with others who have definately Christian beliefs, but do not use it to condemn everyone else.
I hope it gives the fence-sitters the push they need to get out of the ELCA and get into the LCMS or CORE
I could see us leaving though because I was telling this to lightman we had a Pastor actively campaign for Obama and she was thrown out unanimously by the Church Council for doing that. And the messages are God driven not liberal driven. I was on staff at my church for a while before opening my own business and can tell you we do not take orders from the ELCA. All of our Worship planning took place with the following people the Pastors, church secretary, Worship leaders, and tech director.
Anyways thanks for the info I will bring it up this week.
WOW, I bet you our Pastors have no clue this is going on. We are starting our Advent series and we ALWAYS talk about the Virgin Birth!!! In fact we are more traditional in the fact that we include the "Creed" in Worship which clearly states "He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary..."
Yeah like I said 90% of my church probably is clueless we are part of this communist outfit. But as a big church that is self sufficient financially we don't take our marching orders from them.
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