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(Note to readers: Below is a message issued Tuesday by Bishop Harold Usgaard of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod. The last section concerns establishing policies in congregations regarding gay clergy and civil unions. The bishop provides several options for policies that congregations may consider)

Dec. 15, 2009

Three thoughts in approaching a new year and congregational meetings…

Leadership in Anxious Times

Ed Friedman writes that in anxious times, we are too often tempted to let those who are acting out set the agenda, that we look for quick and easy resolutions to issues, and that we try to affix blame on someone or something. In such times, strong and effective leadership listens to all parties, refuses to be reactive, and speaks to the issues apart from personalities.

As I have visited in many of your congregations, I have been impressed with the quality of leadership I have observed. You truly do care for your people, listening to their concerns, offering them opportunities to address issues…even daring to share your own beliefs. I do believe that in the long run, it will be the quality of those relationships which will win the day. And that should not surprise us. Our faith is all about relationships.

Consider the Impact

I have heard any number of ideas raised as to how congregations might react to the Churchwide Assembly votes. Some have suggested withholding benevolence dollars or redirecting them. You will soon receive a year end report detailing many of the synod ministries from 2009. The simple truth is that these ministries will suffer if money is not forthcoming. If this is under consideration in your congregation, I would encourage you to ask questions like, “What are we trying to say?” “Who do we want to be impacted?” “Will our actions accomplish those goals?”

Some have also suggested joining with another Lutheran body even as a relationship with the ELCA is retained. That may be possible on paper, but realistically, what will be the impact? In such a situation, can you really do justice to either relationship? I would remind you of the ELCA constitution 9.41 where it lists responsibilities of congregations including:

g. Motivate its members to provide financial support for the congregation’s ministry and the ministry of the synod and Churchwide Organization.

h. Foster and participate in interdependent relationships with other congregations, the synod, and Churchwide Organization.

Making Decisions, Statements

Voting has been a common topic among congregation members. Indeed, remember that the rostering resolutions passed at the Churchwide Assembly encouraged congregations to make decisions around topics of ordination and recognition of same gender relationships. Some congregations are choosing to enter into a time of moratorium where no decisions will be made for a certain number of months. Others are planning changes to constitutions or bylaws immediately. Whatever your decision, I would hope it is one that pastor and lay leadership can discuss and agree to.

If you and your congregation believe it important to make a statement or set a policy, it could be done in a simple way by the church council or the congregation at its annual meeting. Some suggestions might be:

_____ Lutheran Church, as a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, understands that it has the right (to call) or (to refuse to call) as a pastor or rostered lay leader any person who is on the roster of ordained ministers or lay rosters or any candidate approved for those rosters.

_____ Lutheran Church, in accordance with the 2009 Churchwide Assembly which resolved that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America “make provision in its policies to recognize the conviction of members who believe that this church should not call or roster people in a publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationship,” declares that this congregation will not call a pastor or lay rostered leader who is or intends to be in such a same-gender relationship.

_____ Lutheran Church declares that when requested, civil unions or public recognitions of persons in same gender relationships will be performed in this church building or authorized by this congregation only after approval by the clergy and elected lay leadership.

_____ Lutheran Church declares that civil unions or public recognitions of persons in same gender relationships will not be performed in this church building or authorized by this congregation.

It has been a challenging few months. Some of our congregation’s members are thankful for the decisions made. Others in our congregations are upset. Yet the words of one family stick with me. They said to me, “no matter what side we are on, these votes have certainly caused us to ask what we believe and why.” God is at work in all of this…have no doubt of that.

Shalom,

Harold Usgaard
Bishop

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Photo by Jerry Cooke. Creative Commons license.

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Tags: bishop, civil unions, clergy, gay, Southeastern Minnesota, Usgaard

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 7:51 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.