pretty good lutherans

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The two people charged with addressing racism from the ELCA’s national office in Chicago  were laid off last fall.

One was the director of anti-racism commitment in the Office of the Presiding Bishop. The other was the director for racial justice ministries in the ELCA’s Multicultural Ministries department (“unit”).

“One of the cuts we’ve had to make was to combine a full-time anti-racism education and racial justice person now into one position,” ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson said in an Internet forum that aired Dec. 9.

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Note: Clarifications to the list are welcome. Please send a personal e-mail.

©Pretty Good Lutherans

Lutheran church members want to know more details about the layoffs the past few days at the ELCA main offices in Chicago.

Few details have been made public, except that roughly 40 employees were cut. Information has leaked out but leaks often aren’t accurate.

Many members are upset that two key positions dealing with racism were said by some employees to be among the cuts. If that’s true, church leaders didn’t offer a public explanation or divulge alternative plans for addressing the issue.

The ELCA is 97 percent white, which is not the way the country is going. Church leaders have repeatedly set a goal of 10 percent diversity and have repeatedly fallen way short of that goal.

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This morning, I traveled to the Promised Land: Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ).

Allison Cuddy of the program “Eight Forty-Eight” asked smart questions about the recent layoffs and budget cuts at the ELCA.

WBEZ has been on top of this story for the last several days. The staff did a great job of reporting on the issue. I thanked them for their interest in religion coverage.

Here’s the link to the interview.

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The ELCA Church Council met Friday and Saturday at the denomination’s main offices in Chicago. On Sunday, the final day of meetings, the council is expected to vote on budget matters, according to ELCA News Service reports.

SUMMARY OF COUNCIL HAPPENINGS (as reported by ELCA News Service):

1. More than 40 people laid off from ELCA’s national staff
2. ELCA 2010 budget reduced $7.7 million
3. Five congregations have left the ELCA;
4. 87 congregations have taken votes and 59 of them received a two-thirds majority.
5. Missionaries won’t be recalled
6. Seminary grants won’t be cut
7. Cuts included 10 percent from the “current fund spending plan”
8. Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson downplayed the impact of dissenters withdrawing donations as the key factor in budget cuts
9. Hanson cited “30-year-downward trends” in giving across denominations as fueling financial crisis. (Note to readers: This seems a stretch. Trend leveled off for many in 2005.)
10. Council signed off on protocol for revisions to ministry policy. This will likely be taken up again in April.

LINKS TO NEWS ABOUT ELCA LAYOFFS

• Lutherans Concerned North America: “Lutherans Concerned pleased with ELCA waiver of five-year waiting period for reinstatement of dismissed LBGT pastors” (11/16/09)
• Lelanda Lee “Attending the Church Council Meeting” (11/16/09)
• Worldwide Faith News “ELCA offers more plausible explanation today for budget cuts — the economy and disgruntled Lutherans”(11/16/09)
• Worldwide Faith News “Church Council establishes timetable for reinstating partnered gay clergy” (11/16/09)

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