Sharing Christ - Making Disciples - Doing Justice
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Being Church Together
As people of God, it is important for us to constantly be engaged in relevant and helpful study and discussion of how we live together through our common faith in Jesus Christ despite our differences. Here you will discover a wide diversity of well educated, strongly held opinions and theological understandings while emphasizing a shared commitment to the common mission of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). This is about being church together in the midst of disagreements.
The intent of this site is to post and share significant offerings of perspectives by Lutheran teaching theologians and others of how we can be church together and continue in earnest dialogue with one another, challenging our thinking and partnership in Christ Jesus.
In the weeks following the 2009 Churchwide Assembly, ELCA bishops from across the United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands responded with letters to their local synod leaders. Read what they had to say.
Subcategories
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Words from Synod Bishop Edward R. Benoway
Bishop Edward R. Benoway of the Florida-Bahamas Synod, ELCA, shares his pastoral words and advice for living together as ELCA Lutherans and the actions of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly.
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Words from ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson
ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson continues to lead our church by reflecting on the actions of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly in letters, pastoral remarks, and videos directed to the people in our congregations and in leadership positions.
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Pastoral Words for Our Mission Together
During times of division, clear and caring words from our pastors can help to ease the stress. Pr. Tim Smith (Boone, NC) and former ELCA Presiding Bishop Herbert Chilstrom share their perspective regarding the actions of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly and how staying together is important for the ministry of the church.
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Theological Reflection
Part of being "church together" is understanding our differences and respecting the bound-conscience of the other. Several Lutheran theologians, including Dr. David Yeago (Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary) and Dr. Timothy J. Wengert (The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia) share their personal and theological reflections on being a united church despite our differences.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions often arise regarding the process and timeline of decisions made by the Churchwide Assembly, particularly those decisions made in August 2009 regarding human sexuality. This section will work to answer many of those questions.
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Additional Resources
The ELCA website (www.elca.org) provides a large amount of resources for continuing the conversation of what it means to "be church together." Videos, blogs, full text articles and more are available here.
- For futher Discussion...
- Approved Social Statement on Human Sexuality
- Approved Resolutions on Ministry Policies
- Social Statement Website
- Information on "Bound Conscience"
- Brief Summary of Action at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly
- Scripture and Song Regarding our Mission Together
