ELCA Synod held today and Saturday at BGSU

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The Northwestern Ohio Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will be holding its annual
Synod Assembly today and Saturday at the Bowen-Thompson Student Union, Bowling Green State University.

This year’s gathering will tackle sensitive topics as a proposed policy on human sexuality.
The synod, led by Bishop Marcus C. Lohrmann, includes nearly 99,000 members in 185 congregations.
The Synod Assembly offers a time for church leaders, clergy and other rostered leaders as well as lay
representatives from each congregation to gather for corporate worship, Bible study, workshops, and to
conduct annual synod business.
This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Mark Powell, who is the Robert and Phyllis Leatherman professor of New
Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus. The national office of the ELCA will be represented by
Carlos Pena, the ELCA vice president, who will offer the report of the ELCA presiding bishop.
According to a release from the local synod, the ELCA is at a critical juncture as a church with the
publication of the Proposed Social Statement on Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust and the Report and
Recommendation on Ministry Policies in February, 2009.
Voting members at the assembly will have much to deliberate, approve or reject as this statement and
these policy recommendations have been approved for vote at the ELCA’s 2009 Churchwide Assembly. That
gathering, to be held Aug. 17-23 in Minneapolis, is the highest legislative authority of the 4.7
million-member church.
At this assembly 1,045 voting members from 65 synods and10,448 congregations of the ELCA will decide the
future course of the ELCA in regards to human sexuality and ministry policies.
In addition, other significant scheduled topics for year’s assembly will be delegate votes on resolutions
offered by various synod congregations and members.
The other resolutions to be reviewed include: acknowledging 2009 as the "Year of the Parent;"
the Cherish Our Children Initiative; uniformity of church policy regarding rostered leaders; rejecting
proposed social statement and affirming current teaching documents on sexuality; rejecting
recommendations on ministry policy and affirming current ELCA policy; and calling for a super majority
to change ministry policies.

On the Web:
ELCA "Report and Recommendation on Ministry Policies" and "Human Sexuality: Gift and
Trust"
http://www.ELCA.org/faithfuljourney
NWOhio Synod
http://www.nwos-elca.org

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