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Looking for what's happening in the various synods across the ELCA?
| DATE | SYNOD | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 20 - 21 | Saint Paul Area | Passed resolution 7to memorialize the Churchwide Assembly to allow bishops to refuse ordination into the Historic Episcopate. Passed resolution 8 regarding discussion of CCM. Defeated a resolution calling for a new churchwide assembly vote. A little-known candidate for synod bishop who pledged to refuse ordination into H.E. forced pro-CCM incumbent synod bishop, and active candidate for churchwide bishop, Mark Hanson, to the third ballot. Heard this speech from an assistant to H. George Anderson. |
| Apr 20 - 22 | Western Iowa | Bishop's election became a referendum on the historic episcopate when one candidate who pledged to refuse ordination into the historic episcopate came amazingly close (48%-52%) to unseating the pro-CCM assistant to the current incumbent, despite H. George Anderson's personal presence and a prepared statement read by the incumbent bishop just prior to balloting. Passed a resolution asking the CWA for a clarification of the status of the ELCA bishops' Tuscon resolution. |
| Apr 27 - 28 | Western North Dakota | Passed a modification of the Minneapolis 2000 resolution 148-122. Defeated a resolution offered by the Western North Dakota Synod Council supporting the ELCA Church Council's compromise offering on pastoral exceptions by a tie vote. |
| Apr 27 - 29 | Eastern Washington-Idaho | Passed resolution by apx. 66-33% memorializing 2001 Churchwide Assembly to recognize that "the receiving of the historic episcopate should not be an act that is required of any Lutheran pastors, bishops, seminarians, lay ministers, or members, in order to enable full participation of all members in the ELCA." Passed a resolution commending the Conference of Bishops' pastoral exception proposal by apx. 66%. |
| Apr 27 - 29 | Northeastern Minnesota | Passed WA "On the Threefold Ministry..." resolution pointing out disparities in the ELCA-ECUSA versions of CCM |
| Apr 27 - 29 | Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana | |
| May 3 - 5 | Alaska Synod | |
| May 3 - 5 | Florida-Bahamas | |
| May 4 - 6 | Oregon Synod | WA Flexibility resolution failed apx. 40%-60%. WordAlone was allowed to have a display table at the Assembly. A total of 552 pieces of information were picked up. |
| May 5 | Southeastern Pennsylvania | |
| May 10 - 12 | New Jersey | Resolution like the Minneapolis Resolution from 2000 was proposed and defeated, apx. 10-90%. |
| May 10 - 12 | Pacifica Synod | Christ the King Lutheran Church in Fallbrook, CA offered up a resolution calling for freedom to reject ordination / installation into the HE by pastoral and bishop candidates, which passed approximately 160-130. |
| May 10 - 12 | Southeastern Iowa | Defeated by a margin of 10 votes with 33 abstentions a resolution to memorialize the 2001 Churchwide Assembly a reminder that the Council of Bishops voted to allow exceptions to pastoral ordinations in the HE. |
| May 17 - 19 | Indiana-Kentucky | |
| May 17 - 19 | Northeastern Ohio | |
| May 17 - 19 | Rocky Mountain | |
| May 18 - 19 | Southwestern Texas | No deliberative action this year - "festival assembly". |
| May 18 - 20 | Southeast Michigan | You can read a report on the Assembly's actions (in MS Word format) on these resolutions (in MS Word format) which came from a bishop who sent out this letter. |
| May 19 - 21 | Montana | Two pro-CCM candidates for bishop were eliminated on the second and third ballots, even though one of them was an assistant to the current bishop, and the synod has a tradition of "elevating" all such assistants in former years. The new Montana Bishop, Rich Omland, on the other hand, told the assembled voting members, before the final vote was taken, that he had voted against CCM in Denver and has seen nothing to persuade him to change his mind about CCM. He also promised that he would honor the wishes of a candidate for ordination regarding whether or not the bishop would do the ordaining. |
| May 20 - 22 | North/West Lower Michigan | |
| May 25 - 27 | Southeastern | Passed a resolution memorializing the 2001 CWA opposing proposed changes by the ELCA Church Council to the ELCA By-Laws that would allow/enable some exceptions to the ordination by a Bishop (see resolution # 5 from this list). Bishop Ron Warren was reelected after five ballots. |
| May 31 - Jun1 | Minneapolis Area | Will consider further action on its resolution passed in 2000. Will also consider resolutions 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10. See assembly report. |
| May 31 - Jun2 | Grand Canyon | Elected a bishop, Michael Niels, who stated support for CCM. A resolution was proposed that would have asked for constitutional changes that would permit exceptions both for bishops and pastors. An amendment was proposed that eliminated the provisions relating to bishop. Niels spoke in support of this amendment, and it passed, thus gutting the resolution. Then Niels spoke against what was left of the resolution, and it narrowly passed, meaning little. There was also a resolution asking for educational materials to be produced by churchwide that would explain CCM in non-technical language, paragraph by paragraph. Rev. Almen, who was present, assured us that something like this was already in the works. This resolution passed by a slight margin. A resolution was added to the agenda calling for the Board of Pensions to pay for abortion only in the case of life of the mother being threatened. It was amended to include rape and incest exceptions. The talk on the floor informed us that our abortion statement firmly places us within the right-to-choose camp, ensuring the right of everyone to faithfully abort their children for any number of reasons, so long as they prayerfully consider it first. Furthermore, the arguments went, it's very important that we not only ensure this right, but ensure that the church of Jesus Christ pay for the abortion of anyone who chooses to exercise their right. The resolution was defeated by at least a two-to-one margin, thus indicating that we really like the present policy where Christ's Church finances abortion for any who so desire. |
| May 31 - Jun2 | Greater Milwaukee | Report from synod office. |
| May 31 - Jun2 | Nebraska | WA team handed out 700 informational packets to assembly-goers. Resolutions to concur with the MAS Alternate Ordination resolution (freedom for Bishops) and the call for a CWA revote given the ECUSA Arrowhead language on the threefold orders of ministry were defeated. |
| May 31 - Jun2 | North Carolina | Passed a memorial to the CWA supporting the ELCA's pastoral exception proposal. Passed a resolution to convey to the Division for Ministry, the Conference of Bishops and the ELCA Church Chouncil that the guidelines developed by the Division for Ministry (for planned exceptions) be clear, concise and easily administered by the Bishop of the Synod and Synod Council. |
| May 31 - Jun2 | Northeastern Pennsylvania | |
| May 31 - Jun2 | Northwest Synod of Wisconsin | Bishop Berg was re-elected at the synod assembly in Eau Claire on the first ballot. 280 votes were required to win and he received 285 on the first ballot. |
| May 31 - Jun2 | South Carolina | |
| May 31 - Jun2 | South Dakota | Incumbent bishop Andrea DeGroot-Nesdahl reelected on first ballot. She made this report to the Synod prior to the Assembly. All 12 members of the WA South Dakota Steering Committee members attended as visitors or voting members. They set up a table in the display area with videos from the Phoenix convention and a laptop with Dennis Beilfeldt's PowerPoint presentation running continuously. |
| May 31 - Jun2 | South-Central Synod of Wisconsin | Incumbent bishop Jon Enslin was defeated by Pastor George Carlson, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin 196 to 192. During the campaign, bishop Enslin declared again 100% approval of CCM and George Carlson declared not to be in favor. |
| May 31 - Jun2 | Southern California (West) | Despite opposition from some synod council members, incumbent bishop Paul Egertson allowed WordAlone to set up a display at the assembly. WordAlone candidate made it to the final round of elections for a new bishop, but a pro-CCM candidate was elected. Defeated resolution providing for bishops' and seminarian exemptions by apx. 30-70%. Passed a resolution bestowing the sentimental, but confessionally-questionable status of "bishop emeritus" on retiring bishop Paul Egertson. |
| May 31 - Jun2 | Southern Ohio | |
| Jun 1 - 2 | Metropolitan Chicago | |
| Jun 1 - 2 | Northern Great Lakes | |
| Jun 1 - 2 | Northwestern Ohio | |
| Jun 3 - 5 | Upstate New York | Local WordAlone group presented and promoted the Call For Freedom Resolution (which allows exceptions for both bishops and pastors). Bishop's office produced an substitute resolution based on the COB's proposal for ordination in unusual circumstances (which only allows exceptions for pastors not bishops, thus maintaining the historic episcopate intact). The main fight was over this substitution. The substitution motion ended up passing 278 to 195 or 59-41%. The WordAlone group opposed the amended resolution, which passed 274-187. |
| Jun 7 - 9 | Caribbean | |
| Jun 7 - 9 | Central/Southern Illinois | Resolutions 01.05 and 01.06, "Honoring Constitutional Requests for Ordination" submitted by Rev. Dennis Cooley and Rev. Don Poole failed after a decent debate by a vote of 103 to 232; with "For Freedom and Flexibility for Bishops and Pastors" failing at about the same margin. |
| Jun 7 - 9 | Metropolitan Washington, D.C. | |
| Jun 7 - 9 | New England | |
| Jun 7 - 9 | Northwestern Pennsylvania | |
| Jun 7 - 9 | Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast | Ruled out of order a resolution calling for a new vote at the 2001 CWA on CCM based on a resolution like this one. No action for lack of a second on a resolution requesting that the ELCA Churchwide Bishop and Secretary contact the Episcopal Church to determine whether the Episcopal Church accepts the entire text of the Tucson Resolution as "bona fide language within the CCM agreement." Defeated a resolution asking during the synod's election of voting members to the ELCA Churchwide Assembly candidates be asked to provide more complete background information and their opinions to the Synod Assembly. |
| Jun 7 - 10 | Central States | |
| Jun 8 - 9 | East-Central Synod of Wisconsin | |
| Jun 8 - 9 | Eastern North Dakota | Defeated a resolution that declared that our "shared confessions supercede constitutional authority" and that the "synod intends not to be bound by legislative actions or constitutional articles, bylaws, or amendments which it determines, and agrees in a properly called assembly gathered, are not in accord with Holy Scripture, the ecumenical creeds, or the Lutheran Confessions." Passed a resolution that calls for constitutional changes requiring congregations to ratify constitutional or bylaw changes to the ELCA constitution. |
| Jun 8 - 9 | Lower Susquehanna | Passed a resolution to bestow upon the Rev. Guy Edmiston the sentimental, but confessionally-curious honorary title of "Bishop Emeritus". A resolution to oppose the ELCA Church Council's proposed bylaw 7.31.17 "Ordination in Unusual Circumstances" passed. |
| Jun 8 - 9 | Southeastern Minnesota | Passed a resolution calling for a bishops' exemption from the HE. Defeated a resolution calling on congregations not to support any other pan-congregational ministries until they had sent 15% of their congregational budget in to the synod. WordAloner Norm Wahl made it to the 4th ballot in election for synod bishop. |
| Jun 8 - 9 | Upper Susquehanna | |
| Jun 8 - 9 | West Virginia-Western Maryland | |
| Jun 8 - 10 | Arkansas-Oklahoma | |
| Jun 8 - 10 | Northwestern Minnesota | Considered "Confessional freedom..." resolution. Elected WA member, Rolf Wangberg, as bishop over Chick Lane, current assistant to incumbent Bishop Hermodson, 331-320. |
| Jun 8 - 10 | Southwestern Minnesota | 1)
Memorializing 2001 CWA to support the ELCA Church Council's "wiggle
room" provision -- PASSED
2) "Regarding the Preservation of Freedom to Receive or Reject an Historicate Episcopate" -- main resolutions which called for SWMN Synod to refrain from disciplining any congregation or pastor who calls/ordains someone refusing H.E. were deleted via amendment. Final draft -- which PASSED -- requests ELCA Church Council to seek new ways for "individual members, congregations, pastors, & bishops to accept or reject the H.E." 3) "Regarding a referendum on CCM" (asking that each member be given a chance to vote on CCM at duly called congregational meetings) -- DEFEATED 4) "Regarding the Re-affirmation of the One Office of Ministry" (memorializes 2001 CWA to reaffirm its "'present understanding of the one ordained ministry in the ELCA, including both pastors & bishops, ' as stated in the Bishops' Tuscon Resolution & the 1993 CWA's action on the Study of Ministry'". -- PASSED 5) "Regarding the Installation of Bishops" (intended to allow "exceptions" for bishops). PASSED (but not certain of final form). |
| Jun 8 - 10 | Southwestern Washington | WA Board Member Jaynan Eglund made a respectable run for synod bishop but lost to Rob Hofsted. |
| Jun 8 - 10 | Virginia | A resolution, No. 6, was presented by the Va. Synod's committee on ecumenism, asking the synod assembly to memorialize CWA against passing an exceptions clause for CCM. The synod's committee on reference and counsel, after long internal debate, asked that this resolution be defeated and that the direction of Church Council and the Conference of Bishops be trusted. The assembly suddenly halted because a transformer in the gym blew up and everyone was evacuated. No injuries, but there also was no more debate because the assembly, now gathered outdoors, agreed to adjourn and refer all remaining matters -- including exceptions to CCM -- to Synod Council. |
| Jun 9 | Metropolitan New York | In the totally amazing category: There was a resolution to instruct the bishop to inform the Boy Scouts of America that our synod does not approve of their discrimination against homosexuals. It passed by what some estimated at roughly 400-50. |
| Jun 9 - 10 | La Crosse Area | |
| Jun 9 - 10 | Northeastern Iowa | |
| Jun 9 - 10 | Upper Susquehanna | |
| Jun 13 - 15 | Allegheny | |
| Jun 14 - 16 | Delaware-Maryland | |
| Jun 14 - 16 | Sierra Pacific | Defeated, by apx. 33%-66%, a resolution submitted on "Freedom for Bishops and Pastors" by Good Shepherd, Sacramento, and three other synod congregations. Contact Jim Lindberg for more information. |
| Jun 14 - 16 | Southwestern Pennsylvania | |
| Jun 15 - 16 | Northern Illinois | Defeated a WA resolution calling for exceptions to ordination under the HE. |
| Jun 15 - 17 | Northwest Washington | Defeated this proposed resolution from Anacortes Lutheran Church, 179-204-19. Passed a pointless resolution with poor symbolism of "Be It Resolved that the NW Wash. Synod of the ELCA encourage adding the involvement of the laity in the ordination service, especially in the laying on of hands." |
| Jun 22 - 24 | Slovak Zion |