Please Pray for Us

Greetings from the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis. This afternoon the voting members will vote on the proposed Social Statement on Human Sexuality. It is not the most contentious vote -- that will be Friday morning when the Recommendations on Ministry are brought to the floor. But there has already been plenty of discussion -- on the floor, in hearings, and in more private conversations -- on the Statement and the Recommendations.

We are much as we were two years ago -- see the story behind this photo here and here -- except we are reaching "decision time." The stakes are high for people of conscience -- both traditionalists on matters of sexuality (such as myself, those associated with Lutheran CORE, many of those who participate or lurk on ALPB Forum Online, etc.) and those who would revise the church's teaching (such as Goodsoil and much of the ELCA's Churchwide leadership). The discussion has been respectful and thoughtful, but will be growing more tense. For instance, at this very moment, the new President of the Lutheran Youth Organization has used most of her greeting to the Assembly to put voice of the ELCA's youth fully behind the "full inclusion" of LGBT persons in the church.

You can follow what is happening on the here on the ELCA web site (both live, streaming video and news reports) and also on ALPB Forum Online. Please pray for the Assembly -- voting members, those of us observing, and all the volunteers and staff -- and for our church.