A letter to rostered leaders
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Greetings!
May the grace, peace and mercy of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, increase your attention to the working of the Holy Spirit as we prepare to enter the Lenten season.
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I write this letter for several important reasons:
1. The Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality today released the Social Statement, Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust, and the task force recommendations on ministry policies. Rostered leaders received preview access to these documents this afternoon. The report will be released to the public on Thursday, February 19 at 1 p.m. and will be available at the ELCA website.
2. In the spirit of the document, which encourages faithful people to engage in honest and respectful dialog, I am exploring ways we can come together as the body of Christ to find ways to, as the Task Force says in its cover letter, "live together faithfully in the midst of our disagreements." Soon, I will send information about a time and location in March for a discussion of the recommendations.
3. In January, as many leaders in our synod are aware, though some are not, the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion ordained Mr. Stephen Keiser, who had been serving as a pastoral associate at the Church for a decade. This ordination was "irregular" in that it was conducted outside the regular ELCA procedures, as is explained below. My response to this action is included in order to avoid circulating misunderstanding and misinformation at a time when transparency and honest dialog are encouraged.
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Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust/Report and Recommendation on Ministry Policies
Of the two documents you have access to today, I encourage you to read and reflect on the Social Statement, Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust, first. This Social Statement, prepared after many years of deliberation and study by the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality, is open to revision by the ELCA church Council and will be considered and acted upon by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis, August 17-23, 2009.
The second document, Report and Recommendation on Ministry Policies, fulfills the 2007 Churchwide Assembly mandate to the Task Force to "address and make recommendations on changes to any policies that preclude practicing homosexual persons from the rosters of this church." (CA07.06.27)
I am impressed with the recommendation, and truly appreciate the sensitivity and wisdom it demonstrates, the countless hours and discernment it took to draft it, and the courage the Task Force summoned to offer it for the good of the church.
Opportunity for Discussion
I encourage us all to practice our love and respect for the neighbor, as well as our sisters and brothers in Christ, even with the challenges of disagreements in conscience and interpretation of scripture and tradition. In the near future you will receive an invitation to a public discussion of the recommendations and their implications for our church, once arrangements and dates have been secured. If, after this discussion, we need more time and dialog, we will set up another one.
Response to the irregular ordination at Holy Communion
At a regularly called Congregational Meeting in December 2008, the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion voted to call and ordain Mr. Stephen Keiser to the office of Word and Sacrament for service in this capacity at the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion. The congregation ordained Mr. Keiser on Sunday, January 25, 2009. Mr. Keiser, pastoral associate at the church for a decade, is not eligible for ordained ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America because of provisions that exclude persons in same-gender committed relationships.
Although the ELCA will be visiting this issue in Assembly this summer, it would have been premature for our Synod to move Mr. Keiser forward in the process under the existing rules. On January 22, I sent a letter to the leaders of the Church of the Holy Communion, which read in part:
"In faithfulness to the responsibilities of the Office of Bishop, I admonish Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion for voting to call and ordain Stephen Keiser. Unfortunately, at this time Stephen Keiser cannot be recognized as a rostered pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I take this action with regret and fervent prayers for God's continuing mercy and guidance."
"I regard Stephen's skills and abilities as gifts bestowed upon him by God. He is an excellent preacher, an insightful theologian, a compassionate healer, a courageous leader, and a faithful Christian. Even though he has been excluded from ELCA ordained ministry, he has exhibited grace under pressure and profound love for the ELCA and the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion."
"I deeply wish I were able to ordain Mr. Keiser myself. However, I have made promises in my role as Bishop to follow the Constitution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Constitution provides that ELCA congregations are to call pastors on the roster of the ELCA and that the approval process for ordination of pastoral candidates is the responsibility of the Synod, through the Office of the Bishop."
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It is my sincere hope and prayer that the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, a synod that celebrates and honors diversity, will rise to the occasion of deep dialog and prayer for the sake of future generations, and in faithfulness to our unity and trust in Christ as our center in all things and for all time.
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:4-6)
With and in Christ,
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The Rev. Claire S. Burkat, Bishop
Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, ELCA
bishop@sepa.org
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