SAME-GENDER ISSUES AMONG LUTHERANS IN CANADA

A Statement from the Council of Presidents of Lutheran Church-Canada

Read Online (PDF) - Bulletin Inserts also available. 

     Recent years have brought separation and discord among Lutheran Christians around the world as various church bodies have departed from historic Biblical teaching and practice by approving same gender relationships, both within their churches' membership and even in the ranks of the ordained clergy. This disruption will now spread in our country through the decision of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) to authorize its pastors to conduct same-gender marriages, as well as by its finding that sexual orientation is no longer an issue in certifying candidates for the ministry.

      Because these decisions will be covered in the media, members of the larger Christian community and the Canadian public in general may mistakenly conclude that these decisions represent the position of all Lutherans in this land. In fact, the ELCIC is the only Lutheran church body in Canada which has approved such a departure from accepted Christian teaching. Further, although the ELCIC formally reports large membership statistics, nearly 40% of Canadian Lutherans who worship every week belong to congregations outside the ELCIC.* In addition, it is known that there are churches and pastors within the ELCIC who are deeply troubled by these changes in their church body and cannot support them.

      Jesus Christ declared, "Haven't you read that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will come one flesh'?" (Matthew 19:4-5). Both in its Canadian congregations and overseas mission stations, Lutheran Church-Canada (LCC) will continue to give witness to Christ's clear teaching that God designed marriage as the lifelong union of one man and one woman. LCC will not ordain pastors who do not affirm this.

      In holding this position, LCC is not speaking from the margins, but from the overwhelming consensus of Christian churches for the last two millennia, and also from the mainstream of ecumenical conviction today. LCC's solid commitment to historic Christian marriage is shared by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, as well as by the rapidly growing Lutheran churches in Africa and elsewhere. Lutheran unity is not undermined by the faithful who cling to the Biblical teaching they received and have consistently confessed. It is not being ruptured by people resisting the changes now adopted in a few Lutheran church bodies. It is ruptured rather by decisions which claim to place a blessing on what God has not promised to bless, and by anyone who permits secular notions of justice to override the apostolic teaching of God's Word.

      No one will deny that some Christian churches and their members have at times distorted the Bible's instruction on sexuality and marriage, twisting it to insult and threaten people who claimed same gender orientation. We do not defend this, but rather we repent of such sin and ask God to help His people overcome it wherever it occurs. At the same time, we reject any notion that confessing historic Christian teaching on marriage and sexuality constitutes "homophobia," an irrational fear and hatred of people with same-gender orientation. Contrary to the claims of revisionist theologians, it is indeed possible to refuse their proposed changes to Christian teaching and life without feeling such hatred, and without inciting it in others.

      We want Canadians to know that, both in Lutheran Church-Canada and in a number of smaller church bodies, there are Lutheran Christians in this country still deeply committed to the Bible as the authoritative Word of God, and still dedicated to its clear witness on human sexuality, marriage and standards for ministry. For ELCIC congregations and people dismayed by their church's recent actions, we pledge our intercessory prayers.

      We make this declaration to defend the rightful place of historic Lutheran teaching and practice in Canada, and in response to the saving love of Jesus Christ, the Faithful Witness (Revelation 1:5), the Son of God and Saviour of the world.

Council of Presidents:

              Rev. Dr. Robert Bugee, President, Lutheran Church Canada

              Rev. Daryl Solie, 1^st Vice-president (Secretary)

              Rev. Robert Krestick, 2^nd Vice-president

              Rev. Thomas Kruesel, 3^rd Vice-president

              Rev. Paul Zabel, East District President

              Rev. Thomas Prachar, Central District President (Vice-chairman)

              Rev. Donald Schiemann, Alberta-British Columbia District President (Chairman)

   * - This reflects local congregational reports published on the Internet by both ELCIC and LCC. This percentage does not include the weekly worshiping membership of smaller Canadian Lutheran bodies, for whom statistics are not readily available.

For Zion Lutheran Christian School and their new pastor, Rev. Paul Zeigler, as he begins his ministry there.  

For Rev. Fred Otke and family as they mourn the death of Rev. Otke's wife Hilda who passed away last Sunday at the age of 94.  

Please keep Rev. Harry and Ruth Ruf in your prayers as they were forced to evacuate their condo due to a fire in the neighboring attached condo. Their unit was spared from the blaze but did receive water and smoke damage.

Mission Prayer   

• A-BC Slo-pitch tournament - August 5 - 7, Golden, BC
• Lutheran Teachers' Association - August 15-18 - Prince of Peace, Calgary, AB.  For more information, click here.  
• Lutheran Foundation - Sept. 18, 2011 - All Saints Lutheran - Edmonton, AB (12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.) and Oct.1, 2011 - St. John's Lutheran Church- Summerland, BC.
• AB Church Workers Conference - October 3-6, 2011 at Camp Kuriakos, Sylvan Lake, BC - contact Rev. Carl Bogda 
• BC Church Workers Conference - October 3-6, 2011 at Camp Luther, Mission, BC - contact Rev. Lee Loveridge 
• Regional Outreach Conference ( ROC ) - October 14-15, Vancouver, BC

Submission of Pastoral, Lay & 

Alternate Delegates Form:                   Jan. 16, 2012

Submission of Reports & Overture:           Jan. 16, 2012

Meeting of Nominating Committee:       Feb. 17 & 18, 2012

Meeting of Floor Committees:           Feb. 17 & 18, 2012

Submission of Reports from Organizations:   March 5, 2012

Workbook Completed & Sent to Printer:       March 9, 2012

Congregational Assessments Due:            March 31, 2012

Have you heard of YouVersion.com?  

Youversion is a ( free ) online site devoted to using technology to encourage people in their relationships with God and His Holy Word.   

about youversion.com 

 Chronological - 1 Year Reading Plan

The Blue Letter Bible "Chronological" plan is compiled according to recent historical research, taking into account the order in which the recorded events actually occurred. This is a fantastic plan to follow if you wish to add historical context to your reading of the Bible. If the schedule provided is followed, the entire Bible will be read in one calendar year.

...more details

• 50th Anniversary of St. Luke, Surrey, BC -  Sept 17-18
• 25th Anniversary of Concordia Lutheran, Edmonton, AB - Sept 25.
• 100th Anniversary of St. Paul, Medicine Hat, AB - Oct. 8 - 9
• 100th Anniversary of St. John's, Vernon, BC - Nov. 11 - 13   

Parish and Schools services are still seeking your questions and comments which will enable the Department and staff to compile a survey ( read full post ) in determining the needs of our workers and their families and which will be utilized in determining "appropriately beneficial" opportunities to the spouses of church workers.

Questions and comments can be forwarded to Daryl Becker . You may also phone him at 780-474-0063 (ext. 110), leaving a message if he is not in the office.

In order to get the survey out to the congregations, workers, and workers' families in time to share results at this fall's Workers Conferences, please have questions and comments to Daryl by the end of June.

24th Annual A-BC District Slo-pitch Tournament 

 

August 5 - 7 2011  

Golden, BC

2011 Slo-Pitch National (SPN) Rulebook -  get it online!  

Registration ( Word Doc )  

Have you read any of the Resources of the Week?  Any ideas for future ones? Please share them with us, and we will look into them!  

Send us the details, (date, time, theme etc.) so we can include them in our Summer Events section of our site.   Current Listings    

Postings can be emailed to news@lccabc.ca.