Church in Society Team
The purpose of the Church in Society Team is to provide services, advice, and counsel regarding how the church;
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relates to the poor and powerful,
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shares information on justice and peace issues,
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encourages advocacy and faithfulness to the churches social statements.
The mission of the Church in Society team is to: equip, support, and empower people who work to do God's mission for those most vulnerable.
Our vision is that in Christ we are freed to love and serve our neighbor. God uses our hands, voices, and resources to restore and reconcile the world. Through education, communication, and advocacy we strive to advance the common good.
Churchwide Conversation
ELCA social statements are teaching and policy documents that provide broad frameworks to assist us in thinking about and discussing social issues in the context of faith and life. They are meant to help communities and individuals with moral formation, discernment and thoughtful engagement with current social issues as we participate in God's work in the world.
ELCA Social Statements:
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Caring for creation / Medio ambiente (1993)
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Church in society / Iglesia en la sociedad (1991)
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The church and criminal justice / La iglesia y la justicia penal (2013)
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The death penalty / Pena de Muerte (1991)
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Economic life / Vida economica (1999)
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Genetics (2011)
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Health and health care / Salud y asistencia sanitaria (2003)
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Human sexuality / La sexualidad humana (2009)
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Race, ethnicity and culture / Raza, etnicidad y cultura (1993)
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The ELCA Task Force on Women and Justice: One in Christ In 2009, the Churchwide Assembly authorized the development of a social statement on women and justice. The ELCA Task Force on Women and Justice: One in Christ has been at work since 2012 and brought the work to a crucial stage: On November 15, 2017, it released the Draft of a Social Statement on Women and Justice. The comment period on the Draft was open until September 30, 2018. The Task Force presented a Proposed Social Statement to the ELCA Church Council which was then adopted during the 2019 Churchwide Assembly.
The statement, along with an FAQ, overview, and brochure, can be found here.
Churchwide Social Messages:
Social messages of the ELCA are topical documents adopted by the ELCA Church Council to focus attention and action on timely, pressing matters of social concern to the church and society. They are used to address pressing contemporary concerns in light of the prophetic and compassionate traditions of Scripture and do not establish new teaching or policy. Rather, they build upon previously adopted teaching and policy positions, especially from social statements.
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Faith Leader Statement on Family Separation
The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has convened ELCA ecumenical and inter-religious partners in a statement addressing concerns over a recent U.S. government policy calling for more stringent enforcement of federal immigration laws. The policy will most likely result in an increase in family separations.
Advocacy
We are called by faith to learn about and advocate on behalf of our vulnerable neighbors and all of God's creation. Guided by the experiences of Lutheran ministries, programs, and projects nationally and worldwide, ELCA advocacy works for changes to public policy.
