Brothers and Sisters in Christ;
I am writing to share the elements of the Churchwide Assembly that I was blessed to both attend and participate fully in with other voting members of our Northern Illinois Synod. This was my first such experience at a Churchwide event. Our team was very diverse and worked collaboratively in every facet of our decision-making process before votes were cast. That is not to say that we all voted the same way each time; in fact, our being able to agree to disagree on several main issues was, in my opinion, one of our biggest strengths.
Each day we were gathered by the Holy Spirit around the means of grace in worship, we were rooted and nourished by God’s grace through Word, Sacrament, and raising our voices to the Lord. Our theme for the ELCA Churchwide Assembly was, For the Life of the World.
Colossians 3:15 is a verse that encourages Christians to allow the peace of Christ to rule in their hearts, recognizing they are called to live in peace as part of one body. This was certainly the guide we all were directed by during our long days of deliberation and decision making, emphasizing the importance of thankfulness. I truly believe that God’s peace was present, and he spoke to each of us and guided our decisions and actions.
Overview of our week-long work in Phoenix, Arizona:
- Transitions occurred in two key leadership roles as the assembly voted in multiple ballots to elect our new presiding Bishop (Bishop Yehiel Curry – Metropolitan Chicago Synod), as well as a new Secretary (Rev. Lucille “CeCee” Mills – North Carolina Synod) of the ELCA.
- The voting members were called upon to consider a new social statement: Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-being of All. This is necessary as we continue to address civic engagement, the role of government, Christian nationalism, and the public responsibilities of rostered ministers.
- Work was done to make editorial changes to the Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust was also strongly considered to bring the statement in line with current law and inclusive understandings of family.
- As voting members, we were also called upon to review, discuss, and consider Memorials and Justice Issues from throughout our synods. These included the following: missing and murdered Indigenous women, Indian boarding school remembrance, Israel-Palestine and ending occupation, end-of-life decisions, and restoration of USAID funding. A large part of our deliberations was centered around racism and church reform.
- The Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC) presented a report of major proportions examining the ELCS’s identity, purpose, and structure with a primary focus on dismantling racism. Volumes of the 800+ voting members rose to speak for or against these issues and offered new amendments creating new change. Voting members of our NIS were recognized and participated in offering up amendments to several of the documents. Not all the items for consideration were achieved, because of time constraints and lack of enough votes for passage. Those not passed will be reviewed and returned to the appropriate committees for more considerations and verbiage additions or corrections prior to voting by the ELCA Church Council. Many will return to the Churchwide Synod Assembly in 2028 for reconsideration.
Once again, I am so thankful for the opportunity to have represented the Northern Illinois Synod at the Churchwide Assembly. I take away from it a new sense of the workings of the Church. I encourage everyone within our congregations to go to the ELCA website and read the information that was discussed and voted on. This is our Church, and we must take an active role in its being. In closing, I leave you with this prayer from Psalm 67:2, “May God be gracious to you, bless you and make his face shine upon you, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.”
Bill Wescott, Voting Member
Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church – Rock Falls, IL
