In 2022, the Churchwide Assembly authorized two reconsiderations (see pages 4-5 and 11 of this Assembly action summary) of the Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust (2009) social statement:
- Reconsideration #1: A review of specific text references that “would consider the import that marriage legally is now a covenant between individuals;” review specific wording “in light of public acceptance of marriage of same-gender and gender-non-conforming couples;” and “consider references to diversity of family configurations;” and
- Reconsideration #2: A fresh consideration of the “church’s current concept of the four positions of bound conscience” found on pages 19-21 of Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust.
In the Spring of 2024, the ELCA Church Council Executive Committee seated a task force, which immediately began work on the first reconsideration. The task force represents a diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. Click here to learn about task force members. The task force has taken up the first reconsideration only at this time. The work on the second reconsideration of bound conscience will not start until Fall 2025, as affirmed by ELCA Church Council at the start of the work.
Consistent with ELCA protocol, the results of the task force’s work on Reconsideration #1, which are simply editorial, are now available for public comment and feedback. Receiving feedback from across the church is a vital step in discerning together. Your perspective matters.
Below are links to the draft edits, an explanation of the draft edits, and a survey for you to share your feedback with the task force. Please prayerfully consider contributing to this important step. Talk about the draft edits in a group study or read them on your own. Your participation will help our church discern together where God is calling us.
Resources
The full social statement with the draft edits can be downloaded here. Each draft edit is highlighted in yellow and underlined in the document. Please remember that these are draft edits at this time, intended for comment and response. A Spanish translation of the social statement and the draft edits can be downloaded here.
A table of explanations of each draft edit can be found here. In the table, each draft edit is listed in the left column, with a short explanation of the edit in the right column. This is also available in Spanish here and in large-print here.
Here is a link to the survey response form. The task force will receive a report that includes statistical data and all comments. If you need to print out the survey to fill it out, you can find a printable copy here. Surveys must be received by January 31, 2025.
For group study of the draft edits, a brief group discussion guide with tips for leading conversations is available here. Click here for a Spanish translation of the guide. Click here for a large-print version.
You can read an FAQ about the task force’s work here. The FAQs are also available in Spanish (click here) and in large-print (click here). Questions or comments for the task force also can be sent to reconsiderations@elca.org. While not every email will receive a reply, each email about the draft edits and the process will be shared with members of the task force. A Spanish translation and Large Print copies of the draft edits and related materials will be coming shortly.
Related Resources
Click here for a full text of the social statement Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust as originally adopted in 2009.
