Changes to the ELCA social statement “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust” that update language in light of changes in U.S. law regarding marriage will be brought to the 2025 Churchwide Assembly for adoption. If approved, it would be the conclusion of a process started by the 2022 Churchwide Assembly.
The assembly authorized a reconsideration of certain passages of the statement “so that its wording reflects current church understanding, church policy, civil law, and public acceptance of marriage of same-gender and gender non-conforming couples,” based on memorials from the Greater Milwaukee, Southeastern and Florida-Bahamas synods.
The proposed changes are language updates to bring the social statement up to date and in line with current law and the church’s emerging understanding of the diversity of what makes a family. They are text updates without changing the meaning of the social statement.
The process to propose the changes included a review, study and editing by an appointed task force, as well as a three-month churchwide comment period. The conversations in both preparing the proposed document and the comment period “help us remember there are real lives and passion and faith invested and reflected in the words of our social teachings,” said Ryan Cumming, ELCA program director for theological ethics, education and community engagement. “It helps us to humanize a document by realizing just how much this matters to people.”
“We trust that the Holy Spirit is guiding these conversations and will guide us through a process that impacts our siblings in Christ.”
The “Human Sexuality” social statement was adopted in 2009 before the landmark 2015 Supreme Court decision Obergefell v. Hodges, which ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-gender couples and ordered all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories to recognize the marriages. Before the Supreme Court ruling, 36 states and the District of Columbia and Guam recognized same-gender marriages.
Cumming said the feedback that the ELCA received during the comment period on the proposed changes, which ended in January, was mixed. “There was a lot of constructive feedback on all of the sections, and also some positive comments the task force heard,” he said. “One section takes into account the diversity of family configurations, and people felt seen by some of those changes. We were encouraged by that.”
The task force, which was appointed by the ELCA Church Council, tried to be attentive to the wide variety of perspectives on the edits. “Because of changes in law, it makes some language feel out of date,” Cumming said. “The hope is that folks can be clear these are edits and not substantive changes right now and focus on the way in which the wording brings the 2009 social statement up to date.”
A guided process
The Church Council, at its April meeting, recommended the proposed edited statement for consideration at this year’s assembly.
Cumming said he doesn’t know what to expect of the conversation or vote at the assembly. “This statement in particular brings up for people a lot of deeply held beliefs and worldviews and ways of being Lutheran and ways of being church,” he said. “It’s editorial changes, but words matter. This statement took a lot of work over a lot of years. There’s still a lot of passion, a lot of ways in which people experienced the implementing of the social teaching in different ways. And people are carrying that into the conversation.
“We trust that the Holy Spirit is guiding these conversations and will guide us through a process that impacts our siblings in Christ.”
The 2022 Churchwide Assembly voted twice, both by two-thirds majorities, on updating “Human Sexuality,” so the process to make changes is happening in two parts. In addition to updating the language regarding marriage, the assembly also authorized a reconsideration for possible revision of the section of the 2009 social statement that names the ELCA’s recognition of four conviction sets that Lutherans can faithfully hold about same-gender relationships, typically referred to as “bound conscience.”
The process to begin this possible revision—which could include substantive changes to the social statement—is expected to begin this fall and conclude with voting on any proposed revisions at the 2028 Churchwide Assembly.
Learn more
- These resources on the proposed changes to the statement and the updating process can be found at elca.org/reconsiderations:
- The full social statement, with draft edits highlighted, available in English and Spanish.
- A table of explanations of the draft edits, available in English, Spanish and large print.
- An FAQ about the task force’s work, available in English, Spanish and large print.
- A report sharing the analysis of the feedback on the draft edits.
