Series editor’s note: In 2025, “Deeper understandings” is focusing on the ELCA social statements. We hope to reintroduce them to readers as a means of provoking fruitful, enriching conversation between Christians with different understandings and convictions, and as a springboard for active discipleship in the world. Each article will introduce a particular statement and its Lutheran theological underpinnings, then suggest ways in which it can spark faithful conversation and action in the service of your baptismal vocation.
My hope is that you will find this series relevant to your current context and that it will help you express your Lutheran faith in your daily interaction with family, friends, neighbors and co-workers—for the sake of the flourishing of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the world and the life abundant of the neighbor and stranger.
—Kristin Johnston Largen, president of Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, on behalf of the ELCA’s seminaries
In 2001, the ELCA Churchwide Assembly voted to create the social statement “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust.” The final statement was the end result of six churchwide processes: three one-year studies on sexuality, a biblical study, a youth study and a draft statement. In total, it incorporated seven years of deliberation with more than 50,000 pieces of congregational and individual feedback. This necessary but imperfect statement was adopted by a two-thirds majority of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly. The accompanying changes in church policies also passed.
The social statement itself had internal inconsistencies, written as it was by a committee that represented many differing social perspectives. But it was unified by and grounded in its Lutheran principles and Scriptural, theological foundation.
For Martin Luther, faith is, first and foremost, trust in the promises of God. Therefore trust can also be the grounding principle for faithfully living out our sexuality in human relationships. The social statement connects Luther’s understandings of faith and grace, pointing out that our sexuality is not a private affair but an expression of our human relationality and our call to love the neighbor.
The statement veers, mercifully, away from a list of dos and don’ts—rules and regulations—and instead proposes guidelines or principles for levels of sexual intimacy in a relationship. It recommends pairing levels of trust, commitment and accountability with levels of sexual intimacy to provide a context for sexual flourishing and the least potential for harm.
The key topics covered in the statement are:
- Trust as a foundation of personal and social relationships.
- Trust within marriage, families and long-term relationships.
- Heterosexual and queer relationships.
- Protecting children and youth, within the church and in society, from the sexual abuse that can occur within families and in an over-sexualized culture.
- Commodification of sex and exploitation of people through prostitution, pornography and the global sex market.
- The gift of sexuality for all people, regardless of their relationship status.
- The relationship between commitment and intimacy.
- Adult cohabitation outside marriage.
- Sexuality in ministry and the workplace.
- The necessity of mercy and love when approaching a subject as sensitive as human sexuality.
Opportunities for discussion
“Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust” provides grounds for conversations that almost never happen.
In teaching courses on Lutheran theology and tradition, I talk with students in their 20s about this statement. After reviewing the statement’s pairing of sexual intimacy with trust and accountability, I have asked students what principles guide people their age as they make decisions about sexual intimacy. This is usually met with silence.
One year, a student offered, “I don’t think we’ve ever been asked, and I’m not sure people even think about it.” Students described plenty of social norms, expectations from family or faith traditions, and awkward biological sex “talks”—but they hadn’t been afforded an opportunity to think faithfully about the principles that guide their sexual relations. Consent-awareness campaigns are the closest thing most students report to me as an important guideline for sexual intimacy. One gift of this social statement is the opportunity it can provide to reflect on these important principles with children, partners, parents and friends.
Inconsistencies within the 2009 statement and changes in federal law have led the ELCA to revisit the statement with a new task force. In 2022, the Churchwide Assembly authorized two reconsiderations of the statement’s “four perspectives” on lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and queer relationships. This draft will be available for discussion in congregations, with opportunities for feedback, before it moves to a vote.
At the 2025 Churchwide Assembly, the statement’s language was updated to reflect current legal marriage rights of church members, and these changes passed by a 93% majority.
During the statement’s development, I heard and read the ideas of thousands of ELCA members on the topic of sexuality. A few lessons stood out for me:
- People with divergent views all love the church, its tradition and the Bible, and seek the good of the community. All of us take Scripture seriously; this is common ground.
- Someone whose ideas contradict yours is not evil or stupid. Leaning in with curiosity and respect is a better approach that allows for meaningful discussion.
- People across the country change their minds and their hearts because of those they love. The experience of family members and close friends can powerfully influence one’s perspective.
- As a church, we don’t have to agree with each other to commit to staying together. Like a family gathering for a holiday, we meet at the communion table, united by our sacramental, baptismal identity. As the body of Christ in this world, we are empowered by Christ to tolerate dissent.
- We are called to love, serve and protect all our neighbors, each of whom is created by our loving and redeeming creator.
Today the statement still helps us discuss individual, intimate, relational, familial and societal issues within the wider topic of human sexuality. It points to legitimate concerns but also to the joys of our God-given embodiment. But now it should be read and discussed by Lutherans in light of the ELCA’s 2019 social statement “Faith, Sexism and Justice: A Call to Action.” This statement helps us to understand issues of gender in a way that was impossible in 2009, and thus informs every issue raised in the 2009 statement. With this in mind, we may all explore the reconsidered 2009 statement for the wide array of issues it presents for reflection and discussion on human sexuality.
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