Trinity Represented at ELCA Assembly

The trio of Trinity’s Transition into Ministry Pastors has converged on Minneapolis, MN, this week for the annual Evangelical Lutheran Churches in America Churchwide Assembly, which began Monday and runs through Sunday, August 23, at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Marhsa Anderson, Emmy Isaackson and Josh Graber have been representing Trinity in the Twin Cities. See below for daily updates from Trinity Pastors during the Assembly as they blog about the happenings and their reactions to the day’s events. So check back daily for updates.

Today’s edition is from Josh Graber, who is one of Trinity’s six Pastors.

Churchwide Assembly - Day one in review (Young Rostered Clergy Gathering): Pastor Emmy did a masterful job directing the first interactions of the Young Rostered Clergy Gathering. While she had us gather into groups based on where we were born, where we went to seminary, and where we serve/where we would like to serve in five years, I had a few observations.

I was one of only six young adult leaders who were born west of Minnesota. Luther Seminary was not the most represented seminary at this event. The southern and eastern seminaries, which are five times smaller and farther away, had the biggest turnout.

Most young pastors want to stay where they are at in ministry.

Opening Worship: I was sitting next to my seminary roommate, Noah, for opening worship, who became my roommate here as well. Noah had some important observations during opening worship. After Presiding Bishop Hanson's sermon, he said that he recognized forgiveness is not an event or an eraser, but the substance that holds us together. Then during communion he looked back and said, "we're a pretty old, white church aren't we?"

We both also thought that the worship style was about as extravagant as you can get and wondered how helpful it is to open with that type of worship. My favorite moment came during a particularly "high church" part of the service. Bishop Hanson during a long chant, lost track of how to connect the words with the notes and just started messing up awfully and everybody knew it. At the end of this long chant he added as an extra line in the chant "forgive me, Lord," and the 1,000-plus congregation burst into laughter. I think that was the most important moment of the night. I think we're in big trouble if we move forward at this assembly with a sense of righteousness (which Hanson seemed to speak to - and represent - in his sermon, saying that he didn't want to lead a church that was in the "sin-accounting business") rather than with a foundation of humility and humor which came unexpectedly by him screwing up and making a humble joke of it.

Opening Plenary Session: We started the first session by listening to Bishop Hanson explain Roger's rules of order for over an hour. Then those that were awake began what I think was the most significant debate of the conference: whether we would need to have a simple majority or a two-thirds super-majority to adopt the new ministry practices (allowing churches to call practicing homosexual clergy). The debate went on for about an hour and was finally closed by a 90 percent majority vote. This proposal, to need a two-thirds vote, was defeated. Most people believe that a majority will support both the social statement and the recommendation on ministry practices, but if the vote would need two-thirds majority it would be hard to predict the outcome. Adopting the social statement on sexuality, however, will need a two-thirds majority and may not pass. While we can't predict the outcomes and we can expect surprises, the ELCA seems to be on its way to becoming a church that accepts homosexual clergy and has a more open understanding of Christian sexuality as bound to loving, committed relationships rather than bound solely to heterosexual marriage. That's a really big deal, and a huge change, but I hope that's not the only thing we are witnessing by the end of the week.

--humbly submitted by young rostered leader, Josh Graber

(See below for photos from the first day of the Assembly)

Pastor Marsha listens intently to a presentation about the ELCA's AIDS/HIV Strategy.

Assembly delegates share the Lord's Supper at the Convention Center.

Assembly listens to Presiding Bishop Hanson's sermon at the Churchwide Assembly's Opening worship.

Pastor Emmy directs young rostered leaders to move around an imaginary map of the United States in a mixer activity.

The Churchwide Assembly features an extensive array of sessions and events and full coverage including, among other things, live blogs, streaming video, twitter updates and facebook group updates can be found at http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Office-of-the-Secretary/ELCA-Governance/Churchwide-Assembly.aspx