Board acts on CCM exceptions

Lutheran, The, Apr 2001

Meeting March 9-11 in Chicago, the Division for Ministry board recommended that the ELCA Church Council approve "Guidelines for Ordination in Unusual Circumstances," which offers guidelines for implementing a proposed bylaw that would allow exceptions to the ELCA's ordination requirements under Called to Common Mission. (At its April meeting, the council will consider transmitting the proposed bylaw and guidelines.)

The board approved the guidelines after significant discussion, said board chair Kevin Boatright. A previous motion, offered by board member Michael Root, one of the drafters of the CCM proposal, was heavily debated. Root's motion recommended transmittal to the Church Council of the original guidelines as presented to the Conference of Bishops by the ministry division (see page 45). It was defeated by a 9-8 vote, with one abstention.

Instead, the board voted 10-7, with one abstention, to recommend the amended version, while also transmitting to the Church Council the original version and the board's vote totals "to ensure that the Church Council was aware that we had seen both versions and that this had been narrowly approved," Boatright said.

Although it was finally approved by the board, members expressed their concern about the bishops' version. "Many board members were concerned that the Episcopal Church might understand the guidelines as an indication of our not living out the commitments to [CCM] yet they also were concerned about members of our church having difficulty with the implementation of CCM and a need for some flexibility in its implementation," said Joe Wagner, the division's executive director.

Boatright said board members questioned what "is an acceptable number of exceptions and what constitutes too many?" He said others wondered "why the church was unwilling to grant exceptions to Vision and Expectations but was now willing to grant exceptions to [CCM]." Some also wondered whether the bishops' version, which removed such constraints as approval by the presiding bishop and time limits, will be acceptable to the Episcopal Church.