“For baptized Christians, civic engagement is a vital means of discipleship.”
Dear church,
The idea of government was already very much in focus because this was an election year, and the pandemic has focused it more so. But what does the ELCA teach about the nature and function of government in relation to God’s purposes? What is a faithful Lutheran response regarding citizenship and civic engagement?
To help guide our church on these questions, the 2019 Churchwide Assembly asked for the preparation of a social message. At this time, the message is in draft form. Through May 27, you are invited to provide feedback on how to strengthen the message.
I invite you to click here to read “A Draft Social Message on Government and Civic Engagement: Discipleship in a Democracy.” To offer feedback, please fill out the survey. You may also choose to email comments to draftsocialmessage@elca.org. The comment period ends May 27. To learn more about what social messages are, click www.elca.org/socialmessages.
In light of the feedback, the message will be revised and presented to the ELCA Church Council for a vote in June. Upon its adoption, the message and a study guide will be released over the summer, along with a Spanish translation.
To learn more about this social message and the process of its creation, please visit its webpage, which features “Frequently Asked Questions.”
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this project—it’s through the wisdom of the full church that a strong message will be created.
God’s peace,
Rev. Roger A. Willer, Ph.D.
Director for Theological Ethics
Office of the Presiding Bishop