This week, we want to highlight the most recent reflection Nick Tangen wrote from his experience at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Columbus, Ohio. He extends to us the invitation to join in the messiness, the vulnerability and realness that comes with wrestling with “What will need to die and rise again in order for each of us as the ELCA to embrace the reconciliation Jesus has set us free to participate in?”. We are grateful for this partnership and for Nick and his team to be in the work alongside us.

“Retamoza’s words have been with me all week. In some ways this challenge captures so clearly my own discomfort with the work of the Assembly; did we want to be good or real? This is, I think, a real tension for us as a church – at all three expressions. It’s a tension ongoing for myself. I know my own desire to appear good, to fall into the trap of perfectionism and performance, and I know how limiting that is when trying to root out injustice and inequity in our life together.

This invitation into the vulnerability, the messiness, and the real-ness of confession and reconciliation stood in such stark contrast to the Assembly. The carefully curated plenaries with the steady march towards resolution felt oddly incongruous with the challenge to deeply listen to the cries of prophetic grief. While I am grateful for the provisions and memorials that the Assembly approved, it was the lament and experience of prophetic grief in worship and from the leaders of Iglesia Luterana Santa Maria Perigrina that my heart continues to return to. I feel both profoundly determined and deeply anxious about the church that I love.”

on the Minneapolis Area Synod blog!

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The ELCA’s 2019 social statement, Faith, Sexism, and Justice: A Call to Action provides a powerful framework for gender justice work in the church. “Because we rely on God as a God of promise, this church speaks about sexism and the harm it causes for all people,” says the statement in its introduction. “Those who support gender justice are intent on righting gender-based wrongs that prevent the abundant and flourishing life God intends.”

This historic document draws on the richness of the Lutheran theological tradition. Four primary themes are woven throughout the statement. God desires abundant life for all. Sin subverts human flourishing in many ways—especially the sins of sexism and patriarchy. The Christian tradition holds challenges and resources for resisting sexism. And the ELCA calls for justice and action to foster flourishing in the church and in society.

You can read the full statement here.

Now a new ELCA study guide makes the 80-page document more accessible for individuals, congregations, students, organizations, and faith leaders as they pursue equity for women and girls. It features six flexible sessions that can be customized for in-person gatherings, virtual discussions, or interactive virtual meetings. Each session incorporates hymns, prayers, videos, engaging activities, and invitations to live out the social statement’s call to gender justice in the world.

You can access the study guide for Faith, Sexism, and Justice in the button below.

Sessions include:

• All Are Called to Lives of Justice and Abundance
• Patriarchy and Sexism Cause Injustice for Everyone
• Language and Images for God Matter
• Creation Is Diverse, as Is the Body of Christ
• Lutheran Insights Promote Gender Justice
• God Calls Us to Action in Community

Each session is available as a PDF that can be shared remotely or projected in a classroom or meeting room. Groups can select the specific topics they are most interested in and then choose from 45, 60 or 90-minute session formats.

In the basic 45-mintue format, participants watch and discuss a video that describes the theme of that session and they respond to important quotes from the social statement. In addition, each session has an activity that can be engaged virtually, via Zoom, or in person. Some of the in-person activities involve exploring artistic images of God and taking a quiz about sex and gender equity. The study guide can also be used by high school students, especially if they are working with a leader that they trust. If you only have time to offer two sessions, engage session one and then one additional session.

As a member of the Faith, Sexism, and Justice task force and writing team, I’m proud of this groundbreaking document, with its strong biblical and theological grounding and its compelling vision of greater justice for church and society. As Lutherans, we are called to serve the neighbor, affirm the diversity of God’s creation, and work for gender justice for all people. I invite you to explore this wonderful new resource that can empower you and your community to think more deeply about how to resist the sins of patriarchy and sexism and to work towards the more just and flourishing community that God intends.

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At the end of June we wrapped up the 2021 institute, and it was incredible! So many amazing young people were excited about our theme, And It Was Very Good: Affirming and Advocating for Gender and Sexual Diversity in God’s Creation. We welcomed instructor to guide us through a week of curriculum that focused on faithful advocacy that allows LGBTQ people to be full members of society, reading the bible through a queer lens, assessing our congregations using the Reconciling Works Building an Inclusive Church tools, and telling compelling personal stories rooted in theology. Our young people engaged in deep discussion, thoughtful reflection, and learned what it means to be a young theologian.

VIRTUAL INSTITUTE

With the uncertainties around group safety with the Covid-19 pandemic, we did not host an in-person event this year. Our participants joined us from four time zones, four states, and ten churches. Our six college mentors were able to live together in community on campus as they used their leadership skills for mentoring with our participants in small groups. We are so grateful for the college mentors for their incredible leadership. Our pastoral chaplains joined us from their offices or dining rooms, worship leaders “zoomed in” for music and worship together, and our final celebration brought together participants, mentors, staff, pastors, youth ministers, parents, guardians, and supporters of the AYTI experience. It was incredible!

STUDENT DESIGNED PROJECT AND/OR ESSAY

AYTI publishes a student journal each year and you can read essays from past participants here. High school participants spend time brainstorming topics and issues that matter to them and their congregations. Then at the end of the week, they choose one to focus on when they go back to their congregations and communities. Their nominator supports their research, development, and writing process as they implement a project and write about or if they research a topic and write about. Below are the topics for essay writing or issues that matter to these young people that may be developed into a project in their congregations.

2021 POSSIBLE ESSAYS

• A Coat or a Gown: looking at bible stories in a different way
• Gender and Sexuality Garden: A Journey through the LGBTQ+ community with flowers
• White, not Radical: An Analysis and Critique of Mainstream American Christianity and LGBTQ+ Politics
• The Trevor Project and Why It’s Important
• The Rainbow Can Mean Both; Delving into the Relationship Between Sexuality and Religion
• The reasons for having LGBTQ+ safe spaces for youth and otherwise, especially in the church.

  

2021 POSSIBLE PROJECTS

• Looking at parallels between early leaders/figures in the bible and the queer liberation movement OR fundraising for Trans people of color
• A LGBTQ support group in my church community
• Out and Ostracized: A website in the form of a public forum, for members of the LGBT+ community to share their experiences coming out in a faith community — the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between.
• Connecting a Lutheran argument for having a GSA in schools to the secularized idea, with the goal of organizing one at a new high school later on.
• Something involving lgbtq+ homeless youth, and/or doing something inside my church helping lgbtq+ youth feel more welcome.

It is such an honor to work with each of these young people and we look forward to hearing how they take what they learned at AYTI and apply it to affirming and advocating for gender and sexual diversity in God’s creation. Watch for updates in the fall about our upcoming 2021 Journal.

CLOSING PRAYER

We close each week of AYTI with a worship and celebration in community with one another. This was true of our virtual institute as well when we welcomed families, pastors, church leaders, and participants together to celebrate all that we learned together in the week. And we closed with this prayer of thanksgiving for all that God made us to be and all that we are sent into the world to do and be.

We thank you, O Holy One, for the learnings, the challenges, the wonderings, and the hopes we have discovered together this week. By your Holy Spirit and through this community, you have affirmed and reaffirmed us as your beloved ones. We celebrate our bold and beautiful LGBTQ siblings who show us the wide diversity of your creation. Strengthen us in our call to be your church of welcome and inclusion for all your peoples. On this day, we rejoice in the projects that have been birthed this week in the minds and hearts of these young leaders in your church. May they be supported and received by their home faith communities as together we work toward your kin-dom here. This we pray in the name of Jesus, our Savior and our Song. Amen.

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JULY 15-17, 2019
Augsburg University, Minneapolis, MN

Each year, members of Lutheran colleges gather to explore the distinctive roles we play in higher education.

The theme this year is Beyond Privilege: Engaging Diversity, Inclusion and Equity. This year we will examine the intersection between privilege, inclusivity, and vocation.

The conference is open to everyone from ELCA colleges or universities, but institutions are encouraged to register participants who have a particular interest in or campus responsibility for advancing their institution’s vocation to engage and expand campus diversity and to further equity and inclusion for all. Each college or university is also urged to send a campus delegation, composed of a mix of administrators and faculty. The make-up of delegations, however, is the decision of each college or university. Students are welcomed—if appropriate—as members of a campus delegation, but each college/university will be responsible for the supervision of student participants.

REGISTRATION

ELCA colleges and universities are invited to send delegations of up to five persons at a subsidized rate of $150 per person. More information about registration was sent to school representatives through the ELCA. Contact Melinda Valverde at melinda.valverde@elca.org for more information or if your college or university has questions.

Registration is closed.

Registration questions may be also be directed to 612-330-1403 or voalc@augsburg.edu.

The Vocation of a Lutheran College conference is supported by the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities.

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Thursday, September 21
Augsburg University

Morning Event
Christensen Symposium Address by Bishop Eaton
Interfaith Friendships: How Difference Can Bring Us Together

11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton will speak at Augsburg University’s annual Christensen Symposium Thursday, September 21. Bishop Eaton’s address, “Interfaith Friendships: How Difference Can Bring Us Together,” will explore Lutheran identity and the ongoing Reformation in the 21st century.

To mark the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation, Augsburg is hosting a series of events this fall. As the first event in this series, Bishop Eaton’s address will touch on how “interfaith friendships enrich learning.” This theme is one of five lessons tightly connected with the work of former Augsburg President Bernard M. Christensen. Each year, the Christensen Symposium provides the opportunity to explore and apply the lessons rooted in Christensen’s legacy, which include:

• Christian faith liberates minds and lives.
• Diversity strengthens vital communities.
• Interfaith friendships enrich learning.
• The love of Christ draws us to God.
• We are called to service in the world.

About the speaker

Elected as the ELCA’s fourth presiding bishop at the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, The Rev. Elizabeth Eaton earned a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School and a Bachelor of Music Education from the College of Wooster. Eaton also represents the ELCA in a wide range of ecumenical and interfaith settings. She serves on the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA Governing Board and Development Committee, Religions for Peace USA Council of Presidents, and Lutheran World Federation Council. At gatherings, Bishop Eaton often shares her four emphases for the ELCA: We are church; We are Lutheran; We are church together; We are church for the sake of the world. These four emphases are fundamental to identifying who the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is.

Afternoon Event
#DecolonizeLutheranism Community Panel with Bishop Eaton
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Panelists:

• Jessica Davis, Christian Educator and #decolonizeLutheranism Chaplain
• Rev. Lura Groen, Pastor and #decolonizeLutheranism Chaplain
• Francisco Herrera, Ph. D candidate at LSTC and Convener of #decolonizeLutheranism
• Rev. Angela Shannon, Dean of Student Life at Luther Seminary
• Kelly Sherman-Conroy, Native American Theologian, Educator, Speaker, and Mentor

Through a panel presentation and conversation, Bishop Eaton will join representatives of #DecolonizeLutheranism in exploring Christensen’s second lesson, “Diversity strengthens vital communities.” The #DecolonizeLutheranism grassroots movement challenges long-held patterns of white power and privilege in the ELCA and exclusivity associated with stereotypes regarding what it means to be Lutheran. This reforming movement has 11 specific goals for the ELCA.

The topic for Bishop Eaton’s address and the focus of the panel conversation speak to the rich and increasing diversity of the Augsburg community; the priorities reflected in Augsburg’s mission, vision, and values; the urban and global contexts that shape Augsburg’s vocation; and Augsburg’s deep grounding in, and vibrant relationship with, the Lutheran Church. Join us for this day of challenging conversations as together we envision what it means to be neighbor in a richly diverse world.

Please Note:

• We regret this event was scheduled on Rosh Hashanah. Prayers for God’s blessings on Jews throughout the world during their high holy days. 
• These sessions will be audio recorded. If you would like to be alerted as soon as the audio is available, please email ccv@augsburg.edu

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To mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Augsburg is hosting a series of events this fall.

Christensen Symposium: Bishop Elizabeth Eaton

September 21, 2017
Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center

This year’s Bernhard M. Christensen Symposium speaker is Reverend Elizabeth Eaton, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Morning Event
Christensen Symposium Address by Bishop Eaton
Interfaith Friendships: How Difference Can Bring Us Together
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Afternoon Event
#DecolonizeLutheranism Community Panel with Bishop Eaton
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Learn more about the 2017 Christensen Symposium

Heritage Day: Mary Lowe

Martin Luther on the Body, Our Bodies, and the Body of Creation

October 24, 2017
7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center

As part of the Reformation series, Mary Lowe, associate professor of Religion at Augsburg University, will give an evening lecture followed by discussion and a reception.

Martin Luther wrote, “There are three elements in a human, the body, the soul, and the spirit.” Many of today’s complex issues involve our bodies and the body of creation: climate change, gender and sexuality, abuse, and deforestation, etc. In Augsburg’s 2017 Heritage Lecture, Prof. Lowe will introduce Luther’s perspectives on bodies and creation and examine how—even today—his theology can help us better understand and address these embodied challenges.

Fine Arts Convocation: The Rose Ensemble

November 2, 2017
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center

Award-winning musical group The Rose Ensemble will present “Welcome the People: The Musical Legacy of the Reformation.”

Learn More about the Fine Arts Convocation

Advent Vespers: “Welcome, Noble Guest,”

December 1-2, 2017

This year’s theme, “Welcome, Noble Guest,” is inspired by Martin Luther’s hymn “From Heaven Above.”

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Monday, July 20, 12pm – 5pm at Augsburg College

Led by (Gustavus Adolphus College) and Susan Hasseler (Augustana University, Sioux Falls, SD)

As we look forward to significant turnover in executive leadership in higher education in the next few years, we have a unique opportunity to strengthen gender diversity in leadership in Lutheran colleges and universities. Considering the ways in which we can support women’s success in higher education leadership at all levels, from department and division heads to the presidency, is one of our essential tasks as we explore the vocation of a Lutheran college.

The objective of this VOALC 2015 pre-conference session is to promote women’s leadership development at ELCA colleges and universities.  In this session the participants will:

•     Explore state-of-the-art leadership development strategies for women in higher education.
•     Engage with current ELCA women in leadership, including a president, vice-president, and a division leader, in an interactive panel discussion.
•     Create an individual development plan for your own career.

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12:00-1:30pm  Lunch Introductions.  (Table Conversations)
1:30-2:15 pm   Recent Research on Women in Leadership in higher education (Short presentation)
2:15-2:30 p.m.  Break
2:30-3:30 p.m.  ELCA Women Leader Panel including question and answer session
3:30-4:15 p.m.   Professional Development plan writing time for the participants; discuss in small groups
4:30 p.m.          Closing and adjourn
4:30-5:00pm      Break

Registration for ELCA faculty and staff for the VOALC Pre-Conference is handled by the ELCA Churchwide Office. Questions about registration may be directed to Vivian Chen, 612-330-1334 or voalc@augsburg.edu
Vocation of a Lutheran College Conference information

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