The Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC) met for the first time July 13-15, 2023, and opened with worship, Holy Communion, and a blessing of the commission’s work.
- The CRLC welcomed co-chairs the Rev. Carla Christopher and Mr. Leon Schwartz, as well as the Rev. Susan Johnson, national bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, who served as facilitator.
- The meeting began with activities designed to build connection among commission members. God strengthened the community bond throughout the three days of small-group conversations and Dwelling in the Word Bible studies and reflections. Topics included:
- Reviewing the memorial from the 2022 Churchwide Assembly and considering the group’s purpose.
- Dreaming about the future of the ELCA and discussing what those hopes look like.
- Discussing the group’s charge to commit to anti-racism and committing to further listening and education to fulfill that role.
- Small-group sessions were followed by full-group sharing.
- The members of the CRLC created and agreed upon a process covenant to guide their work together.
- The commission agreed that the main goal for the group in 2023 will be listening to the wider church and then discussed how best to do so.
- Churchwide staff and Mr. Kevin Anderson, chair of the Legal and Constitutional Review Committee of the Church Council, were present to serve as resource persons to provide support as requested.
- The members came together as 35 individuals from across this church and left as one commission, anticipating additional thought-provoking discussions and the work to come.
Additional information will be provided in due course. You can learn more about the commission’s work at www.ELCA.org/CRLC.
