The following is the text from a letter to the Church from ELCIC National Bishop Susan C. Johnson:
Dear Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada:
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! At the September meeting of our National Church Council (NCC), a significant amount of time was spent evaluating the National Convention held in Vancouver this past June. This included reviewing the evaluation forms that delegates submitted at the close of convention.
For the majority of delegates the experience was a positive one – the worship, learning, celebration and business contributed to their experience of a church In Mission for Others: Signs of Hope. Yet others expressed a very different experience of convention, one in which the business sessions of convention, and in particular the governance procedures used, left them feeling frustrated, isolated and silenced.
I want you to know that we have heard these concerns and initiated a process to review Convention governance practices, in particular practices regarding petitions from congregations, and the terms of reference for the Committee of Reference and Counsel. NCC is committed to making decisions regarding appropriate procedures for National Convention 2011 in order that there is plenty of time to communicate appropriately with congregations and delegates well in advance of the next convention.
I ask for your continued prayers for the leadership of our church as together we strive to be a church In Mission for Others. Let me leave you with the blessing which was used as one of the theme verses for this past convention.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Susan C. Johnson, National Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada – In Mission for Others
For a pdf version of this letter, please view online at: https://elcic.ca/From-the-Bishop/documents/Sept17-Letter.pdf
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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 162,100 baptized members in 611 congregations. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Canadian Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.
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