ELCA Social Policy
The church lifts its voice in witness to social concerns through the development and enactment of social policy. This sphere of activity engages our theology with broad social concerns as well as specific issues through documents that set forth this church's normative understandings and policy on individual and corporate Christian responsibility in the world. Such documents are social statements and social policy resolutions, that is, actions of the Churchwide Assembly or Church Council on matters of social concern
Social Statements
Social statements are major documents addressing significant social issues. Typically, they provide an analysis and interpretation of an issue, set forth basic theological and ethical perspectives related to it, and offer guidance for the corporate Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and its individual members. Social statements are documents of the highest quality. They are produced through extensive and inclusive deliberation within this church. Because of the considerable resources and care that this church invests in them, and because of the participatory process used in their development, social statements are the most authoritative form of social policy and are adopted only by the Churchwide Assembly. Since 1991 the ELCA has adopted eight social statements. To read or download them, selecting from this following list. For more information about social statements and how they are developed, go to the Division for Church in Society, Department of Studies resource Addressing Social Concerns.
Social Statements in Progress
ELCA Messages
Social Policy Actions
Social policy resolutions and memorials refer to actions, other than social statements, of the Churchwide Assembly or Church Council on matters of social concern. Normally, social policy actions rely upon or are consistent with the teachings and policy of social statements.