Thoughtful, active participation in society is vital to the mission of the ELCA as we join in God's work in the world. The ELCA teaches that we, as individual members and as an organized faith community, are liberated by God’s love to share that love by serving and seeking justice for the neighbor—questions, ambiguities, complexities and all. Various kinds of written materials aid this mission.
The social writing projects described here may include, at different times, ELCA social statements, social messages, social policy resolutions, studies, moral deliberation tools and study guides. These resources are prepared according to ELCA protocol and serve as documents for teaching, discernment and action as our church participates in what God is up to in human society and the whole creation.
A social statement on faith and civic life is scheduled to be considered by the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly this July. To learn more about the social statement process, please go to elca.org/civicsandfaith. If you have questions, please email us here.
The ELCA is currently developing a social message on child protection. A draft version of the message will be release for public feedback this spring. If you have questions, email here.
Human Sexuality Reconsiderations
After a seven-year process of discernment and dialogue across the ELCA, the 2009 Churchwide Assembly voted to adopt Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust as a social statement of the ELCA. In 2022, the Churchwide Assembly authorized two reconsiderations (see pages 4-5 and 11) of the social statement. To learn more about the process and its timeline, click here.
