There is always a sense of relief and accomplishment when convention is over. Months of planning, years of work for staff and task forces come to a point of decision making. The church has spoken. After a couple days of elation and exhaustion, reality sets in—now the work that convention has given the church begins.
We have erased our presence from the University of Calgary, delegates, visitors and staff have gone home but now the next stage of the work begins.
So, what did we agree to do?
We need to live into the apology we made to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
We have been asked to consider working with Anglicans on current and future task forces.
We committed to ongoing certified accessibility and ableism training for national staff, National Church Council (NCC) and national committees.
We committed to appointing a new task force on ableism to continue this work.
We committed to ongoing, certified anti-racism training for national staff, NCC and national committees.
We were asked to develop a National Church Theological Study on addressing anti-racism, white supremacy and issues of racial injustice to encourage members in learning and ongoing reformation.
The bishops were asked to issue frequent public statements condemning systemic racism and calling for ongoing reformation in our church.
We were asked to review, modify, design, promote, guide, monitor and adhere to nomination, election and hiring processes to ensure that intentional efforts are being made to achieve diversity, equity and inclusion, shared widely; and to encourage all levels of the church to do the same.
We were asked to appoint a task force to continue the work of addressing racism, white supremacy and issues of racial injustice.
We agreed to enter into full communion with the Moravian church in Canada. This will now need to be lived out.
We were asked to make available language resources with common anti-racist terminology.
We were asked to create a communion liturgy available for use without a licensing fee.
We affirmed that transgender rights are human rights and that transgender, gender-queer and gender non-conforming people are made in the image of God.
We were asked to create and provide resources on mental health for congregations.
We were asked to appoint a taskforce to continue the work of addressing homophobia, biphobia and transphobia.
We were asked to implement sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIE) training for national staff, NCC and national committees.
We were asked to create national resources to support listening, safe conversations and discernment at all levels of the church around healthy, consensual relationships, including ethical non-monogamous relationships.
We adopted a resolution on peace and justice in Palestine and Israel that we now need to live into.
We committed to be carbon neutral by 2050. The ELCIC will have achieved “carbon neutrality” (Net Zero) when National Church, synods, congregations and faith communities have minimized greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that are within their sphere of control and neutralized remaining emissions by like-for-like removals.
We committed to GHG reduction targets, relative to 2019 ELCIC emissions, of: 50%, by 2030 and 100% by 2050.
We were asked to model best practices for achieving emission reduction targets, to develop and promote a GHG Inventory Calculator for use across the church, to use the calculator to report annually on emissions and monitor progress toward meeting targets and investigate options for principled and respectful carbon offset and/or ethical investment in green spaces that absorb CO2.
This is a very long list and we will not be able to accomplish everything by the 2025 National Convention. But we will do our best!
We also will prepare to elect a new National Bishop, enter into a practice of group spiritual discernment, begin the celebration of 50 years of the ordination of women, and celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
When I say “we” I mean me—the National Bishop, as well as the National Office staff, NCC, along with task force and committee members. But we also need you, the individuals who make up this church to pray for this work, that it would be completed and that it will be pleasing in God’s sight. Thank you for your prayers.
Rev. Susan Johnson
ELCIC National Bishop
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