WHEREAS, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America adopted the social statement “Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice” by a more than two-thirds majority at its third Churchwide Assembly on August 28, 1993 in Kansas City, Missouri; and
WHEREAS, the 1993 Social Statement:
1) Offers a vision of God’s intention for creation and for humanity as creation’s caregivers;
2) Provides a solid biblical, ethical, and theological rationale for caring for God’s creation;
3) Acknowledges humanity’s separation from God and from the rest of creation as the central cause of environmental crises;
4) Recognizes the severity of current environmental crises; and
5) Expresses hope while calling the church to effective action on behalf of restoring and protecting the integrity of creation; and
WHEREAS, there is currently only one churchwide full-time staff person to address both environmental education and advocacy; and
WHEREAS, a Churchwide consultation, convened in November 2003 on the tenth anniversary of the “Caring for Creation” social statement, urged the ELCA through its congregations, synods, Churchwide organization, and institutions to strengthen its resolve to implement faithfully the commitments that it made in the social statement in 1993;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the North/West Lower Michigan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Assembly commends the “Caring for Creation” social statement and its subsequent implementation strategies recommended by the 2003 consultation, available on the ELCA’s Division for Church in Society website, to our congregations for prayerful review, study, and action;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Synod memorialize the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Assembly 2005 to offer increased attention and support to both churchwide and synodical programs and ministries for environmental education and advocacy, so that this church might more faithfully carry out the vision, hope, and justice goals of the 1993 statement.
Resolution on Caring for Creation
Approved – North/West Lower MI Synod in Assembly
May 14-16, 2004