CALL FOR FREEDOM

WHEREAS, freedom in non-essentials is a principle of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, and

WHEREAS, a considerable number of ELCA members, congregations, seminarians and pastors cannot, for scriptural and confessional reasons, accept a requirement that our bishops must be installed into the historic episcopate, and pastors must be ordained by bishops in the historic episcopate, and

WHEREAS, the Minneapolis Area Synod and many other synods passed resolutions asking for freedom from the above requirement; and

WHEREAS, each synod "is a separate legal entity" and has the right and responsibility to decide issues that primarily concern the synod (ELCA Constitution 5.01 .c), be it therefore

RESOLVED, that the Western North Dakota Synod memorialize the 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to make the constitutional and bylaw changes as specified in the Minneapolis Area Synod Resolution RC2000-10, omitting all occurrences of the phrase "in exceptional circumstances."

Submitted by: 
Oak Valley Lutheran Church 
Velva, North Dakota.