Hollywood Lutheran Church

is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Established in 1988 as a merger of several smaller historic Lutheran synods and churchbodies, the ELCA is the largest Lutheran presence in the United States with some 10,000 congregations and 4.6 million members.

The ELCA is presently engaged in a controversy regarding human sexuality and homosexuality.  It has studied the related issues for nearly two decades, and encouraged all members and congregations to be involved in local study of the relevant issues in our world today.

In August 2009, the ELCA's biennial Churchwide Assembly adopted a Social Statement on Human Sexuality by a 2/3 majority vote of clergy and lay members.  While continuing to give voice to historic and biblical sexual ideals, it is far-reaching and courageous in its understanding of sexual diversity.  The Statement allows room for people of conscience to disagree, but also for pastors, congregations and ministries to find ways if appropriate be in ministry with committed same-gender couples.

At the same Assembly, voting members approved a relaxation of previous church rules that had kept lesbian and gay persons who are in committed same-sex relationships from serving as clergy or lay professionals in the ELCA.  Implementation of these decisions is still being worked out, but will allow qualified persons who are lesbian/gay to be accepted on the professional rosters of the ELCA and to serve in its ministries.

These decisions have caused a "storm" of conscientious disagreement on the part of a minority of pastors and congregations.  some are now withholding their benevolent giving to the larger church in retaliation for these decisions, which the ELCA believes have not only been responsibly made, but also guided by the indwelling Holy Spirit in the whole Church.

We believe it is time to show stronger support for the courageous discernment and decisions which the ELCA has taken in matters of human sexuality and other "controversial" social issues.  We agree with the call for prayer and for material support for the ELCA which its former Presiding Bishops, Rev. Herbert W. Chilstrom and Rev. H. George Anderson, have asked in an open letter published December 8, 2009 (download this letter in PDF format here):

December 8, 2009

A message from Herbert W. Chilstrom and H. George Anderson

Dear friends in Christ and brothers and sisters in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:

We write today to invite you to join us in prayer and action for the mission and ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Like you, we became children of God in the waters of Baptism. And, like you, we have found our primary identity with this church through local congregations, including the ones to which we now belong. This is where we receive Word and Sacrament that keep faith alive. We have also been blessed through the other two expressions of this church: our synods and the churchwide organization of the ELCA. All are gifts from God. Through them:

Our faith was nourished in Sunday church school.
Our gifts for leadership were nurtured in youth ministry.
Our education at our colleges and seminaries enhanced our witness and service.
Our vocations to serve Jesus Christ as pastors and leaders have been opened for us.
Our call to minister to the poor and hungry and those treated unjustly is fulfilled.
Our connection to believers in companion churches around the world has enriched us.

All of this, and much more, has happened because we have been part of the ELCA, a church whose roots reach all the way back to the beginning of Lutheranism in this country.
In recent months, our society and this church have been sailing through rough waters. Personal income is down for many; some are unemployed. We recognize that some sisters and brothers in Christ were disappointed in the decisions regarding human sexuality at the churchwide assembly, although we believe they were the right decisions. As a result, some have withdrawn or reduced support for our mission. The consequences of these events are painful. This church's mission and ministry have been diminished.
Our troubled world needs the Good News of the Gospel and all that flows from it. Our differences must not divide us at a time like this. We are absolutely certain that we can continue to live together and serve as one family in the ELCA.
This is why we are calling on you, our brothers and sisters in the faith, to pray daily for the unity of this church and its mission.
We ask you to join us as we step up our support of the ELCA with a generous gift. You may wish to do so before the end of the year and on occasion in the months to come. You may make your gift to the ELCA's Vision for Mission in one of three ways:

+ Online at http://www.elca.org/supporttheelca  
+ By check made payable to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and sent to: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
PO Box 71764
Chicago, IL 60694-1764
+ By credit or debit card by calling 800-638-3522.

This effort is entirely through the Internet. We urge you to send this e-mail message to your friends who share our concern for this church.

Sincerely in Christ,

Herbert W. Chilstrom ELCA presiding bishop, 1987-1995
H. George Anderson ELCA presiding bishop, 1995-2001