WHEREAS, God loves us and, in that love, Jesus commands us to “love one another as I have loved you”: and

WHEREAS, As Christians we are called to pray, participate in, and advocate for civic life; and

WHEREAS, the well-being of all people and a creation marked by justice and peace is being challenged in the United States of America (USA) and throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, We are encouraged not to ignore the ELCA social statement “Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-being of All” and other ELCA social statements because of our fear of being challenged as being political; and

WHEREAS, As stated in Chapter 4 of the ELCA Model Constitution for Congregations we are to “serve in response to God’s love to meet human needs, caring for the sick and the aged, advocating dignity, justice, and equity for all people, working for peace and reconciliation among the nations, caring for the marginalized, embracing and welcoming racially and ethnically diverse populations, and standing in solidarity with the poor and oppressed”; and

WHEREAS, to intentionally highlight the call to embrace daily our baptismal vocation through active participation in self-governance and promote robust and wise civic participation in matters such as voting, campaign finance, public service, nonviolent protest, and the like; and

WHEREAS, We are called to identify and implement actions that create true change versus empty promises or well-meaning intentions; therefore

BE IT RESOLVED, That each ECSW Congregation Council be encouraged to prayerfully consider asking what our responsibility is as a church to contribute to healthy civic life through service, advocacy, and education in our community and to use that response to direct action in their congregation and community; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That each ECSW congregation be encouraged to create a leadership team to lead the congregation through a study of the social message “Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-being of All” which was approved by a vote of 762-16 at the 2025 Churchwide Assembly; and    

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That members of ECSW congregations be encouraged to pray, participate in, and advocate for civic life in the USA by supporting efforts to increase voter registration and access to polling places, and to help dismantle structural barriers to the ballot box and to civic participation more broadly, all as part of the ELCA’s faithful civic witness; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That members of ECSW congregations be encouraged to intentionally evaluate the danger and the threats posed by disregard for democratic practices and self-government; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That ECSW pastors be encouraged to pray for direction to bravely address their congregations about the responsibilities of civic life, and for members to courageously support their pastors; and  

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That ECSW congregations and ministries be encouraged to build bridges, foster reconciliation, practice communal discernment, provide opportunities for difficult conversations, and address polarization constructively in their communities; and  

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the ECSW Synod Council prepare a report concerning the actions taken to advocate for civic life as reported by individual congregations and the measurable results from those actions; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the ECSW Synod Council share the gathered results in a report to the 2027 Synod Assembly, with a synod-wide zoom meeting prior to the Assembly; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the synod recognize with deep appreciation the commitments and efforts in this Church and church-related organizations that contribute to healthy civic life through service, advocacy, and education; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the ECSW Synod Council will support these efforts by helping with resources, planning for gatherings, distribution of information, and prayer.

WHEREAS, God calls all the baptized children of God to share in ministry through various vocations and, 

WHEREAS, the Apostle Paul writes to the Thessalonians in Chapter 5, verses 12-13, “But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.” and, 

WHEREAS, Lay professional staff serve our congregations faithfully helping all of us to live into our baptismal covenant “to live among God’s faithful people; hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper; proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed; serve all people following the example of Jesus; and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth;” and, 

WHEREAS, Lay professional staff serve in a variety of important roles including facility management and maintenance, administrative and financial leadership and support, educators, youth directors and synod authorized ministers, musicians and ministers of worship, volunteer coordinators, and more - providing technical support, tending to the needs of our congregation in ways too many to list and, 

WHEREAS,    Youth ministry, music ministry, and professional ministry of all kinds are often used as markers of congregational vitality and indicators of mission thriving and, 

WHEREAS, Lay professional staff are often underemployed, employed for fewer hours than clergy and not always compensated with health benefits or at the pay many require for basic standards of living, 

WHEREAS, Burnout from ministry professionals is high due to the nature of the work, state of the church, and context in the world, and, 

WHEREAS,   Minimum compensation guidelines are provided for rostered ministers but do not include lay professional staff and, 

WHEREAS, The church is called to serve the world with integrity though a variety of vocations, acknowledging the dignity and worth of every human being, 

BE IT RESOLVED The East Central Synod of Wisconsin Synod commits to mindful, ethical, and just employment practices in our congregations. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, Synod Council appoint a study to collect data in our synod on lay professional staff salary standards and human resources practices in our congregations and present this study to the 2027 Synod Assembly, and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED Congregations of the East Central Synod of Wisconsin consider faithful stewardship of congregation resources including acknowledgement of ethical and just employment practices, awareness of affordability regarding staff, and as employment communities including updated personnel policies and handbooks, review of best practices, the offering of staff reviews, and annual compensation and benefits review for lay staff, 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that where compensation cannot be increased to sustainable levels for lay professional staff, that the synod assembly encourages other considerations are made for just compensation for example flexible or increased time off, a stipend for benefits, development of sabbatical policies for lay staff, financial support for dynamic continuing ed offerings, clarity around hours for circumstances particular to lay parish staff including around the clock youth ministry trips or retreats, and consideration of portfolio allocations to levels that are fair and just for the current rate of employment. 

WHEREAS there One in 11 people, about 720 million, are hungry and as ELCA members, and we are called to respond to accompany neighbors near and far, and

WHEREAS ELCA World Hunger congregations and global companions identify local needs and solutions; and 

WHEREAS that our gifts to ELCA World Hunger make it possible for the ELCA to respond, supporting sustainable solutions that get at the root causes of hunger and poverty, and

WHEREAS ELCA advocacy works for change in public policy based on the experience of Lutheran ministries, programs and projects around the world and in communities across the United State, addressing with concern for people living in poverty and struggling with hunger and disease, and

Whereas with LWF and partners like Bread for the World, CWS, Global Refuge, LSA, and LWR, we accompany and support their efforts to tackle unjust systems so lasting change takes root at home and abroad and we add education and advocacy, tackling unjust systems for lasting change, and

Whereas the Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin brings a Lutheran voice to statewide legislative issues related to hunger, poverty, and care for creation, and

WHEREAS when we act as a coordinated network of advocates and reach out to officials on relevant, timely issues, we effectively impact public policies,

THEREFORE, BE RESOLVED that the East Central Synod of Wisconsin will encourage our synod members to support ELCA World Hunger initiatives and to speak up on hunger issues at http://www.elca.org/hunger.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the East Central Synod of Wisconsin will encourage our synod members to sign up for the ELCA e-Advocacy Network, joining thousands of ELCA members together to educate and advocate.  https://www.elca.org/Our-Work/Publicly-Engaged-Church/Advocacy

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the East Central Synod of Wisconsin will encourage members to advocate with the Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin for state policies that promote peace, justice, and care for all of God’s creation.  https://loppw.org/