Evangelical Lutheran Church In America

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Evangelical Lutheran Church in America A Social Statement on: Our Calling in Education This social teaching statement was amended and adopted by more than a two-thirds vote (949-35) by the tenth biennial Churchwide Assembly on August 10, 2007, at Chicago, Illinois. Prologue: Education and Vocation The calling of Lutherans and of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in education is closely tied to a Lutheran understanding of vocation. While many understand vocation as a job or career or as the call to be a pastor or priest, Lutherans understand vocation as a calling from God that encompasses all of life for all the faithful. Vocation involves God’s saving call to us in baptism and life lived in joyful response to this call.…show more content…
Children are our neighbors whom we are called to love. Christians enrich our welcoming of children to a life of faith by holding together these diverse perspectives on whom they are. Because they are gifts of God, for example, we will respect their dignity and bring joy, laughter, and a sense of obligation into teaching and forming them in home and congregation. Because they—like all the baptized—are sinners as well as saints and in need of instruction, we will emphasize the vital role of families in instilling the habits and practices of faithful living, and we will develop substantial congregational programs of faith formation. We will introduce them to good examples, mentors, and stories of faith and service and help them discern their callings. Remembering that Jesus saw children as teachers of the faith, we will listen attentively to them, honor their insights and questions, and learn from them. We will give special attention to children who are most vulnerable and those who have been wounded, and we will become stronger advocates for…show more content…
Children, youth, and family ministries will: · welcome and educate all children and youth in ways that recognize their wonderful complexity and dignity; · give priority to the ministries of children, youth, and families through trained leadership, finances, and resources; and · work to
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