RACIAL Equity
Connect > racial equity“In response to God’s creative love for all and call to live justly, the Racial Equity Team educates, equips, and empowers Individuals and congregations to act boldly to transform our ministries and communities by working for racial justice.”
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The Racial Equity Team is seeking to connect with congregational liaisons involved in racial equity work. Visit the "Contact and Partnerships" section to reach out and find the right liaison for your worshipping community.
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Over the past 30 plus years (even some material prior to the ELCA merger) the church has created many documents that identify the position of the church.
Resources, Reports and Social Statements
Apologies, Declarations and Statements
1994 — Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish Community
2016 — Renewed Action Regarding Racism Toward Lutherans of African Descent
2019 — Explanation of the Declaration of the ELCA to People of African Descent
2019 — Condemnation of White Supremacy and Racist Rhetoric
2019 — Strategy Toward Authentic Diversity
2021 — Statement on anti-Asian Racism
2021 — A Declaration of the ELCA to American Indian and Alaska Native People
2022 — A Declaration of the ELCA to the Muslim Community
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In 2021, 2022, and 2023 the ECSW Synod Assembly passed resolutions supporting the racial equity work with the synod – synod wide, churches, individuals and communities.
Look for the progress made in the synod/congregation change efforts.
Adopted in May 2022, the Synod Assembly committed To Work for Racial Equity.
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Prayer to Heal Racial Division — Prayer
An Invitation to Brave Space — Prayer/Invocation
Resources for an Anti-Racist Journey — Books, links, TED talks for communities at multiple entry points
Anti-Racism Resources — a book list curated by the racial equity team of the ECSW
Just Mercy Study Guide — small group companion to the book, “Just Mercy”
Explanation of the Declaration of the ELCA to People of African Descent
Racial Justice Resources — from the ELCA
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Grounded in God's love for all people, the ECSW Anti Racism Team seeks to provide resources to help you learn about racial equity and make useful connections to empower you and/or your congregation to act to end racism. Whether you are new to this work or have been involved for many years, we encourage you to start where you are and let us know how we can help.
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The need for resources to keep this important work going is real. Read Bishop Anne’s letter inviting partnership through funding racial equity work in our synod. Give by sharing a check with the synod office or through this link to donate online, selecting “Racial Equity Donation.”
We all start Somewhere
Listen to the Men's group at St. John’s in Ashwaubenon, WI, as they share how they led their congregation to take its first steps toward racial equity.
BRAVE Space
Our synod is actively working on strategies for healing around the sin of racism.
Now is the Time
The Who
“African Descent Ministries of the ELCA '' refers to people who self-identify as Black, African Caribbean, African American, African Nationals and others of African ancestry from numerous countries who now live in the United States. It is a network of about 255 congregations that report 49,000 people of African descent as active participants in the ELCA across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They are engaging, involving and investing in the gifts, interests and capacity of people of African descent in every aspect of the life of this church.
The Request
In 2015, the African Descent Lutheran Association (ADLA) called the ELCA 2016 Churchwide Assembly (CWA) to “draft a formal letter of repentance,” to commit to examine the church’s complicity in slavery, and to acknowledge “the ELCA’s perpetuation of racism.” This call was founded in the ELCA’s 1993 social statement Freed in Christ: Race, Ethnicity, and Culture, which confessed the sin of racism, defined this sin as “a mix of power, privilege, and prejudice,” and acknowledged that “skin color makes a difference” and that “white people benefit from a privileged position” as “we fall back into enslaving patterns of injustice.”
The Apology
In the declaration, adopted at the 2019 Churchwide Assembly, the ELCA "apologizes to people of African descent for its historical complicity in slavery and its enduring legacy of racism in the United States and globally. We lament the white church's failure to work for the abolition of slavery and the perpetuation of racism in this church."
The Study
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America introduced "Now Is the Time: A Study Guide for ELCA Declaration to People of African Descent" to help congregations wrestle with the meaning of the declaration, and its accompanying explanation. "Now Is the Time" stresses realism, self-examination and accountability as the church acknowledges and apologizes for the history and impact of slavery and systemic racism. The study guide focuses on deepening our understanding of this history as participants engage in often-difficult conversation and reflection to move the church toward racial healing and justice.
Additional Resources
Questions? Contact Us
“Our church is engaged in the work of racial equity. We do this work for many reasons: primarily we acknowledge that racism is a sin that denies the reconciling work of the cross.”
Bishop Anne Edison-Albright