We received a response but more is needed.

Here is Bishop Eaton's response: Dear Pastor Schnekloth, Thank you for your statement and petition regarding the personnel policies and practices of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Regarding the churchwide organization, we are grateful that the ELCA Church Council ensures that our personnel policies are congruent with ELCA Social Statements. As a matter of policy and privacy, we do not publicly discuss personnel decisions regarding individual employees. God’s peace, Elizabeth A. Eaton We believe that more voices from all of you will be helpful. Below, please find our response, as well as the e-mail addresses of the ELCA Church Council: Dear Bishop Eaton, Thank you for your response. We do not believe the employment policies and practices of the ELCA—across all its expressions—are congruent with the ELCA Social Statements. We are concerned about wage gaps between men and women. We are concerned about the lack of a safety net for ELCA employees due to the ELCA’s decision to not voluntarily pay into unemployment. We are concerned about the length of time pastors who are LGBTQ or people of color go without calls, even in the face of a “clergy shortage.” We are concerned about the future directions of the ELCA, an effort which has, so far, been cast in the language of scarcity and anxiety. We are hopeful that the ELCA can live up to its 1999 social statement and be a model of just and equitable employment practices in a time when non-anxious, hope-filled employers are hard to find. We believe that, even when difficult decisions about end of employment are made, they can be carried out in a way that reflects the love of God. We give thanks for the work of the conference of bishops on redesigning the call process. We know that many of our concerns and hopes are your concerns and hopes, too, and that this is not news to you. But your response leaves us with these questions: **When will the church council have an opportunity to read the comments made by the 500+ signatories of the petition, and consider the issues they raise? **What issues related to employment policies and practices is the church council already considering and working on? Is there a way to share that word of that work with the church? **What do you see as the most important issues facing the ELCA related to the recruiting, training, equipping and supporting of our leaders, both rostered and lay? How can we as a church engage positively in this conversation (and work) together? **What is the best way for people who have specific concerns related to ELCA employment practices to convey those to leadership, especially when they relate not just to their congregation or synod, but to the system as a whole? Is there a role in the ELCA for an ombudsman? Thank you for your attention to these questions! We plan to forward the response you sent us to the signatories of the petition, and encourage them to be in contact with the church council with any further concerns they have. If there is a better route for those concerns, please let us know! In Christ, Pastor Clint Schnekloth Pastor Anne Edison-Albright "anne.edisonalbright@gmail.com" , William Gafkjen , Chris Boerger , "pgarcher@umich.edu" , Bill Horne , "Beckha01@luther.edu" , "Ekdale@stmarks-sf.org" , "Ward@GSBFR.com" , "wvoss@actcom.net" , "nv1vcb@gmail.com" , "jutt@gracewin.org" , "Oliver.thul@gmail.com" , "Lswenson@acetekk.com" , "i-stafford@northwestern.edu" , "jdularson@gmail.com" , Robert Moore , "clarancesmith@aol.com" , "unti@lutheransnw.org" , "cburkat@sepa.org" , Brian Maas , "maryf@scsw-elca.org" , "rgraham@metrodcelca.org" , "bishopdillahunt@southernohiosynod.org" , "stalmage@gcsynod.org" , "herman@scsynod.org" , "dzellmer@sdsynod.org" , "a.r.micovsky@gmail.com" , "rev.dena@gmail.com" , "efs@svsu.edu" , "emkwagner@gmail.com" , "graceflock@hotmail.com" , "jewettcarolyn@yahoo.com" , "jjennings@partycity.com" , "nolte@peoplepc.com" , "pastorchad@firstlutherandecorah.org" , "smzimmann@gmail.com" , "viptatum@gmail.com" , Jocelyn Fuller , "pastorloren@oursaviorsmoorhead.org" , "pampritt@hotmail.com" , "mjpetrivelli@standrewslcsd.org" , "kkoterwski@gmail.com" , "Johanson.peder@gmail.com" , "mbellis8085@gmail.com" , "john.pederson.2@mayvillestate.edu" , "jmhushagen@gmail.com" , "lindanou@hotmail.com" , "mhulden@gmail.com" , Linda Norman , "pastor@christgettysburg.org" , Carlos Pena , "gustavson@gmail.com" , "jcrist@montanasynod.org" , "cconnell@lssny.org" , "elcapastorjoyce@gmail.com" , "reidchris@alliancecom.net" , "pastorvickig@aol.com" , "Aebgirl95@yahoo.com" , "hesabu.mwalimu@gmail.com" , "shepherdservantleader@aol.com" , "Bieber.allan@mayo.edu" , John Lohrmann Bishop Eaton