Social statements are documents of the highest quality. They vary in scope, length, frequency, and forms of moral discourse, according to the needs of their subject matter. In all cases, social statements are the product of extensive and inclusive deliberation within this church, a process that is an integral part of their educational purpose. Because of the considerable resources and care that this church invests in them, and because of the participatory process used in their development, social statements are the most authoritative form of social policy and are adopted only by the Churchwide Assembly. The perspectives outlined below are intended to help guide this church's understanding, development, consideration, and use of social statements.
Social statements are theological documents.
These documents arise from and address the changing circumstances of our world in light of God's living word of Law and Gospel. With the aid of contemporary experience and knowledge, they bring this church's understanding of its faith to bear on social issues. Because they view issues from the perspective of the Church's faith, social statements are clearly rooted in the biblical and confessional witness of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. They themselves are not new creeds or confessions. Social statements are teaching documents.