CHICAGO--The terms of settlement in the civil suit against the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have been released.

According to an ELCA news release the 14 plaintiffs and their attorneys in the case involving sexual assault against children by a former pastor will receive $8 million from the ELCA.

Gerald P. Thomas, Jr. was found guilty of sexual assault against children in a trial last year and was sentenced to a more than 397 years in state prison.

The churchwide organization settled March 27 with the 14 plaintiffs in a civil suit brought against the church in Marshall, Texas. The settlement was approved April 12 in a Marshall court by District Judge Bonnie Leggat. At the request of the plaintiffs' attorney, terms of the settlement were not disclosed immediately by the court because some parties in the suit chose to defend themselves in a subsequent trial, according to John R. Brooks, a spokesman for the ELCA.

Those defendants were the ELCA Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod, its former bishop, the Rev. Mark B. Herbener, and a former assistant to the bishop, Earl H. Eliason. The trial concluded with a jury returning a verdict totaling nearly $37 million, divided among nine plaintiffs.

Other defendants in addition to the ELCA settled separately with the plaintiffs before trial started. They were: Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio; the Southeast Michigan Synod Candidacy Committee; and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Marshall, Texas, the congregation where Thomas was once a pastor.

In a statement issued April 12, Brooks said the ELCA was grateful that, with the cooperation of its insurance carriers, its share of the total settlement payment is being funded without adversely affecting the mission and ministry of this church.

The ELCA urges its congregations and members to immediately report cases of suspected child sexual abuse to local authorities, Brooks said. The ELCA seeks compliance with all states' laws regarding the reporting of child abuse.

"Still, in a continuing effort to guard against such tragedies, the ELCA will review its guidelines and procedures for candidacy for the ordained ministry," Brooks said.

The churchwide organization is "deeply sorry" that anyone was victimized by Thomas, Brooks emphasized.