Bilateral Conversations

"Live in harmony with one another." ~ Romans 12:16

The faithfulness to improved inter-denominational relations, often in the form of bilateral conversations, is currently being pursued with six church bodies.


A "bilateral conversation" is when two parties come together in order to seek awareness, heal wounds, and deepen a relationship.  Many contemporary bilateral dialogues between churches in the world received new stimulus from the entry of the Roman Catholic Church into the ecumenical movement in 1965, an event marked and ratified by the Second Vatican Council.
 
Since then, many of these dialogues have allowed churches to establish relationships that permit greater sharing of pastors, witness, mission and ministries.  Lutheran-Christian unity also progressed until, in 1988, predecessor church bodies united to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.