IV. C. Mutual Complementarities

A complement is neither a compliment nor a supplement. The former praises while the latter appends something related but different to the original. A complement completes an idea or position, moves a discussion or practice toward consummation, expands on what is already present so that the original reaches toward wholeness. Throughout the dialogue, Lutherans and Moravians recognized and discovered complementarities. Sometimes those complementarities were related to our methods and forms of expressing our positions and perspectives. In those instances one partner discerned that what we said in our separate ways could be enriched by listening to the other's agreement with and expansion of the statement and practice. At other times the position of one illumined a theme which the other had de-emphasized over time, thereby encouraging both to recover and consider cultivating what was present. On still other occasions, we informed one another of problems which our respective traditions had encountered but which could be seen now, with the assistance and prodding of the other to be valued and helpful in our present contexts. Our reciprocal and mutual searching for and finding moved us to appreciate our respective teachings and practices while we deepened our progress toward recommending that our churches establish full communion with each other.

Three areas of complementarities are tightly linked to one another, our methods, and Affirmations. Moreover, each involves the Holy Spirit's involvement with the believer, the Church, and ministry. The three areas are:

1. the Holy Spirit, the Believer and the Christian Life;
2. the Holy Spirit in the Church; and
3. Our Churches' Ministry and Polity.

A preliminary comment is in order. While our respective bodies would benefit from thorough examinations and expositions of our understandings about and experiences of the Holy Spirit, this report is limited in scope and purpose. Our joint grounding in the Bible provides us with a wealth of images, ideas, learnings, and perspectives on the interactions of the Spirit within the Godhead, humanity, nature, history, the Church, believers, and the consummation of all existence. Moravians and Lutherans believe, teach, and confess faith in the Triune God in terms which are recognized and confirmed throughout the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Because both churches have had to respond to significant challenges related to the Spirit, each is cautious, perhaps overly so, when discussing the Spirit's roles in revelation, the lives of individual believers, and the witness of the whole Church. In the present, however, Christians in many communions are overcoming their anxieties related to the Spirit, and are recognizing as well as recovering positive and creative emphases about the Spirit.

Among the texts Moravians and Lutherans share is the Explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles' Creed in Luther's Small Catechism:²³

I believe that by my own reason or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or
come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth and preserves it in union with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church he daily and abundantly forgives all my sins, and the sins of all believers, and on the last day he will raise me and all the dead and will grant eternal life to me and all who believe in Christ.

This is most certainly true.

Several articles of another commonly held document, the Augsburg Confession, express the same views.²⁴ The Catechism's statement presupposes the positions and ambiguities developed by the Church over the centuries concerning issues such as the substance, persons, begottenness of the Son, procession of the Spirit, and others related to the Godhead. These matters have never been at issue between Lutherans and Moravians. Likewise, the Explanation does not deal with a number of important areas involving the Spirit, e.g., creation, providence, and wisdom. These may be explored fruitfully in other and subsequent venues.

1. The Holy Spirit, the Believer and the Christian Life

The Catechism's Explanations of the first and second articles of the Creed open with the believer's awareness of God's loving care for the person and conclude with the Christian's looking forward in trust and joy to serving the Creator and Redeemer. The central sections of the initial two Explanations present humans as totally helpless to undertake any actions which deserve or merit divine favor, while God is praised for the gifts and assurances which provide for temporal and eternal life.²⁵ Luther's Third Explanation, however, provides an energy and coherence for the article which can be seen retrospectively as crucial for the other two articles and which extends into the believer's faith, deeds, and relationships. That energy and coherence engage Lutherans and Moravians in agreeing and complementing one another's faith and practice. To illumine our complementarities in this area, we present three points concerning the Spirit's relationship with individual believers which grow out of the following:

1. all persons need the Spirit in order to come to faith in Christ;
2. Christians still need the Spirit to admonish and call them to repentance even though they are justified; and
3. the Spirit is the source and power of sanctification in the life of the believer.

First, although language expressing justification by faith is not used directly, justification, as Moravians and Lutherans affirm it, suffuses and shapes the Explanation's views of humans and Jesus. Parenthetically, that a forensic or other mode of expressing justification is not used here points to the realization that justification is not and cannot be limited to one or another mode. Yet the Catechism takes us deeper. It insists that only through the Spirit can one believe in or come to Jesus as her or his Lord and Savior.

Here as elsewhere, Lutherans underscore justification through grace, whatever the mode or metaphor, deriving their understandings from Pauline, Augustinian and Reformation sources. These sources stress the sovereignty of God's power to save, and that God's will to save through grace is mediated via the Spirit. Lutherans recognize that there is no other way for us to enter a saving relationship with God except through God's action. The Spirit is that Person of the Trinity through whom we know Christ and the Creator. Moreover, the Spirit generates in us the faith needed to grasp the grace offered so that we may come to Christ and the Maker of all. Lutherans regard justification as "the main doctrine of Christianity...[which] when properly understood, it illumines and magnifies the honor of Christ and brings to pious consciences the abundant consolation that they need."²⁶ There can be no doubt or compromise, Lutherans claim, about the clarity and certainty that we are justified by faith alone without works of the Law as a gift of God's grace in Christ.²⁷ Certainly, Lutherans understand justification to be on the basis of Christ's sacrifice, so that through his death and resurrection we have both the promises and the reality of the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God. Indeed, the "Gospel is, strictly speaking, the promise of forgiveness of sins and justification because of Christ."²⁸ And all these "benefits" of Christ are given through the Spirit.

The Lutheran expression of the point that all persons need the Spirit in order to come to faith in Christ has a sonority and passionate logic borne of the heat of debates and controversies in the sixteenth and subsequent centuries - and which are still current today. While not losing sight of the incarnate Lord, Lutherans are determined to express their views of the Spirit, justification, and the Christian life in terms which deny any hint of works righteousness or human merit which might prompt God's favor. Relying on Pauline terms and their Reformation heritage, Lutherans see and listen to contemporary society, including church life, as prone to both works righteousness and a careless sentimentality about God's love. A Lutheran contribution and complement at this juncture is a staunch insistence on justification as an unmerited gift from God through the Spirit.

The Moravian perspective complements the Lutheran view. Moravians highlight justification as the believer entering a personal relationship with Jesus through the Spirit. The Unity agrees fully that justification is by faith, apart from works of the Law, and recognizes justification as a God-given assurance that the person belongs to and in Jesus. In other words, while recognizing justification as a core doctrine, Moravians express their understanding of it more naturally as God's gracious invitation for a person to walk with the Savior. This fits with the Catechism Explanation's consistent use of the personal pronouns "I, me, and mine." The Spirit is the Person of the Trinity who sheds God's grace abroad in the hearts of men and women so that they come to trust in, depend upon, and live in fellowship with one another as they follow Jesus. The Ground of the Unity, in a passage cited earlier, states that each individual is called personally and is led to a recognition of her or his sin, culminating in accepting the redemption achieved by Christ. The Spirit "effects living belief in the hearts of individuals."²⁹ There is no room here, either, for works righteousness or human pride. Again, a hymn expresses it well:

Faith is a living power from heaven
that grasps the promise that God has giv'n,
a trust that cant be overthrown
fixed heartily on Christ alone.

Faith finds in Christ our every need
to save or strengthen us indeed;
we now receive that grace sent down,
which makes us share his cross and crown.

Faith in the conscience works for peace,
and bids the mourner's weeping cease,
by faith the children's place we claim,
and give all honor to one name.

We thank you, then, O God of heav'n,
that you to us this faith have given
In Jesus Christ your Son, who is
our only fount and source of bliss.³⁰

The Moravian experience of the Spirit in the life of the believer was not shaped by the polemics of the Reformation but by the Brethren's endurance in the Ancient Church, the "period of the hidden seed," its renewal in Continental Pietism, and its internal struggles to be faithful to the power of the Spirit and the need for witnessing to Christ as individuals and as a community. Especially under the influence of continental Pietism the Unitas Fratrum came to depict the Christian life as a pilgrimage with Jesus as the Leader and Companion through joys and sorrows. The journey's goal, whether called heaven or salvation, was undertaken humbly and gratefully with the Lord in the Spirit. Zinzendorf's hymn, also used by Lutherans, puts justification through grace in terms of that journey:

Jesus, still lead on till our rest be won;
and although the way be cheerless, we will follow calm and fearless;
guide us by your hand to the promised land.

If the way be drear, if the foe be near,
let no faithless fears o'ertake us, let not faith and hope forsake us;
safely past the foe to our home we go.

When we seek relief from a long-felt grief,
when temptations come alluring, make us patient and enduring;
show us that bright shore where we weep no more.

Jesus, still lead on till our rest be won;
heav'nly leader still direct us, still support, console, protect us,
still we safely stand in the promised land.³¹

Moravians and Lutherans complement each other in agreeing on the point of the need for the Spirit in engendering faith through our central affirmation on justification through grace by means of the Spirit. Lutherans seek to maintain the grace of God bestowed through the Spirit against any shadow of human works and worth. The Unity endeavors to insure that the believer realizes that justification opens a gracious relationship with Jesus by means of the Spirit. Clearly we need both dimensions in understanding the wonder and grace of God.

The second point is that it is impossible for anyone to claim that a person's faith, devotion, and experiences of God are due to human worthiness or effort in any measure at all. A believer becomes a believer only through the Spirit; and so a person is totally dependent upon God for belief, piety, and good works. The radical nature of human helplessness before God asserts divine sovereignty in salvation, but that sovereignty is recognized and realized through the Spirit who testifies to and applies the grace of Christ in and for humans. In and through the Spirit, a lost and condemned creature's heart and mind are strengthened and enlightened to recognize God's redemptive action in Jesus. Faith is the result of the Spirit's gracious action; without the Spirit, there can be no saving relationship with Jesus. The person who affirms, "This is most certainly true" can make that statement in faith because the Spirit has led and inspired the individual to confess the truth about the Truth, and then to walk on the Way through resurrection, and to abide with God just as Christ and the Father abide together.

Nevertheless, although declared righteous through Christ, the justified person is still a sinner. She or he cannot assume that now good works will earn further care or favor from God. The Spirit's dual function of accuser and comforter applies to the Christian. Through the Spirit, the believer becomes acutely conscious of both the depths of one's sin and the immensity of God's love bestowed through Christ. The Spirit both troubles and calms the believer's conscience. Christians are driven repeatedly to God's mercy in Jesus. They know that they have been redeemed not with silver or gold but with Jesus' innocent sufferings and death. Each day the believer realizes that the Spirit searches the depths of human hearts and each day forgives sins so that the person "may be Christ's and live under him" and "serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness."

The Moravian complement, as anticipated, looks toward Jesus. He is the suffering yet triumphant Lamb, the crucified and forgiving Lord. His sin-healing wounds and blood present the objective reality of God's reconciling love for humanity. Especially through the influence of Pietism as developed by Zinzendorf, the Renewed Unity affirms that centrality of the cross which eliminates any ground for human worthiness or pride. Paradoxically, the Savior's pain and death turn the believer not toward gloom and guilt but to an ever-fuller and more joyful dependence on God's grace and love. One of Christian Renatus Zinzendorf's hymns conveys the follower's heartfelt devotion to and hope in Jesus:

My Redeemer, overwhelmed with anguish, went to Oliviet for me;
there he kneels, his heart does heave and languish in a bitter agony;
fear and horror seize his soul and senses,
for the hour of darkness now commences;
ah, how he does weep and groan our rebellion to atone.

Could our hearts and voices then join forces in exalted songs to raise;
yet, till joined to the celestial chorus, cold would prove our warmest praise;
Jesus love exceeds all comprehension,
but our love to him we scarce dare mention;
we may weep beneath his cross, but he wept and bled for us.

Lamb of God, you shall remain forever of our songs the only theme;
for your boundless love, your grace and favor, we will praise your saving name;
that for our transgressions you were wounded
shall by us in nobler strains be sounded,
when we, perfected in love, once shall join the church above.³²

The Lutheran complement on the impossibility for humans to claim they are worthy of God's grace at any time may be seen clearly in terms of the Word of God as Law and Gospel. The Law continues to apply to the regenerate because of the persistence of the Old Adam even among those justified by faith. The condemnatory use of the Law drives the Christian away from any security based on human works or worthiness, and urges the believer to cling to God's grace in Christ more fervently. Christ is the "mirror of the Father's heart" apart from whom "we see nothing but an angry and terrible Judge." The Law is the mirror "in which the will of God and what is pleasing to him is correctly portrayed." The Spirit employs the Law to teach, admonish, warn, threaten and punish Christians, "egging them on so that they may follow the Spirit of God." Lutherans are acutely aware that while the "perfect obedience of Christ covers" the sins of Christians" so that [those sins] are not reckoned to believers for damnation, and although the Holy Spirit has begun the mortification of the Old Adam and their renewal in the spirit of their minds, nevertheless the Old Adam still clings to their nature and to all its internal and external powers."³³

This point of complementarity may be summarized from the Moravian perspective as a concentration on Jesus' passion which binds believers to a personal engagement with the incarnate Word of God who truly suffered and died in giving himself for sinners. In this engagement, the Christian is drawn by the Spirit to follow the Lord humbly and thankfully. The Lutheran complement hews closely to the Law-Gospel construction which Lutherans hold is important in discerning God's will. The Lutheran contribution aids in avoiding a cloying attachment to a helpless Christ while presenting God's gracious action with intensity and clarity. Again, Lutherans and Moravians gain from one another.

The third point of complementarity under consideration deals with the continual presence and activity of the Spirit within the believer; justification is inseparable from sanctification, and sanctification leads the person into fuller awareness of God's justifying sinners by faith through grace, and calling them to live according to their calling to holiness and eternal life. A Christian is called, enlightened, sanctified, and preserved in the true faith. The person who is declared justified, who is dressed in the righteousness of Christ, is nevertheless still a sinner. The sanctifying task of the Spirit is to lead, guide, admonish, strengthen, and, when needed, expose the believer in the believer's growth in grace. Here the Catechism prepares for the Catechism's Explanation to the Lord's Prayer and foreshadows the Augsburg Confession's Article 6:

[In response to the Prayer's second petition] To be sure, the Kingdom of God comes of itself, without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may also come to us....[T]he heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit so that by his grace we may believe his holy Word and live a godly life, both here in time and hereafter forever.

[Article 6's traditional title is "The New Obedience"] It is also taught among us that such faith should produce good fruits and good works and that we must do all such good works as God has commanded, but we should do them for God's sake and not place our trust in them as if thereby to merit favor before God. For we receive forgiveness of sin and righteousness through faith.

While faith may be construed as accepting right or orthodox doctrines, the Reformation meaning is far more powerful. In a passage cherished by Moravians and Lutherans alike, Luther wrote:

Faith, however, is a divine work in us which changes us and makes us to be born anew of God... It kills the old Adam and makes us altogether different men, in heart and spirit and mind and powers; and it brings with it the Holy Spirit. O it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith. It is impossible for it not to be doing good works incessantly.... Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that the believer would stake his life on it a thousand times. This knowledge of and confidence in God's grace makes men glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and with all creatures. And this is the work which the Holy Spirit performs in faith.34

The work of the Spirit may be quiet, steady and gradual. And the Spirit may engender boldness, joy, and confidence. The Spirit's work in the believer's life may be seen in a person's works and words. It may also be felt in the Christian's heart as a warmth, openness and acceptance generated by trusting that the Spirit seals what Christ has won for our salvation.

Lutherans and Moravians agree fully that the Spirit is active in the life of the believer in ways which lead to the individual's growth in grace. Growth in the Spirit is also growth in the grace which assures us of forgiveness, strengthens us to do God's will, emboldens us to witness to Christ, and draws us ever-closer to God and the members of the Body of Christ. Lutherans, wary of any signs that justification by faith through grace might be compromised, are equally concerned that a legalistic view of human conduct will assert itself. Lutherans are aware that legalism leads to a tyranny over conscience and action, even when advocated for the sake of God's will. The Gospel offers freedom through which the Spirit moves Christians to just and compassionate decisions and deeds. Experience with distortions in pietism and orthodoxy as well as tendencies in North American society legitimate such concerns. In addition, Lutherans are still debating among themselves the role of the Law in the life of the believer. Nonetheless and by whatever means the Spirit may employ, Lutherans agree that we grow in grace through the Spirit. Luther wrote,

Neither you nor I could ever know anything of Christ, or believe in him and take him as our Lord, unless these were first offered to us and bestowed on our hearts through the preaching of the Gospel by the Holy Spirit. The work is finished and completed, Christ has acquired and won the treasure for us by his sufferings, death and resurrection, etc. But if the work remained hidden and no one knew of it, it would have been all in vain, all lost. In order that this treasure might not be buried but put to use and enjoyed, God has caused the Word to be published and proclaimed, in which he has given the Holy Spirit to offer and apply to us this treasure of salvation. Therefore to sanctify is nothing else than to bring us to the Lord Christ to receive this blessing, which we could not obtain by ourselves.35

The Lutheran Order for Baptism reflects "By water and the Holy Spirit we are made members of the Church, which is the body of Christ. As we live with him and with his people, we grow in faith, love, and obedience to the will of God." Parents promise to provide the external means through which children are brought into regular contact with the Christian community and the means of grace, "that, living in the covenant of their baptism and in communion with the Church, they may lead godly lives until the day of Jesus Christ."36 In the Rite of Confirmation, a person affirms the promises made at baptism, and the whole assembly gives its "amen" to the prayer

Gracious Lord, through water and the Spirit you have made these men and women your own. You forgave them all their sins and brought them to newness of life. Continue to strengthen them with the Holy Spirit, and daily increase in them your gifts of grace: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.37

Moravians recognize the risks of legalism and crypto-works righteousness. They, too, realize that humans have a knack for binding one another's consciences in subtle as well as blatant ways. While acknowledging the need to be as clear as possible about the differences between Law and Gospel, the Unity construes sanctification in terms of the Holy Spirit's leading the believer to a closer relationship with Jesus. Indeed, the motif of the Christian life as a journey with God in the Spirit is reflected in the Confirmation liturgy. The candidate who affirms her or his baptism is exhorted by the presiding minister, "By affirming your baptismal covenant in public worship today, you have taken another step in your journey with God. You have entered into a new relationship with God and this congregation. We charge you in God's name always to remain faithful to Christ and the church, and to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit."38

The Unitas Fratrum's motto, "Our Lamb has conquered. Let us follow him," is reflected in the Moravian willingness to share with other's ones Lebenslauf, that is, story of one's life-faith journey. The Lebenslauf is a thoughtful, self-searching examination of events, and thoughts, influences and experiences in which the person humbly seeks to discern in his or her life the presence, guidance, admonition, and blessings of Christ through the Spirit.

The mutual complementarities in the field of sanctification are helpful to Moravians and Lutherans. Lutherans emphasize caution regarding legalism and works righteousness, yet they realize that Christians grow in trusting, understanding, and obeying God through the Spirit. Moravians offer the motif of the journey as a way of expressing that growth in grace and a personal engagement with God which also leads to fellowship with others.

We move now to our complementarities on the Holy Spirit and the believer in the Church.

2. The Holy Spirit and Believers in the Church

The Christian community, extended in space around the globe and throughout time from the New Testament times to the end of the age, is the normal and natural locus for the Spirit's activity. Many biblical images are used to describe that community such as called-out assembly (ekklesia), disciples of the Lord, Body of Christ, new Israel, Bride of Christ, and household of faith. The "Followers of the Way" also understood themselves as the branches and Jesus the vine, as sheep who followed the Good Shepherd, friends of Jesus, brothers and sisters in the Lord, and saints - in spite of definitely unsaintly conduct. Often Christians applied to themselves descriptions of ancient Israel, such as royal priesthood, holy nation, faithful remnant, and covenant people. The richness and fluidity of terms indicates a wealth of concepts and self-understandings. Whatever expression or image Christians have used to describe themselves, they have understood themselves as united in Christ through the Holy Spirit. and they also understood that their God-created and led community was part of God's plan for the salvation of all. We can expect these ideas and images to appear among Lutherans and Moravians. We consider several common and foundational agreements shared by Moravians and Lutherans.

Both agree with the Augsburg Confession's understanding of the Church, Articles VII and VIII:

VII. It is taught among us that one holy Christian church will be and remain forever. This is the assembly of all believers among whom the Gospel is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered according to the Gospel. For it is sufficient for the true unity of the Christian church that the Gospel be preached in conformity with a pure understanding of it and that the sacraments be administered in accordance with the Divine Word. It is not necessary for the true unity of the Christian church that ceremonies, instituted by men, should be observed uniformly in all places....

VIII. Again, although the Christian church, properly speaking, is nothing else than the assembly of all believers and saints, yet because in this life many false Christians, hypocrites, and even open sinners remain among the godly, the sacraments are efficacious even if the priests who administer them are wicked men....

When these positions are joined to the Explanation of the Third Article in the Small Catechism, Lutherans and Moravians realize that they have great freedom in structuring rites, church organization, and seeking fellowship with other believers whose positions and practices may differ in form. They also realize that it is the substance of the Gospel which is the center of faith, fellowship, and function. Further, the Explanation puts the whole Church and its specific manifestations under the guidance, enlightenment and judgment of the Spirit. Here freedom is placed in the context of faithfulness to the Triune God. Our ways of expressing the Spirit's presence and action in the Church both complement and encourage us to pursue further conversations and considerations.39

Historical experiences move Moravians to consider carefully and boldly the nature of the Church universal and the Unity in particular. At the same time their historic commitments cause them to cultivate close harmony among their members as well as to be willing to engage in mission-oriented and ecumenical ventures. The dialoguers concluded that an exposition of some Moravian perspectives on the complement "The Holy Spirit and Believers in the Church" will be helpful for mutual understanding. The Ground Of The Unity provides reference markers: a) the source, aim and end of the Unity's being; b) the Unitas Fratrum as a unity and the Church as a fellowship; and c) the Church as a community serving the neighbor and the world.

First and foremost, the opening of the Ground:

1. The Lord Jesus Christ calls His church into being so that it may serve Him on earth until He comes. The Unitas Fratrum is, therefore, aware of its being called in faith to serve mankind by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It recognizes this call to be the source of its being and the inspiration of its service. As is the source, so is the aim and end of its being based on the will of its Lord.40

By situating the Unity within the Church so as to hear Jesus continually call the whole Christian community into existence in order to serve him, Moravians retain the dynamic understanding of member communities sharing with one another a unity which transcends doctrinal and liturgical differences and which empowers those communities to join their distinctive witnesses in serving the Lord who serves all humankind. Given its self-understanding that it is among those ecclesial communities called especially to proclaim the Gospel, Moravians seek to listen to the Spirit's urgings and leadings as to how the Unitas Fratrum is to answer the call addressed to it. Other communities may be led and equipped with the Spirit's gifts to other forms of service and witness. Moravians hear the Spirit especially summoning them to present to the Church and the world the Gospel so as to engage children, men and women in personal relationships with God, a faithful walk with the Savior, and a vibrant community in the Spirit. Augustus Gottlieb Spangenberg's hymn expresses it well:

The church of Christ which he has hallowed here to be his house,
is scattered far and near, in north, and south, and east, and west abroad;
and yet in earth and heav'n, thro' Christ her Lord, the church is one.

One member may not know another here, and yet their fellowship is true and near;
one is their Savior, and their Father one; one Spirit rules them,
and among them none lives to one's self.

They live to him who bought them with his blood,
baptized them with his Spirit, pure and good; and in true faith and ever-burning love,
their hearts and hopes ascend to seek above the'ternal good.

O Spirit of the Lord, all life is yours;
now on your church your pow'r and strength out-pour, that many children may be born to you,
and through your knowledge may be brought anew to sing Christ's praise.41

For Moravians, the Church certainly has external marks such as the Word rightly preached and the sacraments properly administered. Still, the primary constitutive factor is the relationship which God establishes with the Church and its believers in Christ through the Spirit. As the Triune God is the only source of life and salvation, according to the Ground, section 4, so the source of the Church's being and mission is the same Trinity. The Ancient Moravian Church described the relationship between the Church and God in terms of the triad faith, love and hope.

Emphasis on relationship takes flesh and blood form. The faith-love-hope which exists between God and an individual creates a communal relationship among persons. As the crucified Lord gave his mother and his beloved disciple to each other (John 19:25-27), so God brings persons together that they may share life together in Christ's community. The Church, as Moravians describe it, is the fellowship of followers gathered around the cross. And as there can be no Christianity without the cross, there can be no Church without Christ at its center, and no Christianity without the community of believers called the Church. As Spangenberg put it, the Church is scattered but one, a fellowship because of what its members share: the Triune God. The special role of Jesus as Head or Chief Elder of the Church derives from this position, as will be indicated shortly. A distinctive Moravian complementarity in this instance is the Moravian conception of the Church as called into being by God, being given the broad mission to proclaim the Gospel in fellowship with communities within the Church, and linking the Church in its manifold forms in an intimate union with the Triune God so that the Church is a human community sharing Christ's Gospel with the whole of humanity.

The second reference marker develops the Church as a fellowship and the Moravian Church as a unity within that fellowship. Sections 6 and 7 of the Ground Of The Unity provide the reference mark:

6. We believe in and confess the unity of the church given in the one Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour. He died that He might unite the scattered children of God. As the living Lord and Shepherd, He is leading His flock toward such unity.

The Unitas Fratrum espoused such unity when it took over the name of the Old Bohemian Brethren's Church "Unitas Fratrum" (Unity of the Brethren). Nor can we ever forget the powerful unifying experience granted by the crucified and risen Lord to our fathers in Herrnhut on the occasion of the Holy Communion of August 13, 1727, in Berthelsdorf.

It is the Lord's will that Christendom should give evidence of and seek unity in Him with zeal and love. In our own midst we see how such unity has been promised us and laid upon us as a charge. We recognize that through the grace of Christ different churches have received many gifts. It is our desire that we may learn from each other and rejoice together in the riches of the love of Christ and the manifold wisdom of God.

We confess our share in the guilt which is manifest in the severed and divided state of Christendom. By means of such divisions we ourselves hinder the message and power of the Gospel. We recognize the danger of self-righteousness and judging others without love.

Since we together with all Christians are pilgrims on the way to meet our coming Lord, we welcome every step that brings us nearer the goal of unity in Him. He Himself invites us to communion in His supper. Through it He leads the Church toward that union which he has promised. By means of His presence in the Holy Communion He makes our unity with Him evident and certain even today.

7. The Church of Jesus Christ, despite all the distinctions between male and female, Jew and non-Jew, white and colored, poor and rich, is one in its Lord. The Unitas Fratrum recognizes no distinction between those who are one in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to testify that God in Jesus Christ brings His people out of "every race, kindred and tongue" into one body, pardons sinners beneath the Cross and brings them together. We oppose any discrimination in our midst because of race or standing, and we regard it as a commandment of the Lord to bear public witness to this and to demonstrate by word and deed that we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

The aim of the Church in proclaiming the Gospel is to unite all persons in Christ and with one another. The Moravian community within the Church is to strive for that unity in a three-fold manner:

1. through mission endeavors directed toward those who are not yet believers;
2. through ecumenical partnerships and sharing with other Christian communities; and
3. through providing the world and the Church with a witness of Christian concord and fellowship manifested in the Unity itself.

In concept and practice, the Unity's testimony of the reality of oneness in Christ through its congregational and denominational life provides the energy for its ecumenical and missionary ministries. And a vibrant sense of God's presence in Christ through the Spirit is the heart of the Moravian Church's unity. Moravian commitments to the unity of the whole Church, then, are basic to Moravian self-understandings of their Unity and the Church universal.

The Unity knows that oneness in Christ and in their own ranks is neither to be taken for granted nor is it without cost. The Ground's reference to the experience of August 13, 1727, is an admission to the world and subsequent generations in the Renewed Church that they have been tested with divisions and disagreements. In a time of crisis over leadership, direction and the challenge of mission, and after considerable debate and prayer, and in the context of a Lutheran-led Eucharist, the fellowship was deeply moved by what has come to be called the Moravian Pentecost. The members experienced the reality of the Spirit working among them to unite them in spite of different opinions and reasonings. The oneness they shared in the Spirit, members realized, was to be expressed in harmonious love and peace as they lived as a community and as individuals to do God's will. Ever since, August 13 is a cherished day among Moravians. It is a time to recall the events at Berthelsdorf with humility and joy, and to commit themselves anew to their mission to be involved in promoting the unity of the whole Church. A later hymn catches the experience and expresses the Unity's dedication to oneness in Christ, the Unitas Fratrum, and the Church:

They walked with God in peace and love but failed with one another;
while sternly for the faith they strove, they fell out with each other.
But he in whom they put their trust, who knew their frames,
that they were dust, with pity healed their weakness.

He found them in his house of prayer with one accord assembled,
and so revealed his presence there, they wept for joy and trembled.
One cup they drank, one bread they broke, one baptism shared,
one language spoke, forgiving and forgiven.

Then forth they went, with tongues of flame in one blessed theme delighting;
the love of Jesus and his name, God's children all uniting.
That love our theme and watch-word still; the law of love may we fulfill -
give love as love we're given.⁴²

The Moravian "Love Feast" is another means through which congregations enhance and witness to their fellowship. As indicated, poetry, hymnody and music are used along with history to manifest the Unity's thought, devotion and practice. The Love Feast has developed into a distinctive form through which a congregation and groups of congregations come together. The forms of the service may differ, but the intent is the same. Although marriages, congregational celebrations, and traditional ways to mark the seasons of the Church Year may be the stipulated occasions, the members gather for singing hymns and listening to special presentations of choral music. The unity afforded through joint listening and common singing is increased through a simple sharing of a bun and a cup of coffee during the musical offering. While the Love Feast is not a sacrament per se, it has the character and climate of a fellowship meal in which the Spirit unites the hearts, minds and voices of the community.

The third reference marker moves the Unitas Fratrum to understand the whole Church and itself as engaged in being a community of service to those near and far. The reference marker is the Ground's sections 8, 9, and 10:

8. Jesus Christ came not to be served but to serve. From this, His Church receives its mission and power for its service, to which each of its members is called. We believe that the Lord has called us particularly to mission service among the peoples of the world. In this, and in all others forms of service both at home and abroad, to which the Lord commits us, He expects us to confess Him and witness to His love in unselfish service.

9. Our Lord Jesus entered this world's misery in order to bear it and overcome it. We seek to follow Him in serving His brethren. Like the love of Jesus, this service knows no bounds. Therefore we pray the Lord ever anew to point out to us the way to reach our neighbor, opening our heart and hand to him in his need.

10. Jesus Christ maintains in love and faithfulness His commitment to this fallen world. Therefore we must remain concerned for this world. We may not withdraw from it through indifference, pride or fear. Together with the universal Christian Church, the Unitas Fratrum challenges mankind with the message of the love of God, striving to promote the peace of the world and seeking to attain what is best for all men. For the sake of this world, the Unitas Fratrum hopes for and looks to the day when the victory of Christ will be manifest over sin and death and the new world will appear.

As the Ancient Church was a fellowship of believers who were on the move because of persecution and often were in need, and as continental Pietism provided a missionary impulse to the Renewed Church, the Unitas Fratrum today sees itself as a community in mission. The forms of the mission may cover the spectrum from educational programs to preaching for conversion, from assisting poverty-stricken persons to achieve dignity through gaining skills and land to joining with other Christians in the struggle for justice, the Unity is a world-wide mission-service member of the Body of Christ. Perhaps because it never achieved the status of an "established" or national church, Moravians have an awareness of the needs and conditions of the marginalized, the voiceless and the refugees. Mission and service are manifestations of the Moravian response to Christ's call; mission and service are both special assignments and gifts which the members of the Unity feel are given them through the Spirit.

Lutherans are not strangers to the image of Jesus the Shepherd who leads his flock. Luther and the theologians who signed the Smalcald Articles held that the Church is "holy believers and sheep who hear the voice of their shepherd" and so, as do children, pray, "I believe in one holy Christian church." As expected, Lutherans hold that the Church's holiness does not consist in human ceremonies or deeds, but "in the Word of God and true faith."⁴³ Lutherans provide three dimensions relevant here to complement our common understanding of the Church.

First, the Church has outward marks or signs. God comes to us concretely in the midst of our earthly lives. From the sixteenth to the present century, Lutherans have realized that freedom and order, external and internal elements are required to hold the community together:

The church is not merely an association of outward ties and rites like other civic governments, however, but it is mainly an association of faith and of the Holy Spirit in men's hearts. To make it recognizable, this association has outward marks, the pure teaching of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments in harmony with the Gospel of Christ. This church alone is called the body of Christ, which Christ renews, consecrates, and governs by his Spirit....the "communion of saints" seems to have been added [to the Apostles' Creed] to explain what church means, namely the assembly of saints who share the association of the same Gospel or teaching and of the same Holy Spirit, who renews, consecrates and governs their hearts...We are not dreaming about some Platonic republic, as has been slanderously alleged, but we teach that this church actually exists, made up of true believers and righteous men scattered throughout the world. And we add its marks, the pure teaching of the Gospel and the sacraments....Of course, there are also many weak people in it who build on this foundation perishing structures of stubble, that is, unprofitable opinions....In accordance with the Scriptures, therefore, we maintain that the church in the proper sense, is the assembly of saints who truly believe the Gospel of Christ and who have the Holy Spirit.⁴⁴

On the one hand, Lutherans hold that the Spirit uses external means and forms, so that the Spirit's work can be distinguished from human passions and fads, enthusiasms and distortion. There are benchmarks or standards for doctrine and practice which can be used to protect the core interpretations and understandings, validate new insights, and serve as norms for theology and practice. On the other hand, the Lutheran position recognizes that mere conformity to rituals and structures is also dangerous. The Church is not utopia; its members are fallible sinners who need correcting, enlivening, inspiration by the Spirit. The Church has God's promise that it will always have the Spirit which will give the community of believers guidance, forgiveness and hope.

The second dimension relevant at this juncture is the Lutheran view of the relationships of persons within this community to one another and the wider society. In the Large Catechism, the Reformer taught that the sum and substance of "I believe in the holy Christian Church" is:

I believe that there is on earth a little holy flock or community of pure saints under one head, Christ. It is called together by the Holy Spirit in one faith, mind and understanding. It possesses a variety of gifts, yet is united in love without sect or schism. Of this community I also am a part and member, a participant and co-partner in all the blessings it possesses. I was brought into it by the Holy Spirit and incorporated into it through the fact that I have heard and still hear God's Word.45

The work of the Spirit in the Church is aimed at proclaiming and assuring members that they are forgiven by and reconciled to God through Christ, then to enlighten them about God's will, to move them in the process of sanctification, and to preserve them in true faith. All baptized Christians are to engage in mutual prayer and concern, service and assistance for one another. The vocation or call to be a Christian is expressed through sharing the Word in worship, praise, and speaking mutual consolation and hope to one another. In other words, each Christian is a member of the priesthood of all believers. What was noted earlier about the relationship of the Spirit to the individual believer is lived out in the community of the faithful. Again, the Large Catechism noted that the Spirit "makes me holy...through the Christian church." The Church is the Spirit's unique community, "It is the mother that begets and bears every Christian through the Word of God. The Holy Spirit reveals and preaches that Word, and by it he illumines and kindles hearts so that they grasp and accept it, cling to it, and persevere in it. The Spirit can be said to place the believer upon the bosom of the Church."46

The Spirit through the Church is also active in the world to bring God's Word - as Law and Gospel - to society and its power structures. As believers go into the world, they go in the power of the Spirit. The Spirit's enlightening role involves guiding and aiding Christians in their daily lives in the world, at work and through their responsibilities as citizens: "All this then is the office and work of the Holy Spirit, to begin and daily increase holiness on earth through these two means, the Christian church and the forgiveness of sins."47

The third dimension concerns the ecumenical perspective on the whole Church. The Lutheran position holds that agreement on two factors is sufficient for believers to agree upon: the pure teaching of the Gospel and the proper administration of the sacraments in accordance with the Word. This position permits maximum discussion and room for exploration, arenas for the Spirit to lead Christ's followers in discerning the unity they already have in Christ, and then moving toward fuller forms of fellowship. At the same time, agreement in the Gospel and on the sacraments are of such critical importance to Lutherans that they will expend significant time and effort to ask themselves and their partners about the essence of the Gospel and the nature of the sacraments. Lutherans are willing to learn from others and to share their views, to recognize that forms of worship and expression may differ from one ecclesial communion to another and even within communions. Their fundamental concern runs straight to the heart of justification by faith through grace. From that point outward and inward, Lutherans engage in ecumenical relationships of different intensities and breadth. Lutherans are willing to say both "yes" to ecclesial ecumenical sharing at the deepest levels, and they are also willing to say "no" in love when they feel that such sharing is either not appropriate or not yet appropriate given current understandings.

Discussions of the Spirit in the lives of believers and in the Church lead to Moravian and Lutheran forms and views of the ministry.

3. Mutual Complementarities About Ministries

Probably no issue is more vexing and problematic in intra-church and ecumenical discussions than understandings of ministry. This is, however, not the case for Moravian and Lutheran relations. Within our own ranks there may be substantial reflection and debate, yet we have common understandings and positions, even common internal discussions. Lutherans and Moravians share a lively sense of the priesthood of all believers through our own historical developments, Reformation heritages, and backgrounds derived from continental Pietism. We agree that all baptized members of the Body of Christ are called to pray for one another and the world, proclaim through word and deed that Jesus is Lord, share the strengthening hope of forgiveness and reconciliation, and live so that we may bear the fruits of the Spirit.

At the same time, Moravians and Lutherans agree that the ministry of Word and sacraments requires a recognizable and authorized form. Within the community of the baptized and for the sake of due order, we understand the Spirit to lead the Church to authorize men and women publicly to represent within the whole Church and to the world the proclamation of the Word and the administration of the sacraments through what is called traditionally the pastoral office. The office authorizes a person to preach, teach, administer the sacraments, and provide spiritual leadership among us. Normally the rite of ordination authorizes persons who have been called by the Spirit and the Church to fulfill the office of the ministry of Word and sacraments. We do not understand ordination to be God's granting a person spiritual superiority over others. The ministry of the ordained is a public office to which a person is called by the Spirit working within the heart of the believer and within the Christian community. While we recognize a variety of public offices in the Christian community which are filled by persons who are not ordained and while we may use several titles for those who are ordained, Lutherans and Moravians understand the roles of the ordained in remarkably similar ways.⁴⁸

Ordained ministers have a triple accountability. Chiefly, they are accountable to God for the stewardship of the ministry which has been entrusted to them. At times they may have to address the Word as Law to the believing community and the wider society in spite of opposition and risk which may result from the faithful proclamation of the will of God. Naturally, they are also called upon to test what they say and do by the Scriptures. In the same category, ordained ministers are to be accountable to the Shepherd, faithful to their responsibilities in caring for the flock of Christ, competent communicators of the doctrines of the Church, examples of Christian living, and advocates of God's mercy and justice in society. Above all, they are expected to be devout Christians, sinners who depend on the grace of God and who manifest their relationship to Christ through lives dedicated to his service in and through the Church. Second, they are accountable to the Church and their ecclesial body for exercise of their ministries among the people of God. In other words, they are subject to the discipline and afforded the counsel of the Church in matters of life, doctrine, and other appropriate support. Third, they are accountable to the congregation, agency or institution of the church which has called them to serve in their midst.

In terms of ordained ministry, Lutherans and Moravians emphasize the roles and responsibilities of congregational pastors. While Lutherans continue to consider the advisability of ordaining persons to an office titled "deacon," Moravians have such an office as the entry point into pastoral ministry. Moravians and Lutherans are recognizing the historic office of the bishop as a pastoral figure who provides advice and guidance for the church and the church's ordained and lay leadership. Both churches expect their ordained ministers normally to be educated in a theological seminary and to have demonstrated academic competence as well as ministerial skills in the context of spiritual commitment to the Gospel. From these common positions, each church complements the other's understanding of the Church and ministry. At this juncture some brief descriptions of the ministry in our respective churches may be helpful in showing that while there are differences of form, there are complements and common grounds which encourage us to recommend full communion between our churches.

A Lutheran understanding of the ministry of the ordained in the context of the ministry of the whole people of God may be seen in terms of some of the Constitution of the ELCA's statements about the Church, the specific Lutheran church and its leaders. In describing the Nature of the Church:

3.01 All power in the Church belongs to our Lord Jesus Christ, its head. All actions of this church are to be carried out under his rule and authority.

3.02 The Church exists both as a fellowship and as local congregations gathered for worship and Christian service. Congregations find their fulfillment in the universal community of the Church, and the universal Church exists in and through congregations. This church, therefore, derives its character and powers from both the sanction and representation of its congregations and from its inherent nature as an expression of the broader fellowship of the faithful. In length, it acknowledges itself to be in the historic continuity of the communion of saints; in breadth, it expresses the fellowship of believers and congregations in our day.

The ELCA is a member of the World Council of Churches, the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, and the Lutheran World Federation. The latter is a body which describes itself as "a communion of Churches," which has no jurisdictional authority over its member Churches. The ELCA's Constitution is the church's statement to itself and the whole Church that the ELCA will understand itself in the universal Church. Indeed, the Constitution makes commitments to seek wider unity among Lutherans and the Church ecumenically understood. The constitution for synods of the ELCA contains the same provisions regarding the unity of the Church and the ELCA's commitments to such endeavors.50 Seminaries of the ELCA are expected to provide candidates for ordination and other leadership positions as well as those serving in those capacities with educational opportunities to engage them in ecumenical thinking and action.

While the ELCA continues to devote study to the nature of the ordained and other ministries, it does have succinct statements in its Constitutions for the national church, synods and congregations concerning the responsibilities of ordained ministers. Among these are:

Consistent with the faith and practice of this church, every ordained minister shall preach the Word, administer the sacraments, conduct public worship, provide pastoral care, and, shall speak publicly to the world in solidarity with the poor and oppressed, calling for justice and proclaiming God's love for the world. Each ordained minister with a congregational call shall, within the congregation, offer instruction, confirm, marry, visit the sick and distressed, and bury the dead....⁵¹

The office of bishop is part of the ministry in the ELCA. Considerations about the balance between pastoral and managerial aspects of a bishop's duties and responsibilities are on-going in the church. Again, portions from the Model Constitution for Synods:

S.8.12 As this synod's pastor, the bishop shall:
a. Oversee and administer the work of this synod.
b. Preach, teach, and administer the sacraments in accord with the faith of this church.
c. Provide pastoral care and leadership for this synod, its congregations, its ordained ministers, and its associates in ministry.
d. Advise and counsel its related institutions and organizations.
e. be its chief ecumenical officer....

The synodical bishop, elected for a term by the synod assembly composed of congregational lay persons and ordained ministers, also ordains candidates for the ministry of Word and sacraments.

The Moravian understanding of ministry also may be seen as rooted in the Lordship of Jesus Christ over the Church. During 1741 the responsibilities of the far-flung enterprises of the Moravian Church weighed heavily on Leonard Dober, its Chief Elder. In a Synodal Conference held in London in September he declined to continue to serve in this position and no other was willing nor was the use of the lot supportive of selecting another.⁵² The question was then put to the Savior by the use of the lot as to whether he desired this office for himself. For the first time the lot provided a positive answer, and so it was recognized that Jesus was Chief Elder of the church in jurisdictional and organizational matters. This was announced to the international Moravian church on November 13, 1741, and since then this stands as the day when Moravians celebrate this insight. Given the historical context of the church-state relations in Germany and the situation among the members of the Unity, the proclamation of Christ's Chief Eldership was a daring step. Zinzendorf's hymn provides us with some insight on the senses of reconciliation and mission which flowed from November 13 and which is still part of Moravian practice:

Heart with loving heart united, met to know God's holy will,
Let his love in us ignited more and more our spirits fill.
He the Head, we are his members; we reflect the light he is.
He the Master, we disciples, he is ours and we are his.

May we all so love each other and all selfish claims deny,
so that each one for the other will not hesitate to die.
Even so our Lord has loved us; for our lives he gave his life.
Still he grieves and still he suffers, for our selfishness and strife.

Since, O Lord, you have demanded that our lives your love should show
so we wait to be commanded forth into your world to go.
Kindle in us love's compassions so that ev'ry one may see
in our faith and hope the promise of a new humanity.⁵³

The provinces of the Unitas Fratrum are members of the World Council of Churches and the national or geographical councils where they exist. Thus it has an ecumenical and international commitment. However, the Unitas Fratrum in itself is an international church, uniquely ecumenical because of the special relationships which it cherishes with various Christian traditions in the countries where it has provinces. In its governmental structure, the Unity Synod is its highest deliberative and legislative body. The provinces, represented usually by three voting members, which make up the Unity Synod meet usually every seven years. It does not have a presiding bishop but an executive board composed of persons drawn from the provinces. The board elects its own chair for a maximum of two consecutive two year terms. Proposals reflecting doctrine or the Unity's polity are referred to the Unity Synod. Each province may develop its own Book Of Order which is to be in harmony with the Church Order of the Unity. The Northern and Southern Provinces of the Moravian Church in America have their respective Provincial Elders Conferences which serve as administrative bodies for the provinces. These also make the basic approvals for candidates for ordination and provide the calls to pastors to congregations on the basis of congregations approving such calls with the agreement of the person to be called. Each province may explore what ecumenical relations it deems advisable, yet it is customary for provinces to keep the Unity Board informed and to seek advice from the Board. A province meets in assembly (synods) every 2-3 years. The synods elect persons to be bishops from among the ordained elders, and may elect as many as seems appropriate to the synod.

A Moravian congregation typically has a Board of Elders and a Board of Trustees, and the pastor presides over the former. The Board of Elders is concerned with spiritual and educational life of the congregation, while the Board of Trustees deals with the "temporal" affairs.

The Moravian Church has a three-fold ordained ministry: deacons, presbyters (elders) and bishops. There is one ordination (to the office of deacon) and subsequent consecrations to the other offices.⁵⁴ The Moravian Church in America began to ordain women in 1975.55 The Church Order Of The Unity, as revised at Dar es Salaam in 1995, describes the office of the bishop as follows:

687 The Renewed Unity received the episcopacy as an inheritance from the Ancient Unitas Fratrum.
Today we regard the episcopacy in the Renewed Unity in a different way from that of the Ancient Unitas Fratrum. Formerly, a Bishop had a Church-governmental and administrative function. In our day, however, this function is not necessarily linked to the episcopal office. We hold to the understanding, common both to the Ancient and Renewed Unity, that only Christ is Head of the Church and pastoral oversight is exercised in responsibility to Him.

A Bishop of the Moravian Church is consecrated to a special priestly pastoral ministry in the name of and for the whole Unity.

The office of Bishop represents the vital unity of the Church and the continuity of the Church's ministry, although the Unity does not place emphasis on any mechanical transmission of the apostolic succession.

The office and function of a Bishop is valid throughout the Unity as a whole.

Duties of Bishop

688 A Bishop as a Bishop has responsibility primarily for providing pastoral care to pastors and the Church, and assisting the Church in its faithfulness to Christ and the Gospel.

All Provincial and District Boards shall consult a Bishop or Bishops in all matters concerning the work in the Province or District which fall within his/her sphere of responsibility.

A Bishop has a special duty of intercession for the Unity, and also for the Church of Christ as a whole.

Bishops in active service should be enabled to visit congregations for the deepening of their spiritual life.

The opinion of a Bishop (Bishops) shall customarily be sought and given due consideration and weight in matters of doctrine and practice.

A Bishop represents the Church in the act of ordination.

Only bishops have the right to ordain or to consecrate to the various orders of the ministry, but only when they are commissioned to do so by a Provincial Board or Synod.

A Bishop, however, has the right to decline a commission to ordain, should he/she wish to do so.

In exceptional cases the ordination of a Deacon may be performed by a Presbyter in the name of and by commission of a Bishop.

A Bishop (Bishops) should share in the decisions regarding the training of candidates for the ministry and should maintain a special pastoral relationship with such candidates throughout their training.

The Synod of the Bishop's Province may also add administrative responsibility by electing him/her a member of the Provincial Board.

A Bishop may be assigned by his/her Province to represent the Province in ecumenical gatherings and before governmental agencies.

Clearly, there are variations of practices and polity regarding the nature of the ministry, but there are no factors which raise theological issues or which might impede progress toward achieving full communion between our churches

The Mutual Complementarities indicate diversity within the context of unity. Yet the nature of that diversity is seen as completing and enhancing what we already have. Our summary at this point is that Moravians and Lutherans agree with and complement each other's understandings of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Believer and in the Church, and we agree with and complement each other's positions on the Church's ministry.

²³ As noted previously, the Explanation of the Third Article is included in the Moravian liturgy for Easter morning and has the character of a statement of faith. The Explanations to the articles are widely known and cherished by Lutherans.

²⁴ See the Augsburg Confession, Articles 2, 3, 5, 18 and 20.

²⁵ The Explanation to the First Article reads:

I believe that God has created me and all that exists; that he has given me and still sustains my body and soul, all my limbs and senses, my reason and all the faculties of my mind, together with food and clothing, house and home, family and property; that he provides me daily and abundantly with all the necessities of life, protects me from all danger, and preserves me from all evil. All this he does out of his pure, fatherly and divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness on my part. For all of this I am bound to thank, praise, serve, and obey him. This is most certainly true.

The Explanation to the Second Article is:

I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, delivered me and freed me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with silver and gold but with his own holy and precious blood and with his innocent sufferings and death, in order that I may be his, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as he is risen from the dead and lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.

²⁶ Apology of the Augsburg Confession article IV, 2.

²⁷ See Smalcald Articles I, 1-5.

²⁸ Apology of the Augsburg Confession article IV, 43.

²⁹ Ground of the Unity, #3.

³⁰ Moravian Book of Worship, 700. The words and tune date from 1556.

³¹ Moravian Book of Worship, 799. The hymn also is in the Lutheran Book of Worship, 341.

³² Moravian Book of Worship, 346.

³³ For the quotations and paraphrases see Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Article VI, 7-9 and 21.

³⁴ LW, volume 35, pp 370f, Preface to Romans.

³⁵ Large Catechism, Part II, 38.

³⁶ Order for Baptism, Lutheran Book Of Worship, pg. 121. The italics indicate optional wordings.

³⁷ Affirmation of Baptism, Lutheran Book Of Worship, pg. 201. The title "Affirmation of Baptism" is given to the rite traditionally called "Confirmation."

³⁸ The Rite of Confirmation, Moravian Book Of Worship, pg. 173.

³⁹ This is particularly the case with Zinzendorf's expression that the Spirit is the Mother of the Church and believers. He did not intend this to ascribe gender to the Spirit, but depicted in this way the Spirit's care for the family of God and its members. Moravians today are largely unaware of Zinzendorf's thinking on the matter. It may be a way for Lutherans and Moravians to engage in discussions about the relationship of the Spirit to the Church, believer and Christ.

⁴⁰ Ground Of The Unity, Paragraph 1.

⁴¹ Moravian Book Of Worship, 516.42 Moravian Book Of Worship, 396.

⁴³ Smalcald Articles, XII, 2-3.

⁴⁴ Apology, Articles VII-VIII, 5, 8, 20, and 28.

⁴⁵ Large Catechism, Part II, 51.

⁴⁶ Large Catechism, II, 41, 37.

⁴⁷ Large Catechism, II, 59. We note that one of the areas which we have discussed but not included references about in this report is social-political attitudes. These were not seen as issues of disagreement or complementarities, but of general affirmation. Again, further explorations will be fruitful for our respective churches.

⁴⁸In the ELCA there are official yet unordained offices such as deaconess, deacons and associates in ministry. There are a variety of functions which persons may fulfill, e.g., nurses, directors of religious education, musicians, parish workers, etc. There are requirements in these instances which involve theological study, requisite skills for the position, and certification by an appropriate body in the church. Included are requirements concerning continuing education. In order for a person to remain on the official roster of the church, the person is to have served under appointment or be designated as on leave from appointment for a designated period of time.

⁴⁹ See the ELCA Constitution, 4.02 f ; 4.03 d,, and f. Please note Ecumenism: Vision of the ELCA is the official policy statement of the ELCA (1991 Assembly).

⁵⁰ See the Model Constitution for Synods, chapters 5 and 6.

⁵¹ Model Constitution for Synods, excerpted from 14.02.

⁵² The use of the lot and similar methods were popular within Pietism to discern a right decision when sufficient information was not available otherwise to make a decision. Moravians used Scripture verses, one indicating a positive answer, another indicating a negative answer, and a third slip was blank. The slip drawn was used to indicate the Savior's guidance.

⁵³ Moravian Book Of Worship, 401.

⁵⁴Usually a Moravian deacon is consecrated as an elder after serving several years in a congregation. The process involves recommendation of the consecration and the commissioning of a bishop to do the consecration by the executive board of the Province, the Provincial Elders' Conference. There are no functional differences between a Moravian deacon and elder; both are may preach, administer both sacraments, officiate at weddings, etc. Those deacons consecrated as Presbyters must be considered spiritually prepared for the office. Deacons who do not elect to proceed to consecration as Presbyters are not considered less mature spiritually than those who do take that step. Bishops are elected from the ranks of Presbyters.

⁵⁵ The ELCA was formed in 1987. It continued the practice of its earliest predecessor bodies, the American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church in America. Those churches began to ordain women in 1970.