Living Into Full Communion
A Congregational Discussion Guide for Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion
For use with the proposal for full communion between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Moravian Church in America
Table of Contents
Introduction
Living into Full Communion is a discussion guide used by congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Moravian Church in America (Southern and Northern Provinces) we consider together the implications of full communion for their individual and mutual faith, order, life, and work as congregations. The two communions are considering the implications of full communion for national and regional expressions of the church. As "the place where God's fellowship with men and women becomes a reality" (Church Order of the Unitas Fratrum [Moravian Church] 1995, p. 17, para. 51), congregations are a primary place for carrying out the church's mission and ministry. Consequently, it is among congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Moravian Church in America that full communion will be expressed in its most fundamental and meaningful sense.
Through this study, congregations worked together to identify the implications of full communion between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Moravian Church in America for their own mission and ministry. This discussion guide assumes:
- two congregations, one ELCA and one Moravian, from the same community have agreed to engage with each other in this discussion, meeting for the eight sessions sometime between September and November, 1998;
- each congregation was represented in the discussion by roughly the same number of people (eight to ten from each congregation will make a lively and diverse group);
- each participant will had a copy of Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion: Report of the Lutheran-Moravian Dialogue with Recommendations for Full Communion in Worship, Fellowship and Mission and Questions and Answers;
- sessions were to be held weekly, with representatives of the two congregations sharing leadership as appropriate and jointly planning how discussions will be structured; each session (except sessions two and three) may last up to two and a half hours;
- sessions met alternately in each congregation's building and begin with worship led by the host congregation in a manner so as to express something of its authentic liturgical and devotional tradition; and
- participants from each congregation, under the guidance of the pastors where possible, have completed evaluation and planning response forms and mailed these forms to the ELCA's Research Planning and Evaluation unit.
Session Summaries
Session One. Providing opportunity for participants to begin to know one another, this session also looks at a brief history of the two communions and their interactions, culminating in the 18th century Muhlenberg-Zinzendorf conflict.
Sessions Two and Three. Participants are invited to visit each other's congregation in order to experience something of the similarities and differences of worship and congregational life.
Sessions Four, Five, and Six. In these sessions, participants explore three major sections of Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion: "Perspectives on Theology," which looks at the different ways Lutherans and Moravians "do" theology; "Mutual Affirmations," which discusses how Moravians and Lutherans agree with and affirm one another's understandings of the gospel and sacraments; and "Mutual Complementarities," which looks at the ways the methods and expressions of one communion might enrich and be enriched by those of the other. (This last section is rather lengthy; if you have time, you might consider adding an additional session in order to deal more adequately with the complementarities and how they might enrich congregational life.)
Sessions Seven and Eight. The final sessions provide participants to brainstorm ways their two congregations might "live into" full communion, assuming the enabling resolutions are voted by both communions.
While the first session and the last two sessions need to be done in order, sessions two through six may be reordered to suit the needs and calendars of participating congregations.
Thank you for your participation, and God's blessings as you begin your study!
Gary L. Harke,
For the Lutheran-Moravian Coordinating Committee
Session One - Getting to Know One Another, Part A
Objectives: By the end of this session, participants will have begun to:
- Know each other as individuals and as people of faith;
- know each other's congregation, identifying similarities and differences; and
understand something of the history of each communion and its relationship historically with the other.
Preparations: Prior to the start of the session, consider making the following preparations:
- have simple refreshments available;
- arrange chairs in a large circle so participants can easily see and hear each other;
- have a name tag available for each participant;
- have available a flip chart, paper, markers, and masking tape (or a chalk board and chalk);
have additional copies of Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion;
- about a week ahead, ask participants to read Section III, "The Journey to Full Communion: Historical Background from Prague to Philadelphia" in Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion (pages 9-15);
- the host congregation for this session should prepare a brief opening worship drawing on its authentic liturgical and devotional tradition; and
- have teams of two or three from each congregation prepared to introduce their congregation to the whole group (see Activity B).
Activity A - Opening Worship (15 minutes)
Representatives of the host congregation, after welcoming participants, should lead a brief worship period.
Activity B - Introductions (30 minutes)
With participants seated in a circle invite participants to introduce themselves, telling their name, congregation, and how long they have been a member, and sharing what they recall or know of their baptism and something of their personal faith journey.
When all have had the opportunity to introduce themselves, invite participants to discuss
- what do we seem to have in common as individuals?
- how do we seem to be different as individuals?
Note: these similarities and difference on the flip chart or chalkboard.
Activity C - Congregational Introductions (60 minutes)
Ask each team to introduce its congregation to the group. The introduction might contain some or all of the following:
- a brief history of the congregation;
- the congregation's self-understanding of its mission and identity-defining core values;
- something of the congregation's programmatic ministry, including its support of and participation in denominational and ecumenical ministry; and
- something of the congregation's organization and governance.
When the two teams have finished their introductions, invite participants to discuss
- what do we seem to have in common as congregations?
- how do we seem to be different as congregations?
- what might we be able to learn or appropriate from each other as faith communities?
Again, note the similarities, differences, and possible learnings on the flip chart or chalkboard.
Activity D - Historical Background to Full Communion (40 minutes)
Divide participants into small groups of about five participants each. Ask each group to review Section III, "The Journey to Full Communion: Historical Background from Prague to Philadelphia" in Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion (pages 9-15) and identify (a) new or surprising learnings and (b) questions which the reading raises for them.
When the small groups have had time to discuss the reading, reconvene the whole group. Ask each small group to report first its learnings and briefly list them on the flip chart or chalk board. Then ask each to report its questions, again listing each briefly on the flip chart or chalk board. Then, invite the group to discuss how it will find answers to each of the questions raised and negotiate responsibility for finding answers.
Closing (5 minutes)
Remind participants that the next two sessions will take place on Sundays and involve visiting and worshipping with each other's congregation. Be sure all participants know how to find each other's churches, the time of worship, etc.
Sessions Two and Three - Getting to Know One Another, Parts B & C
Objectives: By the end of these sessions, participants will have:
- experienced something of each other's worship and congregational life;
- had an opportunity to explore apparent similarities and differences between the two communions expressed in worship and congregational life; and
- deepened their personal and congregational relationships.
Preparations: Each of these two sessions follows the same format. First, participants experience one or the other congregation's worship and congregational life, at least by attending together a principal service of worship on Sunday. Other activities might include attending Sunday morning church school, observing any committee or board meetings occurring in the week before worship, or participating in or observing other dimensions of congregational life. In each case, activities should be identified together and appropriate preparations made.
Following worship, the whole group should gather for fellowship and discussion. Prior to the start of discussion, consider making the following preparations:
- have simple refreshments available;
- arrange chairs in a large circle so participants can easily see and hear each other;
- have a name tag available for each participant; and
- have available a flip chart, paper, markers, and masking tape (or a chalk board and chalk).
Activity A - Introductions (15 minutes)
Unless people have gotten to know each other well, have participants briefly reintroduce themselves to the whole group.
Activity B - "Q and A" (60 minutes)
Ask participants who were the "guests" at worship to reflect a moment on questions they have about what they observed or experienced. Then, make a list of all the questions on the flip chart or chalk board, moving around the circle and inviting each to pose one question. Keep going around the circle until all questions have been listed. (Encourage people not to pose questions which have already been listed, unless they are sure their form of the question is significantly different.)
[Participants from the "host" congregation might be invited to "play," too. They may have questions about what they experience or observe, but may never have had an opportunity to ask before.]
After the questions are listed, take a moment to review the questions and decide where to begin. Try to work through the questions, encouraging participants to explore possible responses and to draw on their own knowledge and experience. If there are questions which "stump" the group, help them to identify how they might research an answer to present at the next session
Activity C - Sharing Experiences (30 minutes)
Encourage participants from the "guest" congregation to share perceptions which grow out of their experience of the host congregation's worship and congregational life.
Closing (5 minutes)
Remind participants of the activities planned and the meeting place for the next session. Close with prayer.
Session Four - The Basis for Full Communion: Perspectives on Theology
Objectives: By the end of this session, participants will have:
- explored the section of Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion dealing with perspectives on theology; and
- begun to reflect on how the theological perspectives of the two communions might enrich and be expressed through the common life and witness of their two congregations.
Preparations:
- Ask participants to read pages 17-22, "Perspectives on Theology," in Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion.
- As always, have refreshments, name tags, etc. available; arrange the room with chairs in a circle, and have a flip chart and markers or chalkboard and chalk available.
Activity A - Introductions (10 minutes)
Unless you are sure participants have come to know each other's names, invite each to briefly introduce herself or himself.
Activity B - Worship (15 minutes)
Representatives of the host congregation, after welcoming participants, should lead a brief worship period.
Activity C - Small Group Discussion (2 hours)
Divide the whole group into small groups of 3-5 participants each; be sure each group contains participants from each congregation. Ask each small group to discuss the section of Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion assigned (pages 17-22), posing the following questions:
- What did you learn about yourselves as a communion in this section?
- What did you learn about the other communion in this section?
- What have you discovered that might enrich the life and ministry of your congregation? How?
After the small groups have had ample time to discuss, gather the whole group and ask each small group to report its findings. Make particular note of any suggestions for enriching the life and ministries of the congregations (we'll come back to that theme in Sessions Seven and Eight).
Closing (5 minutes)
Remind participants of the activities planned and the meeting place for the next session. Close with prayer.
Session Five - The Basis for Full Communion: Mutual Affirmations
Objectives: By the end of these sessions, participants will have:
- explored the section of Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion dealing with mutual affirmations; and
- begun to reflect on how these mutual affirmations might enrich and be expressed through the common life and witness of their two congregations.
Preparations:
- Ask participants to read pages 22-27, "Mutual Affirmations," in Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion.
- As always, have refreshments, name tags, etc. available; arrange the room with chairs in a circle, and have a flip chart and markers or chalkboard and chalk available.
Activity A - Introductions
Unless you are sure participants have come to know each other's names, invite each to briefly introduce herself or himself.
Activity B - Worship (15 minutes)
Representatives of the host congregation, after welcoming participants, should lead a brief worship period.
Activity C - Small Group Discussion (2 hours)
Divide the whole group into small groups of 3-5 participants each; be sure each group contains participants from each congregation. Ask each small group to discuss the section of Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion assigned (pages 22-27), posing the following questions:
- What did you learn about yourselves as a communion in this section?
- What did you learn about the other communion in this section?
- What have you discovered that might enrich the life and ministry of your congregation? How?
After the small groups have had ample time to discuss, gather the whole group and ask each small group to report its findings. Make particular note of any suggestions for enriching the life and ministries of the congregations (we'll come back to that theme in Sessions Seven and Eight).
Closing (5 minutes)
Remind participants of the activities planned and the meeting place for the next session. Close with prayer.
Session Six - The Basis for Full Communion: Mutual Complementarities
Objectives: By the end of these sessions, participants will have:
- explored the section of Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion dealing with mutual complementarities; and
- begun to reflect on how these complementarities might enrich and be expressed through the common life and witness of their two congregations.
Preparations: Ask participants to read pages 27-42, "Mutual Complementarities," in Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion. As always, have refreshments, name tags, etc. available; arrange the room with chairs in a circle, and have a flip chart and markers or chalkboard and chalk available.
Activity A - Introductions
Unless you are sure participants have come to know each other's names, invite each to briefly introduce herself or himself.
Activity B - Worship (15 minutes)
Representatives of the host congregation, after welcoming participants, should lead a brief worship period.
Activity C - Small Group Discussion (2 hours)
Divide the whole group into small groups of 3-5 participants each; be sure each group contains participants from each congregation. Ask each small group to discuss the section of Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion assigned (pages 27-42), posing the following questions:
- What did you learn about yourselves as a communion in this section?
- What did you learn about the other communion in this section?
- What have you discovered that might enrich the life and ministry of your congregation? How?
As you get the small groups started, make sure everyone understands what a "complement" is. This notion is crucial to understanding this section of Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion, and it may not be an easy notion for some to grasp. One way of understanding the term "complement," a way less technical than the definition offered in the text, is to consider what happens when two people observe a large object from different angles, sharing their impressions with each other. Each set of observations may seem to have little to do with the other; it is because the observations are of the same object viewed from different perspectives that gives them meaning when taken together. Taken together, the sets of observations give a more complete picture of the object than either set does by itself.
After the small groups have had ample time to discuss, gather the whole group and ask each small group to report its findings. Make particular note of any suggestions for enriching the life and ministries of the congregations (we'll come back to that theme in Sessions Seven and Eight).
Closing (5 minutes)
Remind participants of the activities planned and the meeting place for the next session. Close with prayer.
Session Seven - Planning for a Life of Full Communion, Part A
Objective: By the end of this sessions, participants will have brainstormed ideas about how the two congregations might "live into" full communion and enrich their lives and ministries in the community.
Preparations: These two final sessions are designed as planning sessions. By this time, we assume that participants have come to know each other and their respective congregations relatively well and have, because of this knowledge and deepening personal relationships, begun also to sense possibilities for a future common life between the congregations, a common life that takes seriously the nature and mission of each as well as common Christian commitments in witness and service. Of course, all the planning done is conditional; while the Moravian Church in America will have voted on the full communion proposal in the spring and summer of 1998, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America action will not take place until 1999.
In preparing for this session:
- have refreshments, name tags, etc. available;
- arrange the room with chairs in a circle;
- have a flip chart, together with plenty of newsprint and markers available; and
- identify several spaces where working groups can meet--3-5 spaces should be adequate.
Activity A - Worship (15 minutes)
Representatives of the host congregation, after welcoming participants, should lead a brief worship period.
Activity B - Generating Ideas for Action (2 hours)
- Divide participants into working groups of 3-5 persons each, taking care to be sure each group contains representatives of both congregations. Ask each group to build a list of ideas for how the two congregations together might "live into full communion," i.e., ideas about what the two congregations might do as a team to express the unity recognized in full communion. Instruct the groups to note their ideas on newsprint (see that each group has a supply of paper and markers), writing enough about each idea so that others can figure out what the idea means. Then, send the groups off to separate work spaces. (Allow about 45 minutes for this segment.)
- After the groups have had a chance to work, gather everyone together in the common meeting place and collect the newsprint. (You can post them on the walls while groups are working on the next task.)
- Divide participants again into working groups of 3-5 persons each, this time making sure each group is composed only of Lutherans or Moravians. Again, the group is to brainstorm, but the topic is different: "what can my congregation do to further full communion with the other congregation?" Groups should note their ideas on newsprint as before. (Allow about 45 minutes for this segment)
- After these new groups have had a chance to work, gather everyone together for a "poster party." Post the new sheets of newsprint, and invite everyone to take some time to read all the ideas generated by the working groups. Instruct participants to put a check mark by the three ideas they find most exciting and with which they'd be willing to work at the final session. (Allow 30-40 minutes for this segment.)
- Ask participants to prayerfully consider all the ideas offered during the next week and come to the final session willing to work on one or more idea, planning how it might be implemented should full communion between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Moravian Church in America become a reality.
Closing (5 minutes)
Remind participants of the activities planned and the meeting place for the next session. Close with prayer.
Session Eight - Planning for a Life of Full Communion, Part B
Objectives: By the end of this session, participants will have begun to plan for specific common actions expressing full communion.
Preparations: This final session gives participants a chance to take brainstormed ideas from the previous session and "flesh them out" so it will be easier to implement them later, should full communion be approved. In preparing for this session, you'll need just what you had last time.
Before this session, carefully review the newsprint from last session. On new sheets of paper, carefully copy those items which got the most "votes" (i.e., check marks); these items will make up the "action agenda" for this session. You'll have to use your judgment about how many items to include on this agenda. Divide the list into two sections, so that the group can address half the items at a time.
Post the newsprint from the last session around the room.
Activity A - Worship (15 minutes)
Representatives of the host congregation, after welcoming participants, should lead a brief worship period.
Activity B - Planning for Action (1 hour and 30 minutes)
Tell participants that they'll have a chance to be a part of two separate committees during the next 90 minutes. Each committee will meet for 30 minutes and will take one of the items from the "action agenda" and do some " what, by whom and by when" planning for implementing the item. Then, invite participants to quickly "sign up" to work on one item from each section of the action agenda. Direct each group to a work space and encourage them to work quickly.
After the first 30 minute work session, invite participants to go to their second working group and do the same kind of planning for the second item.
Finally, invite everyone back to the common space and ask each working group to briefly summarize its planning.
Activity C - Reporting (15 minutes)
Take the last fifteen minutes of this session, divide into congregational groups, and briefly give participants an opportunity to suggest comments for the evaluation and planning response form.
Closing (20 minutes)
Thank participants for their energy and creativity and close with prayer. If this final session is taking place in a Moravian congregation, you might consider using the "Liturgy for Christian Unity" from the Moravian Book of Worship.