CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Three U.S. churches of the Reformed tradition have given initial approval to sharing full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The ELCA Churchwide Assembly will vote on the proposal when it meets Aug. 14-20 in Philadelphia.
"The work we do in the name of Jesus can be strengthened and exciting new possibilities will be presented by a closer relationship," said the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA. "The ELCA seems ready to respond. We trust the mind of the church to express itself responsibly and pray for the unity we share in Christ Jesus among our churches."
"A Formula of Agreement," the product of 32 years of ecumenical conversations, outlines full communion among the ELCA, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America and United Church of Christ.
Full communion does not mean unification or merger. It involves mutual recognition of each other's ministries and sacraments, the removal of any previous condemnations and the establishment of channels of "consultation and decision-making within the existing structures of the churches."
The General Synod of the Reformed Church in America was the first body to approve the agreement, on June 18 in Milwaukee. A voice vote of the 250 delegates recorded only a few "no" votes.
The first of the four votes necessary for full communion will prove to be "a pivotal moment in ecumenical history," said the Rev. Guy Edmiston, bishop of the ELCA's Lower Susquehanna Synod, Harrisburg, Pa. Edmiston is the Lutheran co-chair of the Lutheran-Reformed Coordinating Committee that has had the task of informing the church memberships of the details of the proposal.
The RCA synod also passed a resolution clarifying that the RCA already enjoys "full table and pulpit fellowship and the recognition of each other's ministries" with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and UCC by virtue of the three churches' memberships in the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. The Formula will not change that relationship.
The 209th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted 489 to 38 in favor of full communion with the ELCA on June 19 in Syracuse, N.Y. That vote sets the stage for ratification of the proposal by the church's presbyteries.
The General Synod of the United Church of Christ invited the ELCA into full communion on July 5 in Columbus, Ohio. About 10 of the 700 delegates voted in opposition.
"Surely, this is an historic moment," UCC President Paul H. Sherry told delegates after the vote. "It is a moment of renewal and celebration. It is a moment when we truly see our oneness in Christ Jesus. As I look around this hall and think of the centuries of separation, and I think of this coming together, I give thanks to God."
The Rev. Stanley N. Olson, bishop of the ELCA's Southwestern Minnesota Synod, Redwood Falls, Minn., said, "I thank you for this action of affirmation of our oneness in Christ." "In August, we will be praying prayers very much like your prayer of discernment: 'Give us the mind of Christ in whose name we gather and in whose Body we are one. Amen.'"
"We await the vote of our Churchwide Assembly. Our agenda is still being planned," said the Rev. Daniel F. Martensen, director of the ELCA Department for Ecumenical Affairs, in a note to the synod. If the 'Formula of Agreement' is approved in Philadelphia, a steering committee will be created to begin the implementation process.
Church Memberships
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . . . . . . . .5,200,000
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) . . . . . . . . . . . . .3,700,000
Reformed Church in America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300,000
United Church of Christ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,500,000
For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
