ELCA Releases New Full Communion Proposal

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The commitment of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to adopt the historic episcopate is affirmed in the draft of "Called to Common Mission," a revised proposal for full communion between the ELCA and The Episcopal Church. In 1997 the ELCA narrowly defeated the "Concordat of Agreement," which sought to establish full communion between the two churches, but rededicated the ELCA to work toward that relationship.
The teams responsible for writing a new proposal met here April 6-8 and produced a formal draft and accompanying papers, including the "minority view" of the Rev. Todd W. Nichol of Luther Seminary, St. Paul, and a summary of changes.
"The foundation of the proposed new relation" is "the comprehensive agreement in the gospel," the summary says.
The ELCA's commitment to take on the historic episcopate "as one sign of the unity and continuity of the whole church" is unchanged from that expressed in the Concordat, the summary says. Also, "unchanged remains the commitment of The Episcopal Church to recognize the full authenticity of all ELCA ordained ministries at the beginning of the new relationship."
The writers were joined on April 6 by their advisory panel of ELCA pastors and lay people, bishops and scholars; The Rev. Martin E. Marty, Chicago, serves as moderator for both groups. The panel's earlier advice stressed the need for clarity, candor and straightforward language.
Marty called the effort "creative and refreshing, clear and free of footnotes." He said, "The larger significance of this assignment keeps dawning all the time. It has the potential for making world and church history."
"There is no way to deal with an Episcopal Church that Lutherans would invent," Marty said, "and no way to deal with The Episcopal Church without dealing with bishops in the episcopate."
Lutherans and Episcopalians agree on the doctrine of "apostolic succession," an ongoing faithful proclamation of Christ; Episcopalians bring to the relationship the "historic episcopate," a succession of bishops as a sign of unity back to the earliest days of the Christian church.
Marty said, "I for one can live with 'presidents' or 'bishops' without 'episcopate.' I cannot live so readily with the idea that I might be turning down at this turn of the millennium one of the very few major signs of movement toward full communion where brokenness has marked the life of our separate churches."
"Most important," Marty said, "we Lutherans could not enter into this if it meant that we had to start believing the historic episcopate is essential to the life of the church, that it belongs to the very being of the church. This revision makes very clear that The Episcopal Church has no expectation that we do or ever will consider it the essence of the church."
Marty added, "There is no way to deal with Lutherans apart from reckoning with the ministry of the baptized, the priesthood of all believers." Some critics feared the role of the laity of the ELCA would be diminished, Marty said.
The proposal says, "The ministry of the whole people of God forms the context for what is said here about all forms of ministry." The churches "together affirm that all members of Christ's church are commissioned for ministry through baptism; all are called to represent Christ and his church and to carry on Christ's work of reconciliation in the world."
What has changed from the earlier Concordat is the way in which the ELCA would receive the historic episcopate. Instead of mandating three Episcopal bishops at the installation of an ELCA bishop (and three ELCA bishops at the ordination of an Episcopal bishop), the new proposal says the ELCA would invite bishops from Lutheran churches that have the historic episcopate along with Episcopal bishops.
The summary says the ELCA would be "taking up a sign already shared by many churches, including Lutheran churches" around the world.
Marty said, "The proposal should be reassuring to those who were afraid we were `turning Episcopalian.'" He said, "Based on our draft, suppose you have three bishops present, two could very well be Lutherans who have succession. I like it because it would be wonderful to have the installation of a bishop in South Carolina and there you have a bishop from Tanzania and a bishop from El Salvador and the local Episcopal bishop, a new kind of mix."
Nichol, a professor of church history, said, "I regret that I cannot endorse Called to a Common Mission." He expressed both substantive and procedural objections.
"The instructions delivered to the Lutheran members of the drafting team by Lutheran authorities specifically stated that a revised ... statement must include an agreement on the historic episcopate. This precluded discussion among the Lutherans ... of the matter most controversial and divisive among Lutherans," Nichol said.
"Lutherans are asked to receive the historic episcopate and to make substantial constitutional and liturgical changes for the sake of full communion with a church with the historic episcopate. Those Lutherans who hold that the right preaching of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments are sufficient for the unity of the church will object to conditions in practice asked of either church by the other," Nichol said.
Nichol favors "the earliest possible acknowledgment of communion in Christ by The Episcopal Church and the ELCA." He said, "I believe that nearly all the members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America favor the same goal."
Nichol said, "It should be noted that among most Lutherans, the debate of Called to Common Mission will be a debate about means rather than ends."
In a November 1997 letter to the writers the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, expressed concern "that missional reasons for full communion be stated more clearly."
The proposal says, "Unity and mission are organically linked in the Body of Christ, the church. Unity and mission are at the heart of the church's life, reflecting thereby an obedient response to the call of our Lord Jesus Christ."
It concludes by saying, "We do not know to what new, recovered, or continuing tasks of mission this (proposal) will lead our churches, but we give thanks to God for leading us to this point."
The ELCA writing group included Dr. Michael Root of the Institute for Ecumenical Research at Strasbourg, France. It was joined by the writing team from The Episcopal Church: The Rev. J. Robert Wright, professor of history, General Theological Seminary, New York, the Rt. Rev. C. Christopher Epting, bishop, Diocese of Iowa, and the Rev. William A. Norgren, retired ecumenical officer for The Episcopal Church.
The first of three rounds of Lutheran-Episcopal Dialogues began in 1969. They led to the "Concordat of Agreement" that was voted on by both churches last summer. The Episcopal Church voted strongly in favor; the ELCA rejected the proposal by six votes.
The complete proposal and accompanying documents are available on the ELCA's web page (www.elca.org).

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html