Southern Moravians Approve Relationship with ELCA

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Southern Province of the Moravian Church in America approved a proposal for full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and set the stage for two more votes -- by the Northern Province of the Moravian Church, August 7-11 in Bethlehem, Pa., and by the ELCA in August 1999. The synod of the Southern Province met May 6-9 in Black Mountain, N.C.
"This action marks the first step on the road to closer relations between Moravians and Lutherans," said the Rev. H. George Anderson, ELCA presiding bishop.
Full communion does not commit the two churches to merge or to change their present practices. They would agree to a closer working relationship and freer exchange of clergy.
"I look forward to how the sharing from our traditions and church life can enrich our faith, life and mission," said Moravian Bishop Arthur J. Freeman, retired professor, Moravian Theological Seminary, Bethlehem, Pa., and an originator of conversations between the two churches which produced the proposal for full communion.
"In Europe and Africa, Moravians and Lutherans already have a close relationship," said the Rev. C. Daniel Crews, Winston-Salem, N.C., Southern Province archivist and a member of the Lutheran-Moravian Dialogue. "In America several local congregations are already working together. Expanding this to the denominational level can only be of benefit to both of us."
"Moravian and Lutheran ways of doing theology complement each other. It's been said that Moravians need the Lutheran head and Lutherans need the Moravian heart," said the Rev. Otto Dreydoppel Jr., assistant professor of church history at Moravian Theological Seminary, and Moravian co-chair of the Lutheran-Moravian Coordinating Committee. "In coming into full communion Moravians and Lutherans can work even closer together in worship, witness and Christian service."
"I was deeply impressed by the way they worshiped, by their piety, their interest in witnessing to their faith, sharing their stories and journeys," said the Rev. Darlis J. Swan, associate director of the ELCA Department for Ecumenical Affairs. "They do quite a bit with narrative, symbol and music. They focus more on the affective dimension of their faith, where we seem to focus more on doctrine and the intellectual approach. They have quite a bit to teach us in that regard."
While there was discussion about a number of questions related to the proposal, the synod, with clergy and lay delegates from Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida, strongly supported it.
"Some of the issues that came up at their synod meeting were very similar to the issues that come up at ours," said Swan. Topics she cited included youth ministry, evangelism, guidelines and expectations for clergy, resources published in Spanish as well as in English, prison ministry, and the roles of the two churches in the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. and the World Council of Churches.
The ELCA's 1997 Churchwide Assembly approved a relationship of full communion with three Reformed churches -- Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America and United Church of Christ.
The Lutheran-Moravian Dialogue recommended full communion in its report, "Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion." The dialogue team of five Lutherans and five Moravians met from 1992 to 1996, when the report was issued. A coordinating committee has overseen presentation of the proposal to the churches.
Partly in response to the Moravian action, the Southern Province synod also urged its leaders to explore talks with other denominations which do not have a close historical connection to Moravians.
The Moravian Church -- or Unitas Fratrum -- was organized in Europe in 1457 and is considered the oldest of the Reformation churches. It traces its origin to the teachings of the Czech reformer, John Hus, who pre-dated the German reformer, Martin Luther, by about a century.
The two provinces of the Moravian Church in America involved in the proposal for full communion have about 55,000 members in the United States and Canada -- concentrated in North Carolina and eastern Pennsylvania. The ELCA has 5.2 million members in the United States and Caribbean.

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