DENVER (ELCA) -- The 1999 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) used about 20 minutes of the hour scheduled Aug. 18 to discuss a proposal for full communion with the Moravian Church in America. None of the 1,039 voting members rose to speak against the plan.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting Aug. 16-22 here at the Colorado Convention Center. There are more than 2,500 people participating, including 1,039 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Making Christ Known: Hope for a New Century."
One of eight short speeches questioned the ecumenical principle of "complementarity" on which the Lutheran-Moravian proposal for full communion, "Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion," is based. The Rev. John H.P. Reumann, retired professor of New Testament and Greek, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, said he planned to vote in favor of the proposal but thought the principle of affirming other ideas simply because they complement Lutheran emphases may set a bad precedent for other ecumenical discussions.
The Rev. Jon S. Enslin, bishop of the ELCA South-Central Synod of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis., related a bit of history from the U.S. Virgin Islands. In the 18th century, Moravian missionaries came to minister to slaves arriving from Africa. Unhappy Danish slave-owners required Moravians to be sold into slavery first. When the Moravians agreed, the Danes and Lutheran missionaries were shamed into changing their views toward slavery, said Enslin.
Admitting that he never met a Moravian until the ELCA started talking about full communion with them, the Rev. Floyd M. Schoenhals, bishop of the ELCA Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod, said Moravians have a history in Oklahoma of ministering with the Cherokee people as they were being relocated to reservations. A cemetery of Moravian missionaries is a monument to mission and ministry with Cherokee people and a witness to Lutherans in Oklahoma today, he said.
The Rev. Richard J. Foss, bishop of the ELCA Eastern North Dakota Synod, Fargo, N.D., said the Moravian proposal for full communion was "a delight to support." Foss has been a vocal opponent of a Lutheran proposal for full communion with The Episcopal Church; and he said the more he compared the two proposals the more he appreciated "Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion."
The Rev. James E. Sudbrock, voting member from the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod, pointed out that Moravians ordain bishops into a three-fold office ordained ministry -- a point of contention among Lutherans considering full communion with the Episcopal Church. He said the difference between the two proposals was that Moravians were not asking Lutherans to change their practices, "but it strikes me that one does not enter into a relationship without change."
"I personally have been very nourished by the faith of Moravians," said R. Guy Erwin, voting member from the ELCA New England Synod. He said he was glad to see "a Lutheran trust in God and a Moravian love for Jesus" fused together in one agreement.
Mary B. Heller, voting member from the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod, said Christians are a minority in today's world, and talks about full communion can help communicate "we are first and foremost Christian." She built on the assembly theme and said full communion with Moravians will help Lutherans spread the gospel, "making Christ known" around the world.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
- - -
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
