ELCA Presiding Bishop Pledges Care for Seminarians in CCM Aftermath

ST. PAUL, MINN. (ELCA) - The Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), pledged to do "all I can" to help seminarians who may have concerns about their roles in the church following the 1999 Churchwide Assembly's approval of an historic full communion agreement with The Episcopal Church.
Anderson also lifted up the importance of lay people in the church and said he wants the ELCA "to continue to find ways for a good relationship" with The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), despite its criticisms of the ELCA's full-communion agreements.
Anderson made the remarks Sept. 26 here at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, his first public question-and-answer session since the assembly. The session focused on the ELCA assembly's approval last month of a full-communion proposal with the Episcopal Church, known as "Called to Common Mission" (CCM). About 250 people attended the session, including clergy, lay people, seminary students and faculty.
CCM calls on the churches to engage in cooperative ministries and allows for exchange of clergy in congregations under certain circumstances. The proposal must now be approved by a convention of the Episcopal Church, which meets next summer in Denver.
Some Lutherans opposed CCM because it required the ELCA to adopt the "historic episcopate," a succession of bishops as a sign of church unity back to the earliest days of the Christian church. They say the agreement places greater emphasis on church hierarchy and threatens Lutheran identity.
For example, the agreement will require a bishop to preside at all clergy ordinations. Presently, ELCA bishops have such a role, but can delegate it to another ordained person.
The assembly adopted CCM 716-317, 27 votes more than the required two-thirds for approval.
Speakers and audience participants at the Gloria Dei session spoke for and against CCM, and offered written expressions of their hopes and concerns about the ELCA which were given to Anderson and two synod bishops who were present, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson of the ELCA Saint Paul Area Synod and the Rev. David W. Olson of the ELCA Minneapolis Area Synod.
The Rev. Patrick R. Keifert, professor of systematic theology, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, told the audience he has spoken with five seminary students who have told him they are considering leaving the ELCA, mostly over concerns about the "nature of supervision" expressed by CCM.
"All five of these students I want as pastors in the ELCA," he said. "It would be a terrible loss if they went elsewhere."
"I am a person wondering if there is a place or need for me in this church," added Carol Nelson, senior at Luther Seminary.
"The bottom line for me is I'm going to do all I can to help seminarians," Anderson said to the audience. "I want them to know that this is a church that welcomes them."
Sharon Josephson, Detroit Lakes, Minn., said the role of lay people in the church in light of CCM "is our great concern." She also questioned if the agreement will result in "an additional wall" between lay people and clergy.
In response, Anderson said in the Lutheran church, the role of lay people in the church is crucial and the potential of the laity has never been fully realized. If this new relationship with the Episcopal Church results in greater involvement of lay people, this would be a "gift" to the whole Christian church, he said.
The Rev. Michael L. Sherer, editor of the Metro Lutheran, a Lutheran publication circulated in Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, asked Anderson if he had any special concerns about the ELCA's relationship with the LCMS, in light of criticisms from the Rev. A.L. Barry, LCMS president. Barry issued a statement shortly after the Denver assembly criticizing the ELCA for entering into full communion agreements.
Despite the criticism, Anderson said he wanted to continue to build a relationship with the LCMS and said he was "heartened" Barry did not threaten to break off ongoing dialogues between the two Lutheran bodies. Barry's statement makes a distinction between "religious fellowship" and "cooperation in ministry," he said.
During the discussion, Hanson noted the ELCA Conference of Bishops will meet Sept. 30-Oct. 5 in Chicago and should consider sending "pretty clear" signals of how CCM will be carried out, particularly in relation to pastors, bishops and seminary students. Hanson also said this is a time of anxiety for some in the ELCA and a time of excitement for others.
The Conference of Bishops is an advisory group of the 65 bishops of the ELCA's synods, the presiding bishop and ELCA secretary.
"As a bishop, I will commit myself as a listener for those who are opposed to CCM," Hanson said, adding he feared that some conversations about CCM "will take place in isolation."
Speakers and audience members commented on several other issues related to CCM:
+Most speakers who attended the assembly praised Anderson for the way the CCM discussions and voting were handled. "Bishop Anderson did a marvelous job in making it possible for most people to speak," said the Rev. Judy A. Burgett Winzig, Minneapolis Area Synod voting member.
David Laden, Saint Paul Area Synod voting member, said Anderson was "very good" as chair, but also said the process of adopting CCM was "flawed" because CCM "is the wrong way to approach ecumenical relationships."
+At least one person suggested faculty at Luther Seminary were universally opposed to CCM. In response, the Rev. Arland J. Hultgren, professor of New Testament, Luther Seminary, said there are faculty members who support CCM, and he said the Rev. David L. Tiede, president, has publicly stated the seminary will be supportive.
+In response to a question about whether the ELCA will have a "bigger" structure if CCM is implemented, Anderson said the ELCA will be the same size organization as it is now.
+Anderson asked the audience for comments on whether the "Joint Commission," which will be formed to oversee CCM's implementation, should be a small group of about three people from each church body, or a larger group consisting of as many 10 from each church. Anderson said he's not sure how many should be included and hoped to learn more from various groups in question-and-answer sessions.
+In response to a question about whether the leadership of the ELCA determined how CCM was reported by The Lutheran, the magazine of the ELCA, Anderson reminded the audience that the editor is elected by and accountable to the churchwide assembly, and what goes in the magazine is determined by the staff.
+An amendment to CCM approved at the assembly calls on synod bishops to "regularly ordain" seminarians who have been called by a congregation. Olson said "regularly" was interpreted by the assembly's Reference and Counsel Committee to mean that a bishop may not intentionally be absent from an ordination. Regularly allows for exceptions, but only in extreme emergencies, he said.
+Concerns about a new hierarchy in the ELCA resulting from CCM were expressed by more than one speaker. "It feels like hierarchy, and it informs practice," said Nelson.
"This seems to enhance hierarchy at a time when (the concept of) hierarchy is going the other way," said Bill Nord, Calvary Lutheran Church, Golden Valley, Minn.
+Though the ELCA approved CCM, it is not in effect. It will be effective "if and when" the Episcopal Church approves it, Anderson said.
+The Rev. Merlyn E. Satrom, retired pastor, St. Paul, said he is "disturbed so few people have read the (CCM) documents." Satrom was one of six ELCA members who participated in the Lutheran-Episcopal dialogue team that led to the writing of CCM, and chairs the bishop's committee for ecumenical affairs for the St. Paul Area Synod.
"The documents we have prepar