CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Two congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have registered their dissent from a decision of the ELCA's 1999 Churchwide Assembly to enter into "full communion" with The Episcopal Church and to adopt the "historic episcopate." One Lutheran congregation has voted to leave the ELCA; the other refused to change its governing documents or liturgies to accommodate the "historic episcopate."
The Lutheran proposal for full communion with the Episcopal Church is known as "Called to Common Mission" (CCM). The churchwide assembly approved it 716 to 317, or 27 votes more than the two-thirds majority required. The Episcopal General Convention will vote on it in July 2000.
According to the proposal, the ELCA will adopt the "historic episcopate" -- a succession of bishops as a sign of unity back to the earliest days of the Christian church. That has generated controversy among some Lutherans who say CCM threatens Lutheran identity, changes the role of bishops in the church and calls into the question the role of lay people.
Full communion is not a plan to merge the two church bodies. It calls for the churches to share a variety of cooperative ministries and allows for exchange of clergy under certain circumstances.
A congregational meeting of St. Luke Lutheran Church, Bay Shore, N.Y., unanimously adopted a resolution Sept. 19 "rejecting the document 'Called to Common Mission' in its entirety." It challenged the churchwide assembly's authority to direct the congregation to make "the necessary constitutional and liturgical changes to incorporate and be incorporated into the historic episcopacy," as the resolution put it.
St. Luke Lutheran Church declared itself to be "a non-CCM congregation ... heeding the words of Martin Luther that to do otherwise 'would neither be safe nor right' according to our collective conscience." The resolution said the congregation will only call pastors who "pledged fidelity" to the Lutheran Confessions "as part of their ordination vows."
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Napoleon, Ohio, voted Sept. 26 to leave the ELCA. A 90-day period of consultation follows that vote; a second vote to confirm or withdraw the action is expected in late January or early February.
The Rev. E. David Gensch said the ELCA's proposal for full communion with the Episcopal Church was only the latest reason for St. Paul's decision. The congregation has had doctrinal concerns with the ELCA since it was formed in 1988 from the merger of three Lutheran church bodies.
The words "inerrant and infallible" were not used in the ELCA constitution to describe Scriptures. "The other synods we've talked with all have that in their constitution," said Gensch.
During December and January, Gensch said the congregation will schedule informational meetings with representatives from six other Lutheran church bodies: the American Association of Lutheran Churches, Association of Free Lutheran Congregations, Church of the Lutheran Confession, Evangelical Lutheran Synod, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
A congregational meeting has also been schedule for Jan. 16 with the Rev. Marcus C. Lohrmann, bishop of the ELCA's Northwestern Ohio Synod.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.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
