Twelve Luther Seminary Faculty, Board Address CCM Issues

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Twelve faculty members at Luther Seminary say they are "not persuaded" that concerns raised about a Lutheran proposal for full communion with the Episcopal Church are enough to warrant rejection of the church's decision to adopt the proposal. The faculty members made the statement in an Oct. 29 message to the Luther Seminary community.
The action follows an Oct. 23 message from the Luther Seminary board of directors, also addressed to the Luther Seminary community. In that, the board called on the seminary community to engage in constructive discussion of the proposal.
Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., is one of eight seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
On August 19 in Denver the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, by a vote of 716-317, 27 votes more than the required two-thirds, approved a full communion proposal with the Episcopal Church. The proposal, "Called to Common Mission" (CCM) opens the door for a variety of cooperative ministries and allows for exchange of clergy in congregations under certain circumstances.
Some members of the ELCA opposed the proposal, most citing the ELCA's adoption of the historic episcopate as the reason. The historic episcopate, brought to the relationship by the Episcopal Church, is a succession of bishops as a sign of unity back to the earliest days of the Christian Church. Opponents worked to defeat the proposal in Denver, and some continue to voice their opposition in the wake of its approval by the ELCA assembly.
The Episcopal Church will consider adoption of CCM when its general convention meets next summer, also in Denver.
In the months leading up to the assembly and after, Luther Seminary received considerable publicity for the opposition to CCM expressed by some of its faculty.
In their Oct. 29 message to the seminary's community, the 12 faculty members urged the seminary community to study the text of CCM and continue dialogue about it. Luther Seminary has 52 faculty.
"Whatever evaluation we may have concerning the processes leading to it, the ELCA action is now a reality," the 12 faculty members said. "Furthermore, we believe the seminary community should act positively with respect to the decision of the church and look forward to the future in hope."
"Our efforts as a community should be directed toward fulfilling our vocation of teaching, research and service for the sake of the church in the world," they added. "Our ecumenical partners and we ourselves can benefit from the constructive dialogue and leadership this seminary can provide."
The 12 faculty members who signed the statement were: the Rev. Robert H. Albers, the Rev. Terence E. Fretheim, the Rev. Sarah Henrich, the Rev. Arland J. Hultgren, the Rev. Sharon F. Kelly, the Rev. Rodney C. Maeker, the Rev. Randolph A. Nelson; the Rev. Paul R. Sponheim, the Rev. Mark N. Swanson, the Rev. Mons A. Teig, the Rev. Richard M. Wallace Jr., and the Rev. Paul Westermeyer.
Luther Seminary's board of directors, following a joint meeting Oct. 23 in Berkeley, Calif., with the board of directors of Pacific Lutheran Seminary, addressed the Luther Seminary community in a written message on a number of issues, including CCM. The message said that for "several hours" the board discussed the seminary's role in ecumenical matters, including CCM.
"We encourage your every effort to restrain those who indulge in personal attacks or the exploitation of disagreements," the board's message said. "We also affirm the responsibility of the seminary to be a crucible of discussion for issues that challenge our church."
"Disagreement and even dissent that are faithful to Christ will honor the body of Christ," the board's message continued. "We call upon our seminary community to invest its expertise and critical skills to work out our confessional commitments and ecumenical decisions in obedience and freedom as we live into these agreements."
The board's message is intended to speak "broadly of our commitment to leadership in mission," said Dr. Mark B. Knudson, Shoreview, Minn., chair of the Luther Seminary board.
The message also addresses the board's commitment to the leadership of the Rev. David L. Tiede, president of Luther Seminary, and the seminary's mission to train leaders for the Christian community, Knudson said.
For his part, Tiede said in a written statement to the ELCA News Service the church has spoken on CCM when it voted to adopt the proposal this summer, and "the vote is past."
Opponents of CCM will continue to struggle for the evangelical freedom "Lutherans have long treasured," Tiede said. Those who worked for adoption of CCM must seek to "prevent crises of conscience" as the historic episcopate is instituted in the ELCA, he added.
"Together we share the calling to express the unity Christ has given to the whole Christian Church on earth in order to make Christ known," he said. "Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to renew our church and for leadership to show the way."

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html