CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Three ecumenical leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will help present seminars during the National Workshop on Christian Unity. Each seminar will be repeated three times May 15-18 at the Galt House Hotel, Louisville, Ky.
The Rev. Duane H. Larson, president of Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, will discuss the Lutheran-Catholic "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification" which was signed Oct. 31, 1999, in Augsburg, Germany, by representatives of the Lutheran World Federation and the Vatican. He is past chair of the advisory committee of the ELCA Department for Ecumenical Affairs.
The seminar, "Reception: Challenges and Opportunities," will focus on the impact the agreement may have on relations among Protestant churches and between Catholics and other Protestant churches. Bishop William Boyd Grove, ecumenical officer, United Methodist Church's Council of Bishops, Albany, N.Y., will lead the seminar with Larson.
Dr. Michael J. Root, professor of systematic theology, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio, will look at the ways ecumenical dialogues have addressed the topic of "authority in the church." Another topic will be the World Council of Churches' study, "The Nature and Purpose of the Church."
The seminar, "Authority in Ecumenical Discussions," will consider ecumenical conversations about decision making, bonds of communion and accountability as they serve the unity and mission of the Church. Root will present the seminar with the Rev. Ellen Wondra, associate professor of theological studies, Colgate Rochester Divinity School, Rochester, N.Y.
The Rev. William G. Rusch, director, Faith and Order Commission, National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., is former director of the ELCA Department for Ecumenical Affairs.
Rusch will present the seminar, "Convergence/Consensus on Baptism: The Ecumenical Implications," with the Rev. Dagmar Heller, executive secretary, Faith and Order, World Council of Churches, Geneva, Switzerland. They will examine the extent of consensus on a Christian sacrament in discussions between and among churches.
In 1991 the ELCA adopted "A Declaration of Ecumenical Commitment," which states that the church's ecumenical goal is a relationship of "full communion" with all those churches that confess the Triune God. Its ecumenical activities are coordinated through the ELCA Department for Ecumenical Affairs.
Full communion is a common confessing of the Christian faith; a mutual recognition of Baptism and a sharing of the Lord's Supper, allowing for joint worship and an exchangeability of members; a mutual recognition and availability of ordained ministers to the service of all members of churches in full communion, subject only but always to the disciplinary regulations of the other churches; a common commitment to evangelism, witness and service; a means of common decision-making on critical common issues of faith and life; and a mutual lifting of any condemnations that exist between churches.
The ELCA entered into full communion relationships with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America and United Church of Christ in 1997 and with the Moravian Church in America in 1999. In July The Episcopal Church will consider a proposal for full communion that the ELCA approved in 1999.
The ELCA is in dialogue with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Orthodox churches, Roman Catholic Church and United Methodist Church. It maintains a Consultative Panel on Lutheran-Jewish Relations. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. and World Council of Churches.
The National Workshop on Christian Unity is an annual meeting comprised of several ecumenical networks meeting separately and together. The workshop involves Episcopal Diocesan Ecumenical Officers, the Lutheran Ecumenical Representatives Network, the National Association of (Roman and Eastern Catholic) Diocesan Ecumenical Officers, and Ecumenical Colleagues, which includes the American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A., Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), United Church of Christ and United Methodist Church.
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
