ELCA Bishops Seek Advice on Authorized Lay Ministry

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) asked churchwide organization ministry and worship staff for a process to study and discuss issues related to authorized lay ministry and ordained ministry. The topic of authorized ministry by lay people was a significant item discussed at the bishops' meeting here Oct. 3-8.
The ELCA is organized into 65 synods, each headed by a bishop. The Conference of Bishops is an advisory body to the church, consisting of the 65 synod bishops, the ELCA presiding bishop and the ELCA Secretary.
The discussion was prompted by resolutions from the ELCA Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod and ELCA Allegheny Synod, asking the church for guidance on "lay presidency," in which a lay person presides at Holy Communion, and the resolutions asked for guidance on other matters related to growing needs for alternative leadership in worship. Discussions are already under way in the churchwide organization's ministry and worship staff, and the ELCA Office of the Secretary.
The ELCA Constitution allows for lay people to perform official church functions, provided they are authorized to do so by a bishop.
The bishops' discussions centered on the role of lay people in presiding at Holy Communion, preaching, standards and accountability, and common understandings of authorized lay ministry and presidency. Practices vary from synod to synod.
"These were issues that were widely discussed, and the Conference of Bishops needed to find a time to look at what our practices are, what our questions are and how we can address this issue that's really important to the ministry of the whole church," said the Rev. Donald J. McCoid, bishop of the ELCA Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod, Pittsburgh, in an interview. McCoid is chair of the Conference of Bishops.
"The matter before us is not only who presides at the table, but who stands in the pulpit and who stands at the font," said the Rev. A. Craig Settlage, associate executive director, ELCA Division for Ministry. The issue is especially important for congregations with small memberships and few finances for ordained pastors. The number of congregations in the ELCA with 50 or fewer in worship each week rose from 1,935 in 1988, the first year of the ELCA, to 2,339 in 2001, Settlage said.
Similar numbers were reported for congregations without a called pastor. In 1988, there were 1,153 congregations with no called pastor, compared to 2,456 in 2001, he said.
In the ELCA, there are 575 synodically authorized lay ministers in addition to the church's 17,425 active and retired pastors, said the Rev. Lowell G. Almen, ELCA secretary.
About 40 of the ELCA's 65 synods have synod-based theological education programs to help train congregational leaders, Settlage said. "For the Division for Ministry, we are concerned about the consistency of training across synods," he said.
In their discussions, bishops raised a number of concerns related to standards, accountability and education for authorized lay ministers.
Among the ELCA bishops "there is a desire to be consistent in the practice of lay presidency," said the Rev. Andrea DeGroot-Nesdahl, bishop of the ELCA South Dakota Synod, Sioux Falls, S.D. DeGroot- Nesdahl is vice chair of the Conference of Bishops.
For some bishops, lay ministry is very important in ethnic- specific communities within the church. The Rev. Stephen P. Bouman, bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod, said he authorizes people to minister within those communities because often "there isn't anybody else" available to serve.
"Our synod does not have people to plant the church among new immigrants," said the Rev. Gary M. Wollersheim, bishop of the ELCA Northern Illinois Synod, Rockford, Ill. Wollersheim, who chairs the ELCA Evangelism Task Force, said an evangelism strategy -- to be presented to the 2003 Churchwide Assembly -- will likely address some components of the issue.
The Rev. Philip L. Hougen, bishop of the ELCA Southeastern Iowa Synod, Iowa City, Iowa, said there may be ecumenical implications should the bishops adopt a churchwide policy that addresses lay presidency. Hougen is a member of the bishop's liaison committee with the ELCA Department for Ecumenical Affairs, and is also an ELCA observer in the ministry conversations of Churches Uniting in Christ.
"The Episcopal Church is looking for us to be an ally in limiting lay presidency," Hougen said. "It is problematic for the Episcopal Church. We had better do this recognizing the ecumenical implications."
"It is fair to report that it's the hope of the Episcopal Church that we would move away from lay presidency," he added.
"Our system provides for calls by the whole church," said the Rev. Steven L. Ullestad, bishop of the ELCA Northeastern Iowa Synod, Waverly, Iowa, commenting on the ordained ministry in the church.
"This is not a congregational issue, it's a church issue," Ullestad continued. "The office of ministry is given to the church, not to an individual." He said the church needs flexible guidelines for authorized lay ministers that uphold the policies of the church.
The bishops are expected to continue their discussions on the topic at their next meeting March 6-11, 2003, in Charleston, S.C.

STUDIES ON SEXUALITY, POSSIBLE MIDDLE EAST MEETING DISCUSSED
The Conference of Bishops addressed several other matters related to the church. Among them were concerns about the ELCA studies on sexuality, world hunger funds and a possible meeting in the Middle East.
+ The bishops adopted a recommendation from the ELCA Division for Ministry in response to communications with several synod committees that oversee candidacy for ordained ministry. The conference affirmed its support for the division "in its position that the present standards and policies of the ELCA must be honored by candidacy committees as they carry out their responsibilities related to the evaluation and approval of candidates for ministry." Some committees have reported that some members who disagree with the church's standards for ordained ministers, especially those related to gay and lesbian people, have suggested the standards can be changed now in light of the sexuality studies, Settlage said. Presently, ELCA policy expects ordained ministers who are homosexual in their self-understanding to refrain from homosexual sexual relationships. The studies and any recommendations that may result are to be presented for consideration to the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
+ The Rev. Margaret G. Payne, bishop of the ELCA New England Synod, Worcester, Mass., asked the bishops to make an extra effort to "downplay divisive language" when the sexuality studies are discussed. Payne chairs the task force for the studies on sexuality. "Strident voices" are often heard on this issue, she said. Not heard are people who want the issue to be "reframed" for them, she said. It's also not helpful to take straw votes on sexuality issues, because the studies are not about that. "Mission is what we're about," Payne said. The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, said he is concerned "there's an aversion to discussion and a fear about what the church will do," on sexuality issues.
+ Gifts to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal are about $500,000 behind budget projections, said the Rev. Allan C. Bjornberg, bishop of the ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod, Denver. He urged bishops to continue to remind members about the fund and the ministries it supports.
+ The Conference of Bishops 2004 bishops' academy -- a continuing education conference -- may be held in the Middle East, said the Rev. Paul J. Blom, bishop of the ELCA Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, Houston. Blom, who chairs the bishop's Orientation and Academy Committee, said the committee is exploring the possibility