CHICAGO (ELCA) - The president of The Lutheran Church--
Missouri Synod urged the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA) to ground in Scripture its initiatives under consideration
at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly this week.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of
the ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 6-11at Navy Pier's Festival Hall.
About 2,000 people are participating, including 1,069 ELCA voting
members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Living in God's
Amazing Grace: Thanks be to God!"
LCMS President Gerald B. Kieschnick, in greetings from the
Synod, said he "read with interest" about the ELCA's proposed
initiatives, particularly those about mission and outreach,
renewed evangelism leaders, discipleship, and "Book of Faith:
Lutherans Read the Bible."
"Every initiative and every directive of the church must be
guided and empowered by the Word of God," Kieschnick said.
He reminded the assembly that the LCMS, at its July 14-19
convention in Houston, "reaffirmed [its] commitment to Holy
Scripture as the inspired, inerrant, infallible, revealed,
written Word of God."
Kieschnick said that Scriptures "must always and in every
way guide our decisions and set the directions for our service,"
including cooperative work the ELCA and LCMS do together through
agencies such as Lutheran Services in America, Lutheran Disaster
Response, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, and Lutheran
World Relief.
"It is clear from the discussions in your assembly regarding
the possibility of amending your church's `Vision and
Expectations' document that the LCMS and the ELCA continue to
hold different positions on the interpretation and authority of
Holy Scripture," Kieschnick said, "and that such differences
exist also within the ELCA. For the sake of our mutual witness
and service together, the implications of such action, should it
be taken, would need to be addressed, fraternally and
evangelically."
"Vision and Expectations" is the ELCA policy document for
clergy and other professional leaders.
The ELCA and LCMS are North America's largest Lutheran
church bodies, with 4.8 million members and 2.5 million members,
respectively.
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Information about the 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly can be
found at http://www.ELCA.org/assembly/ on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
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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
