ELCA NEWS SERVICE May 11, 2004 ELCA, Disciples of Christ Begin New Ecumenical Dialogue 04-094-FI CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Representatives of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met here April 29-May 2 to launch a new dialogue between the two churches. They discussed Baptism and the Lord's Supper, as well as Christian concepts related to covenants and confessions. The Rev. Richard Guentert, regional minister and president, Christian Church in the Upper Midwest, Des Moines, Iowa, chairs the dialogue for the Disciples. The Rev. Steven L. Ullestad, bishop of the ELCA Northeastern Iowa Synod, Waverly, Iowa, chairs the dialogue for the Lutherans. "We experienced, with deep appreciation, the worship and liturgical practice of one another's traditions. We laid important foundations in relationship building, both among ourselves as a dialogue team and in our ability to seek clarifying information about one another's denominational traditions and practices," said Guentert. "We truly experienced a marvelous sense of cohesiveness that fostered candidness and mutual respect throughout our conversations," he said. "There is an emerging consensus that there is a great deal in common between the Confessions of the Lutheran Church and the worship practices and hymnody of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in a shared understanding of Holy Communion," Ullestad said. Other members of the dialogue for the Disciples are the Rev. Kristine A. Culp, dean, Disciples Divinity House, and senior lecturer in theology, University of Chicago Divinity School; Patricia Duncan, doctoral candidate, University of Chicago Divinity School; and the Rev. Clark M. Williamson, Indiana professor of Christian thought, emeritus, Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis. The Rev. Robert K. Welsh, president, Disciples' Council on Christian Unity, Indianapolis, staffs the dialogue. Other Lutheran members of the dialogue are the Rev. Kurt K. Hendel, professor of Reformation church history, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago; the Rev. Sarah S. Henrich, associate professor of New Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.; and the Rev. David G. Truemper, professor and chair of theology, and director, Institute of Liturgical Studies, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind. The Rev. Randall R. Lee, director, ELCA department for ecumenical Affairs, staffs the dialogue. The Rev. Lydia Veliko, minister for ecumenical relations, United Church of Christ (UCC), Cleveland, serves as an observer of the dialogue. The UCC is in a relationship of "full communion" with both the Disciples of Christ and ELCA. The dialogue discussed five papers during the course of its first meeting: "Baptism and the Breaking of Bread in Disciples Theology" by Williamson, "The Sacramental Character of the Lutheran Church" by Truemper, "The Communion of the Baptized" by Ullestad, "The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: A Confessional Church" by Hendel and "The Notion of Covenant" by the Rev. Charles Blaisdell, regional minister and president, Christian Church of Northern California-Nevada, San Ramon, Calif. Welsh presented Blaisdell's paper. Lee and Welsh said, in a summary of the meeting, that conversation focused on the Lord's Supper. Dialogue members asked Truemper to write a paper "to express the sacramental convictions contained within the Lutheran Confessions," they said. A representative of the Disciples will work with Truemper to present a common statement on the Lord's Supper to the dialogue's next meeting, which will be here Nov. 4-6. -- -- -- The Department for Ecumenical Affairs has its home page at http://www.elca.org/ea/ on the ELCA Web site. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news