Title: ELCA Bishops Discuss Full
Communion
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
March 18, 1996
ELCA BISHOPS DISCUSS FULL COMMUNION
96-05-014-AH
ORLANDO, Fla. (ELCA) -- The
Evangelical Lutheran Church America should
"push as far as we can," with the Christian
ecumenical movement, according to the Rev.
H. George Anderson, bishop of the ELCA.
Anderson told the ELCA Conference of
Bishops, meeting here Feb. 29-March 5, "It
is up to you to find out how far that can
be. We have an invitation from these sister
bodies to become part of their lives."
The bishops met with three
representatives of churches of the Reformed
tradition March 4. The ELCA is scheduled to
vote in 1997 on entering into "full
communion" with the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America and
United Church of Christ, as well as the
Episcopal Church.
Taking part in the discussion were the
Rev. Paul Fries, New Brunswick, N.J., of the
Reformed Church in America, the Rev. Gail
Reynolds, St. Charles, Mo., of the United
Church of Christ and the Rev. Eugene Turner,
Louisville, Ky., of the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.).
Fries said, "Lutherans are
providentially positioned to stand between
the historic episcopacy and the second
generation of the Reformation. Who better
could bring these together than the ELCA? I
hope and pray it is going to go in 1997."
The historic episcopate is based on the
belief that authority in the church is
derived from bishops ordained by the
physical laying on of hands by other
bishops, who can trace their own succession
back to Christ's apostles.
Anderson said, "It is Christ's desire
that the church would be one so that the
world might believe. As Lutherans we have
never taken seriously enough the potential
in that sentence."
He went on, "We must begin to look
beyond the 16th century and the 19th century
and look at the 21st century, when the world
is not going to care very much about a lot
of the things precious to us in the past --
things that were important to us, to our
survival ... our identities." The gift of
Lutherans is "radical simplification,"
Anderson said. Lutheran confessions contain
the important concept of "the one thing
needful -- right preaching of the gospel and
administration of the sacraments."
The bishops' questions reflected a
range of concerns about the implications of
full communion. Responding to a question on
the exchange of pastors, Turner said, "If
there is any conflict in terms of
theological commitment or understanding of
ecclesiology, you gatekeepers have every
right to reject a pastor." He said the
churches have similar standards and
expectations of clergy.
Reynolds added, "Our expectation is
that each inviting and receiving church has
the responsibility to examine candidates
rigorously and to deny access if a person
does not measure up educationally, credally
or any other way."
The bishops brought up their desire "to
vote separately on each of the three
relationships," raised at their last meeting
in November. Turner said, "The three
churches in question belong to the World
Alliance of Reformed Churches. We cannot
come into this dialogue as separate
churches."
Reynolds stated, "It's important to us
to participate together."
Turner added, "We claim Luther as part
of our heritage, therefore we claim you.
Generally, Presbyterians believe we#re
already in full communion. You ask your
worrying questions, and we will respond as
gracefully and lovingly as we can."
The Rev. Lee M. Miller, bishop of the
Upstate New York Synod, said, "Some of us
are ready to proceed and are looking forward
to the intensification of this conversation.
We sound an awful lot alike. The more we
can talk about how this advances the mission
of the church and the proclamation of Christ
and not get stuck in details, the better
we'll be."
In closing Reynolds said, "It seems
fairly obvious to me and to you that we are
not Lutherans and probably are not going to
be Lutherans. We are, however, also
believing children of an incredible
risk-taking God. I hope that all of us
dare to follow that risk-taker into full
communion and a profoundly rich witness to
the world."
Lutherans are seen as "the parent body
of the reformation," according to Anderson.
"What does this lay upon our shoulders? Our
destiny among the denominations is as the
root of reformation," he said.
In further discussion March 5 the Rev.
Howard E. Wennes, bishop of the Grand Canyon
Synod, said, "We agree that we've got to
have something that can get passed." He
moved to recommend an amendment to the
Lutheran-Reformed "Formula of Agreement"
that would leave open the issue of exchange
of pastors for future action.
In other business the bishops heard a
report from ELCA Treasurer Richard McAuliffe
indicating $250,000 in year-end growth over
the previous year in churchwide mission
support. McAuliffe said a number of
bequests and another year of significant
underspending by churchwide units allowed
the ELCA to end the year with $6 million of
revenue in excess of expenditures.
The bishops discussed a draft response
to a call from the 1995 Churchwide Assembly
"to communicate [this church's] pastoral
concerns to its gay and lesbian members and
their families." Members of the Theological
and Ethical Concerns Committee worked with
Anderson to incorporate the bishops'
comments.
For information contact: Ann Hafften, Dir.,
ELCA News Service, (312) 380-2058; Frank
Imhoff, Assoc. Dir., (312) 380-2955; Lia
Christiansen, Asst. Dir., (312) 380-2956
