wfn.org | Lutheran, Episcopal Bishops See Mission in Concordat

[ELCANEWS@ELCASCO.ELCA.ORG]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

October 10, 1996

LUTHERAN, EPISCOPAL BISHOPS SEE MISSION IN CONCORDAT
96-22-064-AH

     WHITE HAVEN, PA. (ELCA) -- "Now is the time for bold
imagining, for brainstorming, for dreaming of the possibilities
for mission that this proposal would offer us" the Rev. H. George
Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, told the first-ever joint meeting of ELCA and Episcopal
bishops.  Anderson was talking about the Concordat of Agreement
that would establish "full communion" between the two churches.
     The ELCA Conference of Bishops and Episcopal House of
Bishops met here Oct. 3-8.  While the two groups took no official
action on the Concordat, Anderson and Episcopal Presiding Bishop
Edmond L. Browning issued a "communique" at the end of the
meeting.  In 1997 the governing bodies of both churches will vote
on adoption of the agreement.
     In the communique the presiding bishops state, "We stand on
the threshold of an exciting new possibility -- namely, the
declaration of full communion between our churches and the mutual
recognition of the authenticity of the ordained ministries
presently existing in our two churches."
     Anderson told the joint meeting, "Our mandate, impulse,
guideline and standard for ecumenical work, beyond the words of
Scripture, is ... the Augsburg Confession which says, 'It is
enough to agree on the Gospel.'  That basis gives me the freedom
to work with you and with the Reformed family of churches, even
though you and they have different polities."
     Anderson addressed the topic of historic succession: "When
we hear you speaking of the 'gift of the historic episcopate' we
need to be absolutely sure that this is not adding for us a new
requirement for unity to our principle of 'agreement in the
Gospel.'"
     The Episcopal Church traces ordination through an unbroken
succession of bishops, an "historic episcopate." Lutherans stress
the functions of ordained ministry -- proclamation of the gospel
and administration of the sacraments.  The Concordat asks the
Episcopal Church to fully accept the ordained ministry of the
Lutheran church, although ELCA clergy are not part of the
historic succession.  Episcopal bishops would participate in the
future installations of ELCA bishops until the Lutheran bishops
are included in the "historic episcopate."
     At a news conference Anderson called the event "a very
powerful experience for our bishops."  He said, "They are a lot
further along the road to understanding the potential of the
proposals.  Some stereotypes have been removed.  History has been
better understood and clarified.  We have discovered a vast
common experience and commitment that perhaps we assumed but have
never really tested and seen."
          Presiding Bishop Browning said at the news conference,
"I heard one of the real questions from some of the Lutheran
bishops was 'Am I going to be a first-class citizen, or am I
going to be a second-class citizen?'  It's imperative -- there's
no question to the fact -- first or second class.  We have a
mutual ministry that we can share, and we see our churches as
apostolic churches and those ministries affirmed by that fact."
     Lutheran scholar the Rev. Martin Marty delivered a series of
impressions at the meeting's midpoint.  Marty is Fairfax M. Cone
Professor of Modern Church History at the University of Chicago.
He observed "evident respect among those who favor the Concordat
for those who express reluctance or who report reserve on the
part of the members of their dioceses or synods; concern where
there are signs of apathy or ignorance and interest in discerning
the values of those on all sides."
     Marty told the bishops, "You or your people's degrees of
support depend more on expectations of possible practical
outcomes than on attitudes toward ontological philosophies or
scriptural commands..." He stressed that for church members to
see value in the Concord bishops must help them see its value for
mission.
       The Rev. Paul J. Blom, Houston, called it "a breakthrough
event."  Blom is bishop of the ELCA's Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast
Synod and a member of the Lutheran-Episcopal Coordinating
Committee.
     The bishops met in small groups for discussion during many
of the joint sessions.  Blom said, "The striking thing as we sat
together was how quickly we were able to identify each other, we
face many of the same issues.  Friendships were formed quickly;
we already knew what each other did for a living.  A lot of
stereotypes were laid to rest."
     The Rev. Steven L. Ullestad, bishop of the ELCA's
Northeastern Iowa Synod, called the gathering "one of the top ten
most inspiring events of my life."
     Many bishops said worship was a highlight of the event.
Browning preached for the opening service of Holy Communion.
Archbishop of Canterbury George L. Carey presided at Sunday
morning's service and Marty was the preacher.  Anderson preached
on the last morning.  He said, "To ask for the Holy Spirit is to
launch out on a journey beyond our control -- even beyond our
limits -- just exactly what the Concordat requires."
     The communique states, "...we have discovered afresh our
unity in the gospel and our commitment to the mission to which
God calls the church of Jesus Christ in every generation. Unity
and mission are organically linked in the Body of Christ, the
church."
     "We remind our churches that our search for a fuller
expression of visible unity is for the sake of living and sharing
the gospel," the communique says.  "We acknowledge that many
welcome possibilities of our future with joy and
others are less certain about the path."
     The communique concludes, "We believe that we are being
summoned anew to embrace more completely our unity in faith.  We
believe that our churches are being called to journey in the one
apostolic faith together.  We rejoice that we have been
reconciled to God, and we pledge ourselves to our reconciliation
one to another in the mission God now sets before us on this
threshold of a new millennium."

[Editors: for the complete text of the "Mountain Laurel
Communique" contact Brenda Williams, 773/380-2963.]

For information contact: Ann Hafften, Dir., ELCA News Service,
(312) 380-2958 or AHAFFTEN@ELCA.ORG; Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Dir.,
(312) 380-2955 or FRANKI@ELCA.ORG