wfn.org | Presbyteries Ratify Full Communion with Lutherans

[Brenda Williams <BRENDAW@elca.org>]

Reply-To: ElcaNews <ELCANEWS@ELCASCO.ELCA.ORG>
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

March 11, 1998

PRESBYTERIES RATIFY FULL COMMUNION WITH LUTHERANS
98-10-050-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Eighty-eight presbyteries of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) have voted as of March 11 to ratify an agreement declaring
"full communion" between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
and three churches of the Reformed tradition.  An affirmative vote by a
majority of the 172 presbyteries was the final hurdle to be crossed before
the relationship was official.
     After 36 years of dialogues a festival worship service at Chicago's
Rockefeller Chapel on Oct. 4 will formally declare the churches in full
communion.  Full communion is not a plan to merge; it commits the churches
to sharing in their mission to work locally and internationally and to
develop procedures whereby clergy in one church body may serve as pastor in
a church of another church body.
     Assemblies of the ELCA and three Reformed churches -- Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America and United Church of Christ --
approved "A Formula of Agreement," a proposal for full communion, in 1997.
Presbyterian approval required ratification by a majority of the church's
presbyteries on two amendments to the church's "Book of Order."
     Amendment "M" added relationships of "full communion with those
churches so recognized by ecumenical agreements approved by the General
Assembly" to a section of the governing documents on "Relationships with
Other Denominations."  A section on "Church Union" now concludes with:
"Governing bodies are encouraged and permitted to discover and engage in
opportunities to minister together in mutual affirmation and admonition
with churches with whom the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is in full
communion."
     Amendment "N" asked if the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) should
approve and implement the proposal for full communion outlined in "A
Formula for Agreement."
     The General Synod of the Reformed Church in America was the first
body to approve the agreement June 18 in Milwaukee.  A voice vote of the
250 delegates recorded only a few "no" votes.
     That synod also passed a resolution clarifying that the three
Reformed churches were already in "full table and pulpit fellowship," a
relationship similar to full communion, "by virtue of Reformed polity and
the fellowship shared through membership in the World Alliance of Reformed
Churches."
     The 209th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted
489 to 38 in favor of full communion with the ELCA on June 19 in Syracuse,
N.Y.  That vote set the stage for ratification of the proposal by the
church's presbyteries.
     The General Synod of the United Church of Christ invited the ELCA
into full communion July 5 in Columbus, Ohio.  About 10 of the 700
delegates voted in opposition.
     The ELCA Churchwide Assembly voted 839 to 193 in favor of the
proposal on Aug. 18.  A two-thirds majority was needed for passage, and
81.3 percent of the voting members approved the relationship.

Church Memberships
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America---------------- 5,200,000
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) ---------------------------- 3,700,000
Reformed Church in America ------------------------------ 300,000
United Church of Christ----------------------------------- 1,500,000

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html