wfn.org | ELCA Assembly Enters Full Communion with Moravian Church

[News News <news@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 19, 1999

ELCA ASSEMBLY ENTERS FULL COMMUNION WITH MORAVIAN CHURCH
99-CWA-24-FI

     DENVER (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
approved a proposal to enter into full communion with the Moravian
Church in America with an Aug. 19 vote of 1,007 to 11 -- or 98.9 percent
approval.  The Moravian Northern and Southern Provinces accepted the
proposal in 1998.
     The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the
ELCA, is meeting Aug. 16-22 here at the Colorado Convention Center.
There are more than 2,500 people participating, including 1,039 ELCA
voting members.  The theme for the biennial assembly is "Making Christ
Known: Hope for a New Century."
     Through the agreement, "Following Our Shepherd to Full Communion,"
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Moravian Church in
America recognize:
-- "in one another the one, holy, catholic and apostolic faith;"
-- "the authenticity of each other's Baptisms and Eucharist;"
-- "each other's ordinations of persons to the ministry of Word and
sacrament;"
-- "each other's polity and ministries of oversight;" and
-- "the full interchangeability and reciprocity of all ordained
ministers of Word and Sacrament."
     The vote authorized the establishment of a joint commission by
June 2000 that will coordinate the implementation of the agreement.
     The 1997 ELCA Churchwide Assembly approved a relationship of full
communion with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in
America and United Church of Christ.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html