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Lutherans approve interim agreement with United Methodists

Aug. 12, 2005

NOTE: A photograph is available at http://umns.umc.org.

By United Methodist News Service*

Representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have
overwhelmingly approved an "interim Eucharistic sharing" agreement with
the United Methodist Church.

The 877-60 vote occurred Aug. 11 during the ELCA's 2005 Churchwide
Assembly, in Orlando, Fla. The assembly is the denomination's chief
legislative authority.

Bishop William Oden, ecumenical officer of the United Methodist Council
of Bishops, was at the assembly and called the vote "an historic moment"
for both denominations.

"We have invited each other into each other's house," he said.

The Council of Bishops approved an interim Eucharistic sharing agreement
with the ELCA on May 5, during its spring meeting in Arlington, Va. A
similar agreement was approved with the Episcopal Church. The long-term
plan is to enter into full communion with the Lutherans at the 2008
General Conference and with the Episcopalians at the 2012 General
Conference. General Conference is the top legislative body of the United
Methodist Church.

At that time, Oden noted the agreements were "highly significant."

The terms of the UMC-ELCA agreement foster "mutual prayer and mutual
support, study together of the Holy Scriptures as well as the histories
and theological traditions of both churches, and join programs of
theological discussion, evangelical outreach and social ministry
endeavors."

The agreement also encourages joint services of Holy Communion following
guidelines established by both churches and looks forward to "the future
possibility of a relationship of full communion."

Among the many delegates expressing support for the proposal at the
assembly was the Rev. David Housholder, voting member of the ELCA
Pacifica Synod. He said he hoped "we can catch up with the grass-roots"
efforts of joint United Methodist-Lutheran work already under way.

Bishop Alan C. Bjornberg of the ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod in Denver and
co-chairperson of the United Methodist-Lutheran dialogue team, said the
time of interim sharing would provide an opportunity for "the whole
church to discover what we have discovered" regarding the possibility of
full communion between the two denominations.

The ELCA already has full communion relationships with the Episcopal
Church, Presbyterian Church USA, Reformed Church in America, United
Church of Christ and Moravian Church in America.

*Information for this story was supplied by ELCA News.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

********************

United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org

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