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September 26, 1997
Episcopal News Service
Jim Solheim, Director
212-922-5385
ens@ecunet.org

97-1965
Episcopalians and Lutherans seek new direction in path towards full
communion

by James Solheim
      (ENS) In the wake of the decision by the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) not to establish "full communion" with the
Episcopal Church, leaders of both churches are searching for a new path
toward the historic new relationship--and trying to determine how to deal
with the underlying issues.
      At its General Convention in July, the Episcopal Church agreed to
take steps toward full communion by an overwhelmingly majority.
Meeting a month later in the same convention center in Philadelphia, the
ELCA failed by only six votes to endorse the move. At the same time it
voted by more than 80 percent to establish full communion with three
churches of the Reformed tradition.
      Even those who strongly opposed the Concordat of Agreement
took little joy in the decision since more than 66 percent (684 to 351) of
voting members to the ELCA's Churchwide Assembly voted in favor. In
its closing hours, the assembly passed two resolutions by margins over
90 percent committing itself to vote again in 1999 after a period of
mutual study.
      An editorial in the Kansas City Star chided Lutherans for their
decision. In a piece called "Counterpoint: Lutherans have some
explaining to do," the paper described the background for the ecumenical
decisions and then concluded, "The unity movement has been dealt a
heavy blow. And it will be left especially to Lutheran opponents to
explain why continued division makes more sense than finding common
ground."

Historic episcopate an issue
      Opposition among the Lutherans centered around issues of
ministry, especially the role of bishops and the inclusion of Lutheran
bishops in the historic episcopate. A statement adopted by the faculty of
the Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia, which had endorsed both the
Concordat and the Formula of Agreement with the Reformed, said, "We
confess that we took too much for granted that we all had a common
understanding of the historic Lutheran conviction in favor of an episcopal
order.... As a result, we failed to engage seriously enough with
Lutherans who believed that adopting the historic episcopate as described
in the Concordat would have endangered the balance of authorities within
the ELCA or called into question the authenticity of some current and
past Lutheran denominational structures."
      While both Episcopalians and Lutherans have bishops, for
Lutherans they have not been an essential part of the tradition in this
country. "Some American Lutherans, such as Norwegians settled in the
Upper Midwest, bear the marks of having fled from oppressive bishops
in Norway in the last century," noted the Rev. Charles Austin, a
Lutheran pastor from New Jersey who is also a columnist. "They have
deep-seated fears of hierarchy, and those old fears were expressed often
in the six hours of debate on the proposal during the Philadelphia
meeting." He said that "Lutherans were not willing to accept some
ambiguity and move ahead," realizing that it would be "necessary to give
up old prejudices and fears."
      Others are arguing that most of the opposition is geographically
based. Bishop Kenneth Olsen of the ELCA's Metro Chicago Synod said,
"I have never seen, among the bishops, as much sorrow, anger and
outward emotional response as I did after the Concordat was defeated. It
was obvious," the bishop contended, "that the primary opponents were
from the Upper Midwest synods and leadership of groups centered
around Luther Seminary [in St. Paul] and its faculty."

Willful distortions
      In a lively on-line Internet meeting devoted to discussion of the
Concordat, Lutheran participants expressed embarrassment and anger at
the rejection. Some said it was not so much a commentary on the
Episcopal Church as it was a failure of vision in the ELCA. "It was a
Lutheran vs. Lutheran thing," a pastor from Massachusetts said, "a piece
of unfinished business from the merger 10 years ago" that formed the
ELCA from three predecessor churches.
      Lutherans have also expressed shock and dismay at what they
perceive as willful distortion of the Episcopal Church, describing it as
"outright slander." One pastor said, "Where calumny and distortion were
freely spread, where suspicion and contempt were encouraged and indeed
used for political gain, there we are not merely speaking of honest
difference of opinions."
      Midge Roof of Indianapolis, president of the Episcopal Diocesan
Ecumenical Officers and one of the resource people at the ELCA
meeting, said that she didn't recognize the Episcopal Church in some of
the hearings and discussions. "In the debates and hearings, it seemed
clear to me that our church was being misrepresented, even traduced.
Anti-Concordat literature was distributed daily." 
      Roof was stunned by some of the rumors and willful distortions at
the ELCA meeting. She heard, among other things, that women pastors
would not be accepted by Episcopalians. Someone even asked her why
Lutherans would want to be in full communion and let the Queen of
England appoint their bishops--and why Lutherans would want to
surrender the right to choose their own parish pastors. She was told that
the ELCA was a democratic church, not a hierarchical one.
      A Lutheran bishop said that delegates told him that Episcopalians
don't believe in the priesthood of all believers and that laity would no
longer be allowed to assist with communion--and that the real goal of the
Concordat is creation of a "super church."

      
A way forward?
      In early reaction, however, the path towards a positive response
from the Lutherans is not clear. Some argue for a whole new document,
which would mean another consideration by the Episcopalians. Others
want a commentary, to clear up lingering misperceptions in the
Concordat. Many argue that the two churches just don't know each
other--or themselves--well enough. As one Lutheran pastor said, "How
can we engage in ecumenical dialogue when we don't know what we
are?" He said that it is important that the churches learn to deal with
each other realistically at the local level and asked, "Can we do that
before we move to round two? I don't want to go through the humiliation
and embarrassment again."
      Shortly after the vote, Bishop H. George Anderson of the ELCA
said that, while Lutherans explored ways to live into full communion
with the Reformed churches, "the situation with the Episcopal Church is
both more urgent and less settled." He said that he was eager to meet
with Presiding Bishop-elect Frank Griswold because "it is crucial to see
what possibilities he is willing to entertain as we proceed to develop the
revised text called for in the ELCA assembly action." He said that he
hopes to have a text ready to share with the ELCA synod meetings next
spring "and I have set December 1 as the deadline for deciding on a
process and a timeline."
      Griswold told the New York Times that the ELCA may need "to
grow in cohesion a little more" before responding to the proposal for full
communion. While stressing that "nothing is going to dampen my
enthusiasm for full communion," he said that "there would be a
reluctance to offer a new invitation without evidence that the Lutherans
would respond positively."

Stronger bonds with patience
      The statement by the Lutheran Seminary faculty said that a
decision in 1999 by the ELCA on the Concordat would be helped by
"greater clarity in the text itself, by a stronger summary of the doctrines
of the faith in which our 28-year dialogue has demonstrated our unity,
and by a simplified commentary on the Concordat or any revised text of
agreement that may facilitate further conversations and ecumenical
understanding between the Episcopalians and Lutherans."
      In a "Love Letter to the Episcopal Church," the Rev. Richard
Jeske, Lutheran co-chair of the Lutheran-Episcopal Coordinating
Committee that prepared the final draft of the Concordat, said, "We love
you because you are the ones who are making us look at our own
heritage and are asking us to rediscover who we always have been and
are" despite what he described as "family squabbles." [full text in
Newsfeatures section.]
      Asking for patience while the ELCA sorted out its ecumenical
theology, Jeske said that he is convinced that "our bonds will be all the
stronger for this interim, our mutual love will rest on even firmer
foundation, and our readiness for mutual ministry will be affirmed."

Meanwhile cooperation continues
      Lutherans and Episcopalians on the local level seem determined to
move ahead with cooperation, although some projected ministries won't
be possible in the absence of interchangeable clergy. As Bishop Edward
Jones of Indianapolis said at the press conference after the Lutherans
voted, "Life will go on in the local churches" despite the disappointment.
      Lutheran and Episcopal bishops in Virginia issued a joint pastoral
letter to their clergy and congregations, expressing disappointment and
pledging to continue to develop closer relationships.
      "While we are disappointed at this delay in our journey together,
our commitment is clear. We are determined to strengthen our joint
witness and live more deeply our unity in Christ," the September 22
letter said. It also called on "those persons and parishes who have
entered into covenants and joint ventures to continue their work."
      Lutheran and Episcopal bishops in New Jersey, who are
developing a joint camp and conference center, expressed a similar
determination. "We have missed a wonderful opportunity to step out
boldly," said Bishop Jack McKelvey of Newark, "but this will not stand
in the way of our doing joint ministry on a diocesan level or a local level
over the next several years."  But the Rev. Lucinda Laird, an Episcopal
rector in Teaneck who cooperates with a local Lutheran parish, said that
she couldn't help wonder "what increased cooperation could have
happened if the Concordat had passed."

Building on relationships
      Across the country others expressed uncertainty on how to
encourage local cooperation. Small Lutheran and Episcopal parishes in
Kentucky, for example, can't be served by clergy under provisions of the
1982 Interim Eucharistic Sharing agreement between the two churches,
nor is it possible to begin joint congregations. Small Lutheran parishes in
the Louisville area expressed hopes that the Episcopal diocese could help
them. "The vote of the ELCA has hurt the mission of the church in
Kentucky and will continue to hurt our mission," said the Rev. Bob
Franklin, assistant to the Lutheran bishop.
      Yet the two churches have built a substantial reservoir of
cooperation and good will. "In the months ahead I hope that we in the
Episcopal Church will continue to build on the very positive relationships
that exist all over our two churches," the Rev. David Perry, the
Episcopal Church's ecumenical officer in a letter to the church's bishops,
said. After reminding them that the 1982 agreement "remains in place,"
he added, "Now more than ever, we can take the opportunities to
worship and work together, to deepen our knowledge of one another, as
a means to the unity we seek."

--James Solheim is director of news and information for the Episcopal
Church.