wfn.org | ELCA bishops discuss who can ordain pastors

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

Agreement with Episcopal Church would entrust pastors' ordinations
exclusively to bishops

CHICAGO, Illinois, U.S.A./GENEVA, 2 November 1998 (elca/lwi) - "People
object to the church saying that you can't have a pastor without having a
bishop," stated the Rev. Peter Rogness, bishop of the Greater Milwaukee
Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), speaking within
a discussion on a proposed agreement for "full communion" with the
Episcopal Church. The discussion took place at the ELCA's Conference of
Bishops which met in Chicago from October 1 to 7.

According to the proposal, ELCA "bishops shall preside and participate in
the laying-on-of-hands at the ordination of all clergy." That would be in
agreement with The Book of Common Prayer, which describes the Episcopal
Church's ordination of priests.

The ELCA Constitution, on the other hand, says bishops "exercise solely
this church's power to ordain (or provide for the ordination of) approved
candidates." Here, "provide for" implies that the bishop could appoint an
assistant to ordain. The "full communion" proposal makes it clear that the
bishop would have to appoint another bishop or former bishop.

"To some people, the presence of a bishop symbolizes the unity and
continuity of the church," said the Rev. E. Peter Strommen, bishop of the
ELCA's Northeastern Minnesota Synod. "To others allowing a bishop to
delegate authority symbolizes that authority cannot be monopolized."

Rogness is on a panel that is advising the writers of "Called to Common
Mission" (CCM), a revised proposal for full communion between the two
churches. An earlier proposal was defeated by the ELCA's 1997 churchwide
assembly. The panel and writers met from October 13 to 15 to develop the
final version of the proposal.

"CCM is likely to pass" by a two-thirds majority at the 1999 churchwide
assembly, said the Rev. David W. Olson, bishop of the ELCA's Minneapolis
Area Synod. He estimated that only 15 or 20 percent would vote against full
communion with the Episcopal Church. "I want a broad consensus that we can
rejoice over, so I don't have to go around telling congregations why they
should remain in the ELCA," said the Rev. Stanley N. Olson, bishop of the
ELCA's Southwestern Minnesota Synod.

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