wfn.org | Noko welcomes US Episcoplians' adoption of ecumenical agreement with

[FRANK.IMHOFF@ecunet.org]

Lutherans

DENVER, U.S.A. /GENEVA, 17 July 2000 (LWI) - The general secretary of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Dr. Ishmael Noko, has welcomed the recent
adoption of the ecumenical agreement "Called to Common Mission" (CCM) with
an overwhelming majority by the Episcopal Church in the United States. The
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) approved the agreement in
1999.

Noko, upon receiving news about the adoption of CCM at the 73rd General
Convention of the Episcopal Church, that took place from July 5 t o 14 at
the Colorado Convention Center, said the steps taken by the ELCA and the
Episcopal Church "are indeed a significant contribution to the search for
Christian unity; for the healing of the body of Christ; and for the
proclamation of the word of God with integrity in a world that is marked by
so many lines of divide."

Noko added that by taking these steps, the ELCA and the Episcopal Church
have adopted and transformed the theological agreement into a church
agreement-full mutual recognition of each other leading to the
interchangeability of ministers of Word and Sacrament. This, according to
the LWF general secretary, "is a high degree of reconciliation between the
two traditions. It is a full communion but not union-the two churches will
remain distinct but with members from each church worshipping in each
other's church and taking part in the sharing of the sacraments."

It is Noko's prayer that this agreement will be a blessing to the two
endorsing church partners in their calling today-in the complexity of modern
civilization particularly as it presents itself in the cultural and social
reality in the U. S. A.

Upon the adoption of CCM on July 8, the Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold,
presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church declared: "The Episcopal Church is
now, as of today, in full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) on the basis of a shared ministry in the historic episcopate
and for the sake of common mission in proclaiming and serving the gospel."

According to information received from ELCA News and Information, Griswold's
comment followed action of his church's 73rd General Convention to approve
three resolutions to receive and implement the new accord, which the ELCA
approved in Denver last August.

An international inaugural worship service of Holy Communion will celebrate
the agreement on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 2001 at the National
Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Amendments to the Churches' governing
documents go into effect on January 1.

"Full communion" is not a merger but opens the way for the two church bodies
to work more closely in starting new ministries and in supporting current
struggling congregations. Among other features, it allows for the exchange
of clergy.

"The birth of this new relationship has been a long time coming," said the
Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA. "Although many
persons worked for years to bring us to this grand moment, 'it is ultimately
the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes,'" he said, quoting Psalm
118.

Formal Lutheran-Episcopal talks in the United States began in 1969. In 1991,
the talks produced a "Concordat of Agreement" which first outlined full
communion between the two churches. In 1997 the Episcopal Church approved
the Concordat, but the ELCA assembly fell short of the two-thirds vote
required for adoption of that plan. At the direction of that assembly, the
ELCA began drafting a revised proposal-"Called to Common Mission" (CCM). The
ELCA approved CCM in 1999.

Lutheran churchwide assemblies are held every two years, and Episcopal
general conventions are held every three years. The 2000 Episcopal General
Convention received the revised proposal and understood it to be
substantially the same as the Concordat in 1997, and the constitutional
amendments could have second reading to implement CCM.

The Episcopal legislature consists of two houses. The House of Deputies
includes up to eight representatives from each diocese, four clergy and four
lay. The House of Bishops involves all Episcopal bishops, current and
retired. Resolutions must be passed by both houses.

Full communion was enacted through three resolutions. The first received the
text of the revised proposal, CCM. The second and third resolutions gave the
necessary second reading to amend the Episcopal constitution, suspending
rules of Episcopal ordination to recognize current ELCA clergy and allowing
for the exchange of clergy.

The 5.2 million members of the Chicago-based ELCA have more than 10,800
congregations, which are organized into 65 synods, each headed by a bishop.
The 2.5 million members of the Episcopal Church, based in New York, have
more than 7,400 congregations in 106 dioceses, each headed by a bishop.

The ELCA has entered into full communion with three Reformed churches--the
Presbyterian Church (U. S. A.), Reformed Church in America and United Church
of Christ--in 1997 and with the Moravian Church in America in 1999. In 1997
it approved the Lutheran-Catholic "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of
Justification", which was signed in 1999 by representatives of the Lutheran
World Federation and the Vatican.

(The LWF is a global communion of 131 member churches in 72 countries
representing 59 million of the world's 61 million Lutherans. Its highest
decision making body is the Assembly, held every six or seven years. Between
Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council which meets annually,
and its Executive Committee. The LWF secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material presented does
not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units.
Where the dateline of an article contains the notation (lwi), the material
may be freely reproduced with acknowledgement.]

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Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/