wfn.org | ELCA Council Asks for Report, Suggests Bylaw on CCM Exceptions

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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

November 14, 2000

ELCA COUNCIL ASKS FOR REPORT, SUGGESTS BYLAW ON CCM EXCEPTIONS
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     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) asked the ELCA Office of the Bishop to
consult with other bishops and ecumenical partners about a possible
constitutional bylaw that would allow for exceptions to ordination
procedures -- procedures required by a full communion agreement
between the ELCA and The Episcopal Church.   The council offered a
draft of a possible bylaw for discussion by the church.
     The council asked the Office of the Bishop to report back to
the council at its Spring 2001 meeting, and it said it "may consider
at that time" transmitting a bylaw proposal for consideration by the
2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
     The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves
as the legislative authority of the church between its churchwide
assemblies.  The council met here Nov. 10-13.  Assemblies are held
every other year; the next is Aug. 8-14, 2001, in Indianapolis.  The
ELCA is organized into 65 synods, each headed by a bishop.
     The council's request and suggested text for a possible bylaw
are the result of many discussions in the ELCA in the past few years.
In 1999 the ELCA, and in 2000 the Episcopal Church, adopted the full
communion agreement, "Called to Common Mission" (CCM).  With CCM, the
churches agreed to cooperate in a variety of ministries, and it
allows for sharing of clergy.  It is not a merger of the churches.
     In the ELCA, CCM has generated some opposition.  Those who
oppose CCM say it threatens Lutheran identity and gives bishops more
authority.  One issue for some Lutherans who oppose CCM is a
requirement that a synod bishop preside at future Lutheran
ordinations; under present practice in the ELCA, a synod bishop may
designate another pastor to ordain.
     The council's action is intended as a possible answer for those
who may prefer to be ordained by another pastor instead of a bishop.
Under the suggested bylaw text, a synodical bishop may allow another
pastor to ordain a properly approved candidate "for pastoral reasons
in unusual circumstances."
     "Prior to authorization of such an ordination, the bishop of
the synod of the candidate's first call shall consult with the
presiding bishop as this church's chief ecumenical officer and shall
seek the advice of the Synod Council," the suggested text said. "The
pastoral decision of the synod bishop shall be informed by the
guidelines developed by the ELCA Division for Ministry, reviewed by
the ELCA Conference of Bishops and adopted by the Church Council."
     The suggested text is consistent with the suggestions of the
Conference of Bishops, an advisory body comprised of the ELCA's 65
synod bishops, presiding bishop and ELCA secretary.  The conference
reviewed the issue and made its recommendations when members met here
last month.
     The decision to offer a possible bylaw for comment allows time
for the council to get more input from the church and its ecumenical
partners before the spring 2001 meeting, said Dale V. Sandstrom,
council member, Bismarck, N.D.  Sandstrom also chairs the council's
Legal and Constitutional Review Committee.
     "This is also an opportunity to ensure that your mailboxes will
be full," Sandstrom told the council.
     Sandstrom explained that if the council decides to transmit a
bylaw to the 2001 Churchwide Assembly, it may be done at its spring
2001 meeting.  Had it chosen to transmit a constitutional amendment
to the 2001 assembly, it would have been required to do so at this
meeting.  Consideration and discussion of a possible bylaw allows
time for comment.
     The Rev. Lowell G. Almen, ELCA secretary, agreed, saying the
council's recommendation "will allow time for further conversation"
as the church seeks to "live into the agreement we made on CCM."
      Mark Buccheim, council member, Tulsa, Okla., asked when
proposed guidelines for exceptions to ordination will be developed by
the ELCA Division for Ministry in consultation with the ELCA
Conference of Bishops.  The Rev. Joseph M. Wagner, executive director
of the ELCA Division for Ministry, said the division hasn't discussed
the issue, but he said he expected it will develop proposed
guidelines early next year in consultation with the bishops.
     J. David Watrous, council member, Richland, Wash., asked if a
candidate ordained in a manner other than required by CCM will be
placed on the church's official clergy roster or another roster.
     Candidates ordained according to the ELCA's constitution and
bylaws become pastors of the ELCA, Almen said.  "The ELCA is a church
where we maintain one roster of ordained ministry," he said in
response.
     "The concept (of the council's proposal) is driven by
seminarians who cannot in good conscience participate" in ordination
under CCM's terms, said the Rev. Roy G. Almquist, bishop of the ELCA
Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, Norristown, Pa.  Almquist serves as
one of nine advisory bishops to the council.
     "Some bishops are struggling with this issue," said Almquist,
who added that CCM is not a significant issue in his synod. "This is
an attempt to be responsive to our colleagues where this is a very
painful issue," he said.
     Earlier in the meeting, the council transmitted to the
churchwide assembly proposed constitutional amendments that would
make possible a bylaw addressing exceptions to CCM ordination
procedures.

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