wfn.org | ELCA Presiding Bishop-Elect Reflects on Assembly Issues

[News News <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 11, 2001

ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP-ELECT REFLECTS ON ASSEMBLY ISSUES
01-CWA42-MR

     INDIANAPOLIS (ELCA) -- When elected presiding bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Rev. Mark S. Hanson,
bishop of the ELCA Saint Paul Area Synod, told the assembly that elected
him, "I do not regard this as an election won but a calling received."
     The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the
ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 8-14 at the Indiana Convention Center.  There
are more than 2,000 people participating, including 1,040 ELCA voting
members.  The theme for the biennial assembly is "Making Christ Known:
Sharing Faith in a New Century."
     At an Aug. 11 news conference, Hanson fielded questions about some
of the key items under discussion and consideration by voting members of
the assembly, such as same-sex unions and the ordination of gay and
lesbian people in committed relationships, and a proposed ELCA
constitutional bylaw that would amend a "full communion" agreement with
the Episcopal Church.  Under the full communion agreement "Called to
Common Mission" (CCM), bishops must ordain new pastors.  The bylaw,
which was adopted by the churchwide assembly Aug. 11, allows a synod
bishop to delegate to another pastor the authority to ordain.
     "[As bishop of the St. Paul Area Synod] I have sought to
articulate a real passion and vision for the mission of this church that
does not disregard the differences that we have, but find unity both in
our past as a Lutheran church grounded in its confessions and in our
future as a missionary church in a diverse culture," Hanson said.
     "Our church now does not ordain gay and lesbian people in
committed relationships, and that is the position of this church that
calls me to serve as its presiding bishop.  And, until this church in
assembly chooses to change that position, it will be that position I
articulate on behalf of the church," Hanson said.
     "As bishop [of the ELCA Saint Paul Area Synod], I carry forth the
will of the [synod] assembly and speak on behalf of the actions of the
synod.  It is not the position of the bishop as a person that is to be
articulated, but the position of the church," he said.
     "What gives me consolation is that for 2,000 years the Christian
church has been debating and [has been] divided over who is welcomed
into the community of faith and on what terms.  And, those have been
difficult and contentious conversations," he said.
     "What keeps us together in that is not the outcome of an assembly
vote but [it's the ability to] stay centered, for us as Lutherans, the
proclamation of the Word and the celebration of the Sacraments, and
[the] realization that our unity comes from outside of us through the
Gospel, which brings together a tapestry of people that do not agree on
every difficult issue of the day," he said.
     Hanson said one of the challenges that faces the church is "how do
we see the gifts of particular people -- be they gay and lesbian,
supporters of an ecumenical proposal or those opposed to it -- as
strengthening the mission of this church rather than retracting energy
from it?"
     At the 1999 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Philadelphia, "I publicly
supported the debate in The Concordat [of Agreement].  I have done so
because I think that, as Lutheran Christians, we have been given a
wonderful historical [moment] in ecumenism.   I think my readings of
[Lutheran] confessions gives us the freedom to do that because those
relationships are centered in Word and Sacrament," Hanson said.
     The 1999 ELCA Churchwide Assembly narrowly defeated "The Concordat
of Agreement," which initially described the ways to implement full
communion between the ELCA and the Episcopal Church.
     "I continue to support the revised edition 'Called to Common
Mission,' which I think is even an easier document for us to embrace as
Lutheran Christians.  I have not viewed CCM as embracing a theology that
is foreign to who we are," Hanson said.
     For some members of the ELCA, CCM is unsatisfactory.  Those who
oppose CCM believe it threatens Lutheran identity and gives more power
to bishops.  CCM requires a bishop to preside at all ordinations of
pastors.  Before CCM, ELCA bishops presided at ordinations but could
delegate that authority to another pastor.
     Hanson said he supports the ELCA constitutional bylaw that would
allow a bishop to delegate to another pastor the authority to ordain.
     "We need to walk that line between the integrity of our promises
to our ecumenical partners that we made [via] CCM and the integrity of
our call as leaders concerned for unity in our church.  We, as a church,
do not want to send messages to our ecumenical partners that our words
cannot be trusted.  But, we want our ecumenical partners to have the
strongest united church that it can be," Hanson said.
     The ELCA has full communion agreements with the Episcopal Church,
Moravian Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in
America and United Church of Christ.
     Born in Minneapolis and raised in St. Paul, Hanson and his wife,
Ione Amgrison Hanson, have six children, four of which are adopted, and
one grandchild.
     Hanson will begin his six-year term as the third bishop of the
ELCA on Nov. 1. His installation is planned for Oct. 6 at the
Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago.
- - -
     Information about assembly actions is at
http://www.elca.org/assembly/01 on the ELCA's Web site.  Recorded
updates during the assembly are available by calling 773/380-2477.

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