Episcopal and Lutheran Bishops Energized by Concordat's Plan for Full Communion
Episcopal News Service. October 17, 1996 [96-1579]
(ENS) More than 200 bishops of the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) emerged from a five-day meeting in the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania more deeply committed to a proposal for full communion between the churches, while acknowledging that important work remains to be done.
In a communique issued at the end of the historic joint gathering, October 3-8, the churches' presiding bishops strongly endorsed the Concordat of Agreement that will be a major item of business at both denominations' national meetings next summer.
"We stand on the threshold of an exciting new possibility -- namely, the declaration of full communion between our churches and the mutual recognition of the authenticity of the ordained ministries presently existing in our two churches," said H. George Anderson of the ELCA and the Episcopal Church's Edmond L. Browning
Their communique also pointed, however, to lingering reservations, especially among Lutherans, when it noted, "We have discussed with candor the challenges and opportunities before us and worked to clarify the issues and contribute to further refinement of the proposals."
Overall, however, the meeting, which some participants said could reshape the whole ecumenical movement, managed to allay most fears and spark genuine excitement for bringing the Concordat to positive votes.
"As we move forward together, God will guide our churches into uncharted territories that hold both promise and challenge," the statement concluded. "We believe that our churches are being called to journey in the one apostolic faith together... and we pledge ourselves to our reconciliation, one to another, in the mission God now sets before us on this threshold of a new millennium."
In an opening keynote address, Bishop Edward Jones of Indianapolis acknowledged his own enthusiasm for the Concordat, while urging the bishops to be candid in discussing their concerns.
Referring to the prayer of Jesus recorded in John 17:21 that "all may be one," Jones, co-chair of the Lutheran-Episcopal coordinating committee that has guided the Concordat toward passage, observed that the "spiritual marriage of our two churches will have a far-reaching effect upon the world-wide Christian family." And he added that "the world is watching to see what the church may do to heal the wounds of history."
Jones contended that "full communion is not a clever way of making us something that we are not. Rather, it is a sharing of gifts." He encouraged the bishops to be honest with each other when discussing "the potential these gifts may have for refreshing the lives of our churches," as well as those things that "cause some discomfort."
And from the beginning it was clear that many Lutheran bishops did have deep reservations about some of the Concordat's proposals, especially those designed to move the two churches to a common understanding of ordained ministry and the place of bishops.
If passed, the Concordat, the product of 27 years of discussion, and forged in particular by a third round of talks concluded in 1991, would immediately recognize the interchangeability of clergy, and would require the presence of both Episcopal and Lutheran bishops for the consecration of bishops in either church. While primarily a sign of the new relationship between the two churches, the joint consecrations would also, over time, establish in the Lutheran Church a clear connection to the "historic episcopate," or the unbroken line of episcopal consecrations believed to stretch back to the apostles.
The Episcopal Church, meanwhile, would temporarily suspend a requirement that only priests ordained by bishops within the "historic episcopate" be allowed to preside at the Eucharist.
Unlike some of the Scandinavian churches, Lutherans in this country have not maintained the historic episcopate, nor are Lutheran bishops in the United States presently consecrated for life. Anderson said that Lutherans must be convinced that adopting the historic episcopate "does not mean some additional requirement since, for Lutherans, it is enough to agree on the Gospel."
He also said that the ELCA, which only nine years ago was formed from the merger of three Lutheran bodies, is still developing its own understanding of ministry, and needs to know that the Concordat would "allow an interpretation of ministry that recognized where Lutherans are at this point." Lutherans do not ordain to three orders of ministry.
The chance simply to air those concerns -- sent in a list to the joint coordinating committee that will hammer out the Concordat's final language -- and the Episcopal bishops' receptive willingness to hear them did much to put the Lutheran worries to rest, Anderson said.
In addition, the joint sessions in which the bishops met in mixed small groups were "a very powerful experience for our bishops," Anderson said. "Some stereotypes were removed. I think some history has been understood and clarified."
As a result, he said, he is convinced that "a tremendous energy" has been unleashed and a commitment to communicate to Lutherans on the local level that "relationships with the Episcopal Church would be a great benefit to us -- and to Christendom." Yet Anderson admitted, in a news conference, that "there is still an immense amount of work to be done."
The "conversion" of many bishops who brought with them to the meeting some deeply felt reservations was attributed to frank and open discussions around tables and some "simple and profound" worship together. Several Lutheran bishops also mentioned the crucial role of the chaplains from the Society of St. John the Evangelist, Martin Smith and Curtis Almquist, in drawing things together.
Stimulated by speeches on Anglican and Lutheran identity, the table groups quickly discovered how much they shared spiritually and liturgically.
Dr. John Booty, retired professor and now historiographer of the Episcopal Church, took the bishops through an exploration of the role of the Book of Common Prayer, calling it "the heartbeat of Christian life" and the wellspring of identity for Episcopalians. He added, "It is through the use of the Book of Common Prayer that we are a peculiar community within the church of God."
Dr. Eric Gritsch, a retired Lutheran church historian, stressed the centrality of the Augsburg Confession to the Lutheran church, and reminded the bishops that Lutheranism defines itself as "a reform movement within the church catholic," one that emphasizes that "for the true unity of the church it is enough to agree concerning the teaching of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments." He added that "Lutheranism cannot exist without its ecumenical intentions."
The bishops also took time to discuss areas of ministry where they already cooperate and new areas of joint ministry that would be encouraged by the Concordat, accepting the challenge of Dr. Martin Marty of the University of Chicago to move beyond "issues that to many church members will seem to show preoccupation with professional, hierarchical, clerical issues that do not make much difference in their lives." He urged the bishops and the two churches to keep "Christ's mission to a suffering humanity" at the center of their work together.
Yet some bishops in both churches continued to express reservations or outright opposition to the Concordat. In the spirit of honesty, a few Lutheran bishops said that the ELCA needed to deal with internal issues resulting from its formation in 1988 before it could engage in serious ecumenical commitments. Others argued for an approval "in principle" followed by interim period of study at the grassroots level. And there was general concern that time was short to prepare those who will make the decision next summer.
A few bishops raised the issue of sexuality, warning that a move by the Episcopal Church's General Convention to condone blessing same-sex unions would "kill the Concordat for Lutherans."
At the same time, bishops from both churches underscored the urgency of moving quickly to "sell" the Concordat, which they said has not been adequately explained to parishioners in either denomination. And they said that while a positive vote would be a tremendous boost to the ecumenical movement, a negative vote could send an ominous chill. One bishop stressed that the church is desperately in need of this new relationship between Lutherans and Episcopalians "as a witness to the Gospel they share together."
International visitors also urged the bishops to move ahead with the Concordat. While allowing that each church should be "cautious" and take as much time as it needed, Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey also urged them to act with "courage," pointing to the recent agreement of Lutherans and Anglicans in northern Europe as an example of growing international cooperation between the two traditions.
The Porvoo Agreement, named after the Finnish city where the proposal was adopted, Carey said, "proceeds from the premise that the will to go on in the ecumenical movement with many partners and many activities, however fragile, is a sign to Christians themselves and to the world that we do actually believe that there is a better and more reconciled way given by God in Christ."
Prof. Ginther Gassmann, a German Lutheran who was head of Faith and Order for the World Council of Churches, pointed to "a certain ecumenical timidity" that has settled over the ecumenical movement. The Porvoo Agreement among Anglicans and Lutherans in northern Europe Concordat would provide a much-needed stimulant for other dialogues.
(See separate story.)
All in all, "what has been accomplished here in a few days has been remarkable," Anderson said. He called attention to the deepening of personal bonds with Browning and the critical contribution of the table discussions. "Minds have been changed, horizons have been broadened.... We have discovered here that the risks are worth the cost," he said.
In a news conference Anderson said that he had sensed that the Lutheran bishops "are in large measure committed to moving forward -- and see themselves as interpreters and advocates, working for the approval of the Concordat."
"Things seem to be coming together," added Browning. "We are together in a sound and creative way." He said that he sensed "joy and encouragement over what has happened here -- and a deeper fellowship than ever has been experienced between our two churches because of this meeting. Bonds of affection have been made in this meeting that did not exist before."
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