Since January 1995, I have been involved with the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Concordat as it "fine tuned" and clarified the several issues and concerns that have been raised by both Episcopalians and Lutherans. I have come to understand in the deepest way that the mission and ministry in Jesus Christ lie at the heart of this search for unity.

As I have traveled throughout our church, again and again the central theme of joint mission is spoken. For the sake of the proclamation of the gospel and for the witness of Christ's people to this broken world, the Concordat's vision of unity is understood to be founded and framed in common mission. That message was expressed clearly by the gathering of bishops of both churches last October [TLC, Oct. 27]. One of the major speakers at that event, Archbishop George Carey, spoke directly the message that "unity and mission belong at the heart of the church's vocation ..."

That message has echoed in diocesan and parish meetings throughout the Episcopal and Lutheran churches as we prepare to make the decision on our relationship this summer in Philadelphia. A fundamental task for the "people in the pew" as we prepare for that decision is to ask "What difference will the Concordat of Agreement make for our mission and ministry in the service of Jesus Christ?"

Here are questions that might form a discussion list for Episcopal congregations to consider in the months before General Convention in July:

1. How will the new relationship established by the Concordat help us to live out our baptismal vows more fully? What are the ways the new relationship will help us in "continuing the Apostles' teachings ... in resisting evil, in proclaiming by word and example the good news ... in seeking and serving Christ in all persons ... in striving for justice and peace"? These central questions form the heart of the commission we receive in baptism.

2. How will our capacity for ministry be further empowered because of the traditions and histories that each church brings to the Concordat? Will the sharing of that rich experience help us to understand better the gospel and to be more faithful in its pursuit ... by sharing without merging? Will this relationship enhance my being a faithful Episcopalian? What Lutheran traditions and histories will touch us?

3. What will it mean for us that we can fully participate with one another in the Eucharist and in the worship life of our churches? What will it mean for us to share fully in the sacred meal, finding Christ at the center of the feast? In what new ways will full communion allow for a deeper participation in the Eucharist? As we draw closer to Christ, do we in fact draw closer to one another?

4. And what about potluck suppers together? What do Lutherans eat when they gather for "fellowship"? What songs do they sing? What cultures and ethnic gifts do they celebrate? What will being together mean for our acquiring taste for new foods, new languages and new stories? Will our social activities be changed by this new relationship? How well do I know my sisters and brothers in the Lutheran congregations that may be found in my local community? What do I know of their life of witness and service in Christ? How can I know them better?

5. Are we willing to imagine the possibility that our two churches will live together in common mission and ministry? Are we willing to discern the mission in our community, in the world, together with Lutherans? Are we willing to discern a common mission? For that matter, are we willing to discern and act together with other Christians?

6. Can we find in a shared ordained and lay leadership the mutually recognized and used gifts and talents which God gives us - by birth, by baptism, by ordination? What will it mean for the leadership of our two churches to share fully in the historic episcopate? How will our congregations be enriched by that new reality? What will sharing that leadership in joint mission look like in our small communities, in our rural areas, in our cities, on the campus? Can we together prepare our ordained and lay leadership for those roles, in our seminaries and in our local communities? What would it be like to share diocesan and national staff people and resources to help us in our ministry locally and globally?

7. How will the Concordat enable us to address the issues of injustice, racism, sexism and all the division and separations in our lives? How will it strengthen our common mission in the eradication of those signs of our brokenness and disunity? How will the Concordat help us to respect the dignity of every human being?

8. What will this new relationship do to our budgets and stewardship concerns? What will it cost us to be related in this new way? What is the cost measured in terms of dollars, human energy and prayer?

9. What messages will our children and youth receive from the promises and hopes of the Concordat relationship? What can they understand from its intent and what of their present realities and their future hopes can they see in it?

10. What does it look like to be a sign of hope, a fruit of ecumenical seeking? How will this action witness to the wider Christian community? How will the Concordat affect our relationships with other churches and with persons of other faiths?

These are questions that can be discussed now in our local congregations. They can be engaged, best of all, with our Lutheran sisters and brothers. It is essential that the possibilities and the promises and hopes of the Concordat be incarnated in those places. The Concordat is a technical document, as is the decision to be taken by our churches. Yet its context is all-embracing. Most important, it is a call to a new way of being in Christ. It calls us to realize our prayer for unity, to live out our baptismal promises. It is a call of Christ to accept the gift of unity which Christ gives. The Concordat of Agreement is a step on the way to that unity for all God's people, for which Christ prayed.

May our prayer and work during this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ask many questions and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Our deputies for General Convention must be prepared. And more, each Episcopalian and each Lutheran must seek to know God's will for us in God's mission for us in this Concordat proposal. Through study, through conversation, through prayer, we are asking questions and seeking answers and in so doing we will be drawn closer to Christ and we will be drawn closer to one another. o