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Evangelical Lutheran body wants Eucharist shared with Methodists

 


Evangelical Lutheran body wants Eucharist shared with Methodists

April 21, 2005

NOTE: This story was provided by the news service of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

CHICAGO (ELCA)—The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America recommended that its 2005 Churchwide Assembly approve a relationship of Interim Sharing of the Eucharist between the ELCA and the United Methodist Church.

The council, which serves as the ELCA’s legislative authority between churchwide assemblies, met April 9-11 in Chicago. The 2005 Churchwide Assembly will be Aug. 8-14 in Orlando, Fla.

The council’s recommendation came after the ELCA Conference of Bishops endorsed the proposal in March in Dallas. The Conference of Bishops is an advisory body consisting of the ELCA’s 65 synod bishops, presiding bishop and secretary.

With an interim commitment, congregations and judicatories of both churches will be encouraged to study theological documents, participate jointly in Holy Communion and explore new opportunities for shared ministry. Eventually, the two churches hope to achieve a relationship of full communion, which allows for clergy of one church body to serve in congregations of the other church, and creates opportunities for joint ministry.

The two churches have been involved in theological dialogues for nearly 30 years.

The ELCA already has established full communion relationships with the Episcopal Church, Moravian Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed Church in America and United Church of Christ.

The council expressed "welcome and rejoiced in the substantial progress" of the Lutheran-United Methodist dialogue, recognized the United Methodist denomination as a "church in which the gospel is preached and taught," affirmed that the "basic teaching of each respective church is consonant with the gospel" and acknowledged that the central teaching of the United Methodist Church is "sufficiently compatible" with the teaching of the ELCA.

The council also encouraged mutual prayer and support by members of ELCA congregations, study of Scripture and the history and theology of both churches, and encouraged joint programs of theological discussion, evangelical outreach and social ministry endeavors.

The Rev. Randall R. Lee, director of ecumenical affairs for the ELCA, acknowledged there had been concern whether Evangelical Lutherans and United Methodists had different understandings of the Eucharist. However, after studying the United Methodists’ statement of communion, "the dialogue concluded that there is a very similar understanding of Holy Communion," Lee said.

The United Methodist statement of communion, titled "This Holy Mystery," was adopted by the denomination’s 2004 General Conference, its top legislative body.

Lee said the dialogue also should benefit conversations with the three historic black Methodist churches.

The proposal for Interim Sharing of the Eucharist has been discussed by the Lutheran-United Methodist Dialogue, theologians of the church and the Conference of Bishops, said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop.

"Interim eucharistic sharing helps us to achieve full communion, but it does not negate that we may have theological differences," Hanson said. "This interim step is very helpful, and I urge adoption."

ELCA news media contact: John Brooks, Chicago, (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news.

United Methodist news media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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