Ryan Schwarz, left, and Rev. Paull Spring, chairman of Lutheran Coalition of Renewal (CORE), talk with reporters about the creation of a new Lutheran church body for those who wish to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, at WordAlone Network offices in New Brighton, Minn., on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009.
(AP Photo/Craig Lassig) New Lutheran body to form after gay pastor vote
By PATRICK CONDON, Associated Press Writer Patrick Condon, Associated Press Writer – Wed Nov 18, 6:58 pm ET
NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. – The split over gay clergy within the country's largest Lutheran denomination has prompted a conservative faction to begin forming a new Lutheran church body separate from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Leaders of Lutheran CORE said Wednesday that a working group would immediately begin drafting a constitution and taking other steps to form the denomination, with hopes to have it off the ground by next August.
"There are many people within the ELCA who are very unhappy with what has happened," said the Rev. Paull Spring, chairman of Lutheran CORE and a retired ELCA bishop from State College, Pa.
At its annual convention in Minneapolis in August, ELCA delegates voted to lift a ban that had prohibited sexually active gay and lesbian pastors from serving as clergy. The new policy, expected to take effect in April, will allow such individuals to lead ELCA churches as long as they can show that they are in committed, lifelong relationships.
Opponents, led by Lutheran CORE, said that decision is in direct contradiction to Scripture.
At a September convention, Lutheran CORE members voted to spend a year considering whether to form a new Lutheran denomination. However, its leaders said Wednesday that a heavy volume of requests for an alternative from disenfranchised congregations and churchgoers prompted them to hasten the process.
John Brooks, spokesman at the ELCA's Chicago-based headquarters, said Lutheran CORE's move was not unexpected. He expressed hope that church members would ultimately opt to stay in the denomination as it strives to be "a place for all people despite any differences we might have on any issues."
Neither Brooks nor Lutheran CORE leaders would guess what kind of numbers a new denomination might attract. Lutheran CORE leaders believe there is deep opposition to the new policy among rank-and-file churchgoers, but said some may not be willing to actually depart the ELCA over it.
Brooks said the ELCA has not seen significant departures yet, but he cautioned it's too soon after the August decision to read much into that.
So far, he said, five congregations nationwide have voted to leave the ELCA. More have started the process, with 87 taking a first vote to leave the denomination. Of those, 28 did not achieve the two-thirds vote necessary to leave the ELCA. In all, there are 10,300 ELCA churches in the country with about 4.7 million members.
If a congregation passes the two-thirds bar on its first vote, it must then wait 90 days before taking a second, final vote that also requires a two-thirds majority.
Other Christian denominations have seen factions split off over the gay clergy debate. In 2003, the 2 million-member Episcopal Church consecrated its first openly gay bishop, a move that alienated American Episcopalians from its worldwide parent, the Anglican Communion. The divide has led to the formation of the more conservative Anglican Church in North America, which claims 100,000 members.
In addition to helping birth a new Lutheran church body, Lutheran CORE leaders said their organization would continue its recent move toward creating a free-floating synod within the ELCA for congregations opposed to the liberalized policy but who don't want to leave the denomination.
Lutheran CORE has also urged supportive congregations to stop paying so-called mission support funds that help supplement the ELCA's operating budget. Last weekend, ELCA leaders reduced their 2010 operating budget by $7.7 million, a move Brooks said was motivated mainly by the U.S. economy but also in part by an expected drop in the mission funds.
Ryan Schwarz, a Lutheran CORE member from Washington, D.C., is charged with leading the organizing effort for the new denomination. He said a committee would begin work immediately on drafting a constitution, building a budget and other steps needed to form the yet-unnamed denomination. They hope to have it ready to go by next August, he said.
"Many of us have spent years now struggling to call the ELCA to remain faithful to the Orthodox Christianity of the last 2,000 years," Schwarz said. "While this is of course a wrenching decision, there is also a sense of hope in refocusing on our true mission, which is evangelizing the Lutheran faith."
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http://www.lutherancore.org/papers/spring_pre_convoc_ltr.shtml
Update on Lutheran CORE's Convocation
Rev. Paull E. Spring
September 4, 2009
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,This is an exciting and hopeful time for confessional Lutherans in North America. I am glad to report that in the past couple weeks we have received an incredible outpouring of support for Lutheran CORE's ministries and plans for the future. People and churches are joining at a rate with which we can barely keep pace. During the churchwide assembly and after we have made connections with important leaders of other Lutheran groups in the ELCA and beyond. We are most encouraged by these responses.
We look forward to being with many of you at the Convocation at Christ the Savor Lutheran Church in Fishers (Indianapolis) Ind. on September 25 and 26. We want you to know in more detail what we hope to accomplish at the Convocation. Our goal and vision for Lutheran CORE is a re-forming and a re-newal of our coalition. With God's help, we intend to be . . .
- A confessional and confessing movement, rooted in Scripture, creeds, and confessions, open to all Lutherans in North America
- A churchly community, grounded in Word and sacrament and congregational mission
- A free-standing synod, carrying out synodical ministries, apart from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
- An umbrella group for other Lutheran reform movements
- A coalition of synods, congregations, individuals, and reform movements both within and outside the ELCA
On Friday, September 25, we will convene at 4:00 p.m. There will be an introductory presentation by Bishop Kenneth Sauer, former chair of the ELCA Conference of Bishops, and a response from Mr. Ryan Schwarz, the runner-up in the election for ELCA Vice President last month. After dinner, I will present the vision for Lutheran CORE to be followed by general discussion. The evening will conclude with Evening Prayer.
On Saturday, we will begin the day with Holy Communion at 8:00 a.m. We will then consider and, hopefully, adopt a constitution for our ministry. Then we will consider the following proposed resolutions from the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee:
- That those currently serving on the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee retain their offices for one year, until an election at the 2010 convocation.
- That the Steering Committee be authorized to prepare and implement a fiscal plan for Lutheran CORE for the calendar year 2010; and that the Steering Committee prepare a proposed fiscal plan for the year 2011, for action at the 2010 convocation.
- That the Steering Committee be directed to begin implementing the provisions of the constitution beginning, October 1, 2009.
- That the Steering Committee be authorized to initiate conversations among the congregations and reform movements in Lutheran CORE and with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ and other compatible churchly organizations, leading toward a possible re-configuration of North American Lutheranism, whether through existing or newly created structures; and that the Steering Committee present a report and recommendations to the 2010 convocation of Lutheran CORE.
We anticipate a large attendance at our convocation. If the registrations keep pouring in at the present rate, we will have to re-locate the convocation site to another church near Fishers that has a much larger facility. The hotels listed on the registration brochure are conveniently located for either church so no one will need to make any changes in their accommodations. We will keep you informed and let you know as soon as possible if we need to move the convocation to another church.
We will place the draft of the proposed constitution on the Lutheran CORE website next week. Because of limited time at the convocation, we ask that you send us suggestions for revision of the constitution ahead of time. Doing this will assist us greatly in making efficient use of our time. Please send your suggestions no later than September 16th. Thank you for your understanding in this matter. You may send your suggestions to me at my email.
Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement in the past month. I look forward to our time together at Fishers with great hope and in the confidence that Gods Spirit will guide and lead us. If you have questions, please be in touch with me or with another member of the Steering Committee.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Paull E. Spring
Lutheran CORE Chair
Lutheran CORE Chair
Lutheran CORE Steering Committee
- Rev. Mark Braaten, Tyler, Texas - oslc@suddenlinkmail.com
- Rev. Mark Chavez, Landisville, Pa. - info@lutherancore.org
- Rev. Scott Grorud, Hutchinson, Minn. - ScottG@faithlc.com
- Rev. Rebecca M. M. Heber, Lake Mary, Fla. - w.c.heber@att.net
- Rev. Kenneth Kimball, Waterville, Iowa - pastrken@acegroup.cc
- Rev. Pastor Victor C. Langford III, Seattle, Wash. - faithvcl3@aol.com
- Mr. Ryan Schwarz, Washington, D.C. - rschwarz@mba1994.hbs.edu
- Rev. W. Stevens Shipman, Lock Haven, Pa. - prsteveshipman@gmail.com
- Rev. Paul Ulring, Columbus, Ohio - pulring@ualc.org
- Rev. Erma Wolf, Brandon, S.D. - easwolf@me.com
http://www.lutherancore.org/menu_call_pages/newsrel111809.shtml
Lutheran CORE leaders announce that a new Lutheran church body will be formed for those leaving the ELCA
NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. — Leaders of Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Renewal) have voted to begin work on a proposal for a new Lutheran church body for those who choose to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, they announced Wednesday, Nov. 18.
The votes by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in August to allow pastors to be in committed same-sex relationships have created a biblical and theological crisis throughout the ELCA and have generated conflict in local congregations. Many congregations and individuals are considering the possibility of leaving the ELCA or have chosen to redirect giving away from the national church.
More than 1,200 Lutherans gathered in Fishers, Ind., Sept. 25-26 unanimously voted to authorize the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee “to initiate conversations among the congregations and reform movements in Lutheran CORE and other compatible churchly organizations leading toward a possible reconfiguration of North American Lutheranism” and to bring a recommendation for action in 2010. The Lutheran CORE Steering Committee decided Tuesday that a new church body likely will be necessary and directed that work begin on a church body proposal.
“Many ELCA members and congregations have said that they want to sever ties with the ELCA because of the ELCA’s continued movement away from traditional Christian teachings. The vote on sexuality opened the eyes of many to how far the ELCA has moved from Biblical teaching,” said the Rev. Paull Spring of State College, Pa., Lutheran CORE Chair.
“Along with the WordAlone Network and our other renewal movement partners, Lutheran CORE will aid in the formation of a Lutheran church body for those congregations and individuals that choose to end their affiliation with the ELCA. This church body will stand where Lutherans have always stood and will center its life on the mission of the church to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Spring, the retired bishop of the Northern Pennsylvania Synod.
A special working group will draft the church body proposal in consultation with the WordAlone Network and the other reform movement partners of Lutheran CORE. The recommendations are to be released in February to allow interested individuals and congregations time for feedback. Final proposals will be brought to the Lutheran CORE Convocation Aug. 26-27 in Columbus, Ohio.
The working group will also bring recommendations for the continuation of Lutheran CORE as a free-standing synod that will serve both Lutherans in the ELCA and those in other church bodies. This working group will be in conversation with other Lutheran church bodies about ways to work together. Lutheran CORE has been in conversation with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, an association of Lutheran congregations which many ELCA congregations have joined, and will continue to work closely with LCMC. The proposed new church body is intended to provide a place for congregations that desire a more traditional denominational structure.
“We have not made any firm decisions about what this church body will be or how it will be structured. That reality will come into focus as the working group meets with the members of Lutheran CORE who are looking for a new church body and with other Lutheran church bodies and reform movements in North America,” explained Ryan Schwarz of Washington, D.C., a member of the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee, who chairs the working group.
Lutheran CORE to continue as free-standing synod
Lutheran CORE will continue to exist as a free-standing synod. Both those within the ELCA and in this new church body will be able to continue in fellowship through Lutheran CORE.“Lutheran CORE is committed to be a church fellowship for Lutherans who are committed to the teaching of Scripture — both those who choose to remain affiliated with the ELCA and those who choose to end their affiliation with the ELCA,” Spring said.
“It is important that those who want to uphold Biblical teaching work together. We need each other. To be an effective witness, Lutherans — both those who remain affiliated with the ELCA and those who end that affiliation — need to work together. Lutheran CORE hopes to continue to provide that church fellowship and serve that common mission,” he added.
“This new church body and the Lutheran CORE free-standing synod will make it possible for faithful congregations to work together in mission and to relate to other Lutherans worldwide,” Schwarz said. “Lutherans around the world have been scandalized by the ELCA’s actions. Lutheran CORE will work closely with Lutherans around the world who share our commitment to Scripture as it has been understood by generations of Christians.”
“We are not leaving the ELCA. The ELCA has left us. Lutheran CORE is continuing in the Christian faith as it has been passed down to us by generations of Christians. The ELCA is the one that has departed from the teaching of the Bible as understood by Christians for 2,000 years,” Spring said. “The division in the ELCA is not only really sex. It is about the authority of Scripture in the life of the church. The crisis in the ELCA is a direct result of the actions of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.”
“We grieve that it has become necessary for so many to leave the ELCA and for so many others to alter their relationship with the ELCA, but we are heartened by the clear sense of mission and ministry that is motivating these changes,” the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee said in a letter to members of Lutheran CORE announcing the decision.
