| SP Harrison is on the extreme left. PB Mark Hanson is sporting the beard. Thrivent supports their work together, finances Habitat for Humanity, and Lutherans Concerned. |
ELCA and Missouri Synod leaders continue conversations together - News Releases - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
ELCA and Missouri Synod leaders continue conversations together
CHICAGO (ELCA) - Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod met Feb. 8 as the Committee on Lutheran Cooperation to discuss church-to-church cooperation and to share denominational updates.
Although leaders of both church bodies have agreed to continue communication and information sharing as the Committee on Lutheran Cooperation, leaders from the Missouri Synod said they have ended their participation in cooperative work, particularly in areas of support for chaplaincy, response to HIV and AIDS and national coordination of recovery after disaster.
According to the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, the ELCA has been committed to being engaged in conversation with the Missouri Synod.
"Participating in the Committee on Lutheran Cooperation has been a continued commitment of the ELCA since its formation. We share the Lutheran confessional witness, an identity of being Lutherans in this culture, and we have historically shared a commitment to respond to human need together -- be it the need of refugees or those in the world who are experiencing disaster and the challenges of development," Hanson said in an interview.
"Our history, great capacity and generosity as Lutherans in response to the cries of our neighbors should not be diminished because of our theological differences," said Hanson.
According to the Rev. Donald J. McCoid, who serves as assistant to the ELCA presiding bishop on ecumenical and inter-religious relations, "It has been important for the ELCA that the Committee on Lutheran Cooperation provide the opportunity for us to engage in theological conversations on topics such as law and gospel, the authority and interpretation of scripture, natural law and the confessional basis for ELCA ecumenical agreements."
While Hanson said he "regrets that The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has taken action to discontinue our shared ministries, that work will continue to be a priority for us as the ELCA with existing partners, and we will continue to look for ways to serve our neighbors with Lutherans and ecumenical partners," said Hanson.
At the meeting, Missouri Synod President Matthew C. Harrison said the conclusion of church-to-church work "is very sad." He said there may be opportunities for engagement at the local level as circumstances allow, but cooperation on a national level "is no longer possible."
In light of the Missouri Synod's action, the committee appointed a subgroup to draft a charter for how it will constitute future meetings of the Committee on Lutheran Cooperation.
Hanson said he is "thankful that the commitment to being in conversation about our respective church bodies will continue."
The leaders also shared updates regarding their denominations' ecumenical endeavors, budget and finance, areas of concerns and ministry focus, and international developments. The committee also received written reports from Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and Lutheran Services in America.
The ELCA is a 4.2-million-member church [GJ - was 5.3 million in 1987] based in Chicago. The 2.3-million-member Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is based in St. Louis.
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