| United Methodist Bishops Approve Interim Pact With ELCA |
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| Written by Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | ||||
| Monday, 16 May 2005 | ||||
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CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Leaders
of the United Methodist Church approved an interim agreement for sharing the
Eucharist with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The
approval came May 5 at the United Methodist Council of Bishops' weeklong
spring meeting in Arlington, Va. The agreement -- if approved by the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly -- would result in the ELCA and the United Methodist Church sharing worship, particularly communion, studying with one another and being involved in mission together. United Methodist leaders also approved an interim agreement with the Episcopal Church on May 5. "We will be entering those agreements within a year," said Bishop William B. Oden, ecumenical officer of the United Methodist council. Oden has been involved in dialogues between the United Methodist Church and the ELCA. "This is highly significant," he said. This would be the first time the United Methodist Church has had such a shared communion with any group outside the Methodist tradition -- the African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion and Christian Methodist Episcopal churches. The agreement is an interim step toward full communion, in which the United Methodist Church and the ELCA recognize the authenticity of each other's ministries and agree that their ministries are reconciled. "The plan is for us to enter into full communion with the Lutherans at the General Conference of 2008," Oden said. Study and fellowship will occur in the interim. The interim shared communion agreement authorizes and urges United Methodist congregations "to worship and to be in study and mission with our sister denomination," Oden said. "This is a historic time of being the body of Christ and connecting the gifts of various parts of the body so that the work and witness of Christ can be more effective and powerful in our communities," said Bishop Peter Weaver, president of the United Methodist council and leader of the denomination's Boston Area. The communion table is the fundamental place for expressing that United Methodists and Lutherans are all part of the body of Christ, he said. "Our oneness is in Christ. So [this agreement is] not just about sharing communion with each other; they're about our recognizing that we are a part of one body of Christ and thus one mission for Christ in this world." The agreement is "a major point in the pathway to full communion, in which we recognize the authenticity and apostolicity of each other's ministry," Oden said. "This is not a movement toward church union but affirms each denomination's uniqueness while we worship and work together," he said. At its April 9-11 meeting here, the ELCA Church Council recommended that the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly approve a relationship of Interim Sharing of the Eucharist between the ELCA and the United Methodist Church. The council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between churchwide assemblies. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is Aug. 8-14 in Orlando, Fla. The ELCA and the Episcopal Church share a full communion relationship. - - - The full text of "A Proposal for Interim Eucharistic Sharing between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The United Methodist Church" is in a PDF document at http://tinyurl.com/6axpw on the Web. *Tim Tanton is managing editor for United Methodist News Service. http://www.elca.org/news Did you enjoy this article? Please bookmark it onto:             
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 16 May 2005 ) | ||||
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