1999 Synod Assembly Report, Or
"What's a Conservative Pastor to Do?" Part 2
(Continuation from June Caller)

Yeah, I guess so… But speaking as a white male vestige of the old church (sorry, I can’t help it – that’s what/who I am! I really feel guilty about it, but I’m not sure how to change), it’s a little difficult to separate the kind of reverse discrimination and politically correct rhetoric from the genuine issues of substance that should concern God’s people.  It seems that in correcting some of the perceived abuses of the past, too much of what was valued and helpful is going out the window as well. It seems to me that much of the scriptural and traditional grounding our church had to offer is losing its power as the church falls under the siren song of the cultural and religious trends of today.

This loss may be intentional on the part of the leaders of our church, and it may soon be accelerating and moving in new and different directions. We’ve mentioned recently a concern about the “Ecclesiastical Promiscuity,” that is, the “flirting” with other denominations in order to develop some sort of union with virtually any other denomination that will stand still for it. If this sounds a little nasty, I guess that’s what I intended. And I’m afraid the similarities between our church’s direction and loose sexual behavior don’t stop there. Just as that sort of behavior among people ultimately leads to, um, interesting diseases, so also, I fear, do poorly conceived ecclesiastical agreements, but the diseases are theological, moral and spiritual. 

In the past, most discussions with other churches haven’t caused much concern. They have sought to find common theological ground and sought to explore means of working together in new ways. These agreements largely, in my opinion, just served to put down in writing what we already did. Having served in small towns in Nebraska and Minnesota, I learned quickly that Lutherans, Methodists, Congregational churches, Christian churches, Baptists, Four-Square churches, Episcopal churches, and –  gasp! – even Missouri Synod churches shared ministry, facilities, and yes, also pastors when necessary.  This happened because of personal relationships, mutually earned respect and a desire to care for God’s people, not because higher-ups in the church said it was ok. 

But now something different is happening. The ELCA leadership has decided, no matter what actual pastors, theologians, seminary professors or even church members think, to enter into a new agreement with the Episcopal Church. I generally like Episcopalians, almost as much as Lutherans, but I DON’T like some aspects of this decision that is about to be force-fed to ELCA churches. 

According to Dr Tod Nichol, a professor at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN, who was a member of the drafting team chosen to rework the already failed original proposal of unity with the Episcopal Church, there are some objections which should cause concern as the ELCA prepares to ratify this agreement this coming August.  Dr. Nichol favors some kind of “Communion in Christ” agreement with the Episcopal Church, perhaps similar to our agreements with other churches, but not at the cost that this agreement will be to our church. The ELCA compromises too much, while the Episcopal Church compromises on nothing.

Dr. Nichol writes in his dissenting opinion, “Called to Common Mission: A Minority View”  (as quoted in the newsletter from FOCL – the Fellowship of Confessional Lutherans), there were some problems with the process as well as the results of the document. 

The process was flawed in that, in an unusual move, the minority opinion was not published with the original proposal. This seems to be a blatant attempt to stifle debate and, worse, limit and shape the understanding of those who will vote on any proposal in August of 1999. It was further flawed in the instructions given to the team working on the proposal: they were specifically told that a revised and rewritten statement must include an agreement on the “historic episcopate.”  This, the most controversial and divisive item for Lutherans, was not even to be discussed! 

About now you should be asking, “So what is the ‘historic episcopate’ and who cares about it?” Well, Lutherans (freethinking, gospel-oriented people that we are) have believed from the beginning that “right preaching of the Gospel and administration of the Sacraments are sufficient for the unity of the church.” The Episcopal Church is adamant that their clergy, and now if this goes through, ELCA Lutheran clergy, in order to be recognized and acceptable, must have been ordained by someone in the line of succession of clergy going all the way (so it is supposed, anyway) back to the apostles themselves. 

In the first place, this is historically impossible to trace back – so it seems that it is a bit of a farce. In the second place, it puts human convention over the power of the Gospel. Finally, it is in violation of Article 7 of the Augsburg Confession, one of the founding documents of the Lutheran Church.  Luther rightly called such things “adiaphora,” a Latin term meaning inconsequential or unimportant. To lift such things to this high a level of importance is to alter the foundations of our church. 

If the validity of our ministry hinges on whether a pastor was touched by someone, who was touched by someone, who was touched by someone… all the way back to the apostles, then we have a real disagreement about what church is all about, and it shifts the focus of and basis for the church AWAY FROM the Scriptures and our Lutheran Confessions, and ON TO structural issues within the church. Incredible amounts of money and energy are being expended over this stuff!  What a shame! It is no wonder that the church has trouble using Scripture as the basis for its decisions on sexuality and other issues.  

If this agreement is passed, all future pastors will be ordained into the historic episcopate. Those of us who were not ordained into it will be considered as having a valid ministry under a temporary exclusion (well, thanks a lot!).  Along with the historic episcopate, there will be changes to our leadership structure – bishops will be elected for life and even after retirement will have vote, and modifications to our liturgical and worship practices to bring us more in line with the Episcopal Church.  Church constitutions will have to be changed to reflect a different polity and affiliation. Pastors will have to wear purple socks and underwear (not really – that’s a joke for the Bishop). 

Not to be alarmist, but I have a nasty feeling that if this passes, there may be a split in the ELCA. That might not be all that bad, but it is not something that I would hope to ever see. It may be inevitable, and its unfortunate that it would come over attempts, defective as they may be, to work more closely with another fine denomination.

I mentioned last month that I would talk about some of the positive aspects of being in a large denomination like the ELCA, and I meant it!  Even though there are areas of disagreement, still this is, in my opinion (at this point), the best possible Lutheran church to be affiliated with. With any church body there will be some areas of disagreement, some differences of opinion. Some of them may be on major issues, but as long as the focus for our church remains on Jesus Christ, it is worth putting up with some differences.

The schools, colleges, and the seminaries of the ELCA all provide amazing lay and pastoral resources for the church to draw upon. The network of missionaries around the world, while not as large as it was before the 1988 merger, is still substantial. The work of Lutheran Social Services meets many important needs in communities and churches around the country.  The publishing resources of the ELCA are a great resource for us. Without participation in a large denomination, the “pool” of pastors, teachers, and administrators becomes more of a “puddle.” 

While it is very easy to find areas for disagreement and discord within any church or denomination, I believe we should, at this time and in the foreseeable future, choose to maintain relationships with the ELCA. It may seem shocking to bring this prospect of disaffiliating up, but there are many who genuinely struggle to find reasons to stay within the ELCA. A fair number of churches have left, and I believe that if the Episcopal proposal goes through, the numbers will grow.  

There are still significant freedoms for a conservative church like Trinity to determine its own course into the 21st century. We rejoice in that, and will try to be supportive members of the ELCA and its ministries to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

Pastor Larry Becker
July, 1999