By the Rev. Albert N. Minor

The ball’s back in our court. In 1997 we accepted the current proposal. In 1998 the Lutherans rejected it by only 6 votes in their General Assembly. This was probably good for the ELCA body, for it revealed the degree of education and discussion which needed to continue within their families. Our agreements on theology and sacraments is very congruent and provides no barrier to full intercom-munion, but many Lutherans did not want an official statement committing them to the “essential” nature of the historic episcopate, especially since so many Lutheran bodies had come to America to escape the abuses of this office in previous times. The proposal exposed wounds that needed more healing.

The Concordat was re-worked, and this main sticking point was softened. The htistoic episcopate would be accepted for the purposes of this great and important ecumenical step, but in doing, so the ELCA would in no way be affirming its essential nature in exercising the Biblical call to apostolic ministry. The two must be understood separately from each other. Loyalty to the historic Apostolic Ministry of the Church is essential, but the historic episcopate in exercising that ministry would not be considered such.

However, all future ordinations within the ELCA will be done within the pattern of the historic episcopate. This is the essential pattern in which the Anglicans provided the historic episcopate for the Church of South India about 50 years ago. The office has grown within that Church, has showed its richness, and is now highly valued. Such patient acceptance of risky compromises is an Anglican pattern. We can venture into this in good faith that the historic episcopate is God’s to control and use, not ours to isolate and protect.

At the ELCA General Assembly there were many testimonies about the de facto intercommunion now existing in the growing number of Episcopal/Lutheran congregations.

The Lutherans have legitimized an existing situation. Now it is up to us.

Our church would suffer no harm internally. In turn, the Lutherans will be bringing the element of the historic episcopate back into the reform tradition and eventually will deeply influence the three other church bodies with which they are now in full intercomnunion: the Presbyterian Church, USA; the United Church of Christ; and the Reform Church of America. We will be acting in cheerful hope and responsibly in bringing this to full fruition at our General Convention in 2000. We are upon a critical moment in our ecumenical ministry.

The Rev. Albert N. Minor serves as the Ecumenical Officer for the Diocese of East Tennessee.

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