c. 1998 Religion News Service

UNDATED _ The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which a year ago rebuffed the Episcopal Church in a joint ministry and sacrament agreement, is trying again _ this time with a proposal denominational leaders hope will appease conservative, anti-bishop members.

Under the proposal sent to regional synods last week (Nov. 16-20), Lutheran bishops will not be ordained for life nor will they be able to ordain new pastors once they step down from their posts _ key sticking points in the failed effort by the ELCA and the Episcopal Church to forge closer institutional ties.

At the same time, each ELCA bishop will become and remain part of the”historic episcopacy,”as present in the Episcopal Church. The historic episcopacy refers to the”laying-on-of-hands”during a bishop’s ordination in a ritual believed to stretch in an unbroken line back to the early church.

The proposal for lifelong bishops was one reason for last August’s rejection of the Concordat of Agreement, hammered out over several decades by Episcopal and Lutheran theologians. The concordat was approved overwhelmingly by the Episcopal Church, but failed by a handful of votes at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, stunning church leaders.

Since then, Lutheran theologians and leaders have been seeking to revise the concordat to make it more palatable to anti-hierarchical Lutherans without making it unacceptable to the Episcopal Church.

The new document, approved last week by the ELCA’s Church Council, makes several changes on the Lutheran side concerning the role and ordination of bishops.

If approved by both churches, the agreement will be similar to one approved between the ELCA, Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed Church in America and United Church of Christ under which each denomination recognizes the other’s pastors and develops common ministries, including joint congregations. The model is also being used to help forge future agreements between the ELCA and the Eastern Orthodox and Moravian churches.

The new Lutheran version of the agreement with the Episcopalians has been retitled,”Called to Common Mission: A Lutheran Proposal for a Revision of the Concordat of Agreement.” An estimated 50,000 copies of the document and educational materials should be in the hands of each congregation by February or March, giving giving them nine months to discuss it before the Church Council makes its final recommendation, according to the Rev. Dan Martensen, the ELCA’s ecumenical officer.

Episcopal observers said the proposal will not require Episcopalians to enact any new measures before a final vote on the intercommunion agreement in 2000.

Based on a grassroots experience with each other, there is little difference between Lutherans and Episcopalians at the pew level.

However, the denominations have been unable to forge intercommunion agreements, largely because some segments of Lutheranism don’t like the idea of the office of bishops. Episcopalians see bishops as set aside for life with a sacramental ability to ordain new priests; Lutherans see them as elected for set terms and believe any pastor can ordain.”Neither church seeks to remake the other in its own image, but each is open to the gifts of the other as it seeks to be faithful to Christ and his mission,”the new Lutheran version of the intercommunion agreement says.

The new Lutheran proposal also bars retired bishops from ordaining future pastors, nor have a place in councils of bishops. But, the proposal allows for Episcopal bishops to continue in their post-retirement roles of being able to ordain in their traditions and hold positions in their House of Bishops.

Martensen said the new Lutheran proposal allows for some”wiggle room,”bowing to the Episcopal insistence that once a bishop is consecrated in the historic episcopacy, he holds that sacramental role until death.

The concept is tucked into a provision that if a bishop leaves office, but is re-elected at a later time, he or she will not be required to undergo a new laying-on-of-hands as required for the first installation.

But the new document retains the Episcopal Church’s insistence that there be an unbroken sacramental line for all bishops. Lutherans will be able to utilize Lutheran bishops who are in churches _ Sweden, El Salvador and Tanzania _ that maintain the”historic episcopacy.””As a result of their agreement in faith and in testimony of their full communion with one another, both churches now make the following commitment to share an episcopal succession that is both evangelical and historic,”the new proposal says.”Before, the people felt left out of the debate,”said Martensen. Now, the issue turns on whether the Lutherans will agree to the requirement for new bishops to be part of the historic episcopacy.

Three participants in the 30-member Church Council voted against the revised measure.

The Rev. David K. Johnson, a council member from Fargo, N.D., said the earlier proposal failed to pass muster by the ELCA, because it required the church to accept the historic episcopate and, he added, in the new proposal,”The main issue is not addressed. There is no change and that issue is creating more heat this time.”

DEA END EBRIGGS