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Lutheran dissidents at work on new body
Nov. 20, 2009
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Printer-friendly versionSend to friendPDF versionIn late September, Lutheran dissidents said they would hunker down for a year and study whether to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and create a new church body.
Less than two months later, on Wednesday (Nov. 19) Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Renewal) announced that indeed such a body "will likely be necessary."
"What happened was the idea of a discussion for a year became kind of scary for people who want to leave now," said the Rev. David Baer, a CORE spokesman and pastor of an ELCA church in Whitewood, S.D.
Baer said his own church will vote this weekend on whether to join CORE, which he estimates counts around 700 congregations as members.
CORE said no "firm decisions" have been made about how the new church body will be structured; recommendations will be released in February. "The working committee is just beginning their work," Baer said. "What we've done is paint a little picture of what a church body will look like."
Conservative Lutherans have been distressed since the ELCA's Churchwide Assembly voted in August to allow gays and lesbians in committed, same-sex relationships to be ordained as clergy. The assembly also voted to allow congregations to recognize and support such relationships.
"The vote on sexuality opened the eyes of many to how far the ELCA has moved from biblical teaching," the Rev. Paull Spring, CORE's chair, said in a statement Wednesday.
ELCA spokesman John Brooks said CORE's announcement was expected. "We are staying focused on our clear priorities and clear mission. More than 10,000 congregations that want to be part of that mission."
Five congregations have taken the two votes necessary to leave the ELCA since the Churchwide Assembly, Brooks said. The ELCA has approximately 4.6 million members spread across 10,300 congregations. Eighty-seven congregations have taken the first vote, and 28 of those did not attain the two-thirds majority required to leave the denomination, Brooks said.
"That two-thirds hurdle is a big hurdle for some congregations," Baer said.
As an ELCA educated student,
As an ELCA educated student, and once approved candidate for ordination, last summer's resolution in Minneapolis was a long time coming. The way Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgender people have been treated by the "church" I can only say to CORE, "don't let the door hit you on the way out!" The Christians who truly welcome the least of society are those who understand the admonition of our Lord.
Kurt Hilden
The TRINITY must truly be
The TRINITY must truly be chuckling:
Does the "ANGLICAN OPTION" of fence-jumping also exist for Lutherans? Who would have ever thought that all these splintered factions would return to the "one, true fold" in PROTEST of their own denominations' policies of INCLUSIVITY?
Yes, yes, by all means, come HOME to the new and improved Roman Catholic Church. Embrace our institutionalized bigotry and exclusivity....just like Jesus wanted.
Stephen Colbert show (saw it
Stephen Colbert show (saw it on youtube, also Comedy Network), had an Anglican priest come on who says he won't join Catholics with Anglicans based on hating and excluding women and homosexuals, It is funny, I agree with those who know what the pope is doing, poaching misogynist, homophobic Anglicans, and realize that it is not right. Jesus says love your neighbour, not hate, shun and exclude your neighbour. Jesus had lots of great women apostles too, not just men, and Paul calls women co-workers, St Peter says women must do all good works of the church and women, do not be afraid of anything, Sounds like they all gave approval of women being ordained as men are.
Does anyone else see
Does anyone else see something wrong with so-called same sex unions? They broke up the Anglican Communion. They are breaking up the Lutherans.
A community or congregation
A community or congregation founded on a negative premise is doomed to eventual failure. The dissenting Evangelical Lutheran congregations must already know that people (including ministers) can quote the Bible to prove or disprove anything. It is most unfortunate that ministers -- in order to prove a point to the church authorities -- would uproot good and holy people from parish-families where they have worshipped for generations.
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