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Monday, April 12, 2010
The Whole Body of Christ
Yesterday United Methodists in New England joined with our Evangelical Lutheran brothers and sisters in a service celebrating the joining of our two denominations in full communion.
This historic union is described in the article below. The link to this article, along with more information can be found here.
Full communion is not a merger, but means that the two churches express a common confession of Christian faith and mutual recognition of Baptism and sharing Holy Communion; agree to mutual recognition of ordained ministers for service, upon request, in either church; express a common commitment to evangelism, witness and service; engage in common decision-making on critical matters; and mutually lift criticisms that may exist between the churches.
The relationship is a culmination of more than 30 years of deep conversation and a shared commitment to Christian unity, said United Methodist Bishop Peter D. Weaver. “We celebrate the significance of this historic agreement,” he commented. “Yet we recognize that we are only at the beginning of this journey. This celebration is but a first step in living out the future that God is unfolding before us.”
“We have claimed our unity in Christ, and are building a relationship based on the faith and values that we share,” he continued. “We now look forward to faithfully and boldly stepping out in mission and ministry together, for the sake of the gospel.”
There are 4.7 million members in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The United Methodist Church has 11.2 million members worldwide. The ELCA already has a full communion agreement with the Episcopal Church, as well as with four other denominations. It is the first such agreement for United Methodists.
This historic union is described in the article below. The link to this article, along with more information can be found here.
This weekend, members of The United Methodist Church (UMC) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in New England will celebrate an event 30 years in the making. In August 2009, the ELCA voted 958 to 51 to adopt a “full communion” agreement with the United Methodist Church. United Methodists also gave their overwhelming approval to the agreement in an 864-19 vote at the 2008 UMC General Conference in Fort Worth, Texas.
Full communion is not a merger, but means that the two churches express a common confession of Christian faith and mutual recognition of Baptism and sharing Holy Communion; agree to mutual recognition of ordained ministers for service, upon request, in either church; express a common commitment to evangelism, witness and service; engage in common decision-making on critical matters; and mutually lift criticisms that may exist between the churches.
The relationship is a culmination of more than 30 years of deep conversation and a shared commitment to Christian unity, said United Methodist Bishop Peter D. Weaver. “We celebrate the significance of this historic agreement,” he commented. “Yet we recognize that we are only at the beginning of this journey. This celebration is but a first step in living out the future that God is unfolding before us.”
“We have claimed our unity in Christ, and are building a relationship based on the faith and values that we share,” he continued. “We now look forward to faithfully and boldly stepping out in mission and ministry together, for the sake of the gospel.”
There are 4.7 million members in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The United Methodist Church has 11.2 million members worldwide. The ELCA already has a full communion agreement with the Episcopal Church, as well as with four other denominations. It is the first such agreement for United Methodists.
posted by Pastor Krista Beth # 10:39 AM 
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