1. Session Seven: The ELCA: Part One (1977 ~ 1988)
IN AMERICA
LUTHERANISM
Session Seven:
The ELCA: Part One
(1977 ~ 1988)

2. Schedule Overview The ELCA: Part One (1977 – 1988)
Moving to the New World (1600 ~ 1700)
Lutheranism Takes Root (1600 ~ 1800)
Becoming “American” (1700 ~ 1900)
Remaining “Ethnic” (1700 ~ 1900)
Lutherans Unite (1900 – 1962)
Lutherans Divide (again) & Unite (again) (1962 – 1988)
The ELCA: Part One (1977 – 1988)

3. Last Week in Review
1960’s & 1970’s – A Redefining of Lutherans in a Changing America
Addressing Social Issues in the Church (e.g., race, women, etc.)
Crisis and Split in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod
The AELC

4. Questions, comments or smart remarks?
The Course in Review
Questions, comments or smart remarks?

5. I have to tie up one loose end!
But first…
I have to tie up one loose end!

6. Worship Matters…Again
The “Red Book” developed in 1958 served many congregations in the LCA and ALC
In 1965, the LC-MS led a call to form the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship to develop a new hymnal between the LCA, ALC and LC-MS churches

7. Worship Matters…Again
Led to the formation of the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978). Among other things, it included:
Modern diction (no “thee’s” or “thou’s”)
Gender-inclusive language (in regard to people, not God)
A three-year lectionary (RCL), shared by other churches

8. Worship Matters…Again
Led to the formation of the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978). Among other things, it included:
Three settings for the liturgy
Had a greater emphasis on baptism
Emphasis on sharing the peace
Emphasis on connecting worship to mission

9. Worship Matters…Again
Confirmation re-tied to Baptism, and un-tied from Communion in 1970
New issue: how and where and when do we teach young people the basics of faith?
Bringing church and faith to the home
Communion in LBW was the preferred option
By 1990, 15% of ELCA congregations communed weekly. (Today, it is over 40%.)

10. The AELC “Seminex” (“Seminary in Exile”) established in February 1974
The majority of faculty and students walked out of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis
Found a place at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

12. The AELC The LC-MS limped along for a while with a broken appendage
In 1977, three years later, and after many district Presidents had been disciplined for their relationship to Seminex students and faculty, this core group of students, professors and like-minded pastors and congregations form the AELC

13. The AELC The AELC was comprised of 150 churches at its inception
Immediately, it moved to share fellowship with the ALC and the LCA as it saw that this was the way forward for American Lutheranism

14. The AELC The AELC elected Pastor Will Herzfeld as bishop.
The first African American to serve in such an office in an American Lutheran Church.
The AELC saw itself from the beginning as a temporary organization working to form a new church body, inviting the ALC and LCA to begin talks of merger in 1978

15. The Formation of the ELCA
The ALC and the LCA had been in discussion about possibility of merger for a several years at that point.
The death of General President of the ALC, Kent Knutson in 1973, put a hold on those talks

16. The Formation of the ELCA
The new Presiding Bishop of the ALC, David Preus
Cousin of LC-MS President
Did not favor merger… thought that altar and table fellowship was enough
In 1981, a study showed that more than 86% of ALC and LCA Lutherans favored a merger, and Preus then pledged his support

17. The Formation of the ELCA
Bishop of the LCA, James R. Crumley, Jr.
Shared the LCA’s commitment to unity and ecumenism
Was excited about the possibility of merger

18. The Formation of the ELCA
Commission for a New Lutheran Church was formed in 1982 and met ten times over the next five years, holding open meetings across the U.S.
Many issues and debates in forming one church, including
Name of the church
Location of national offices
Pension plans
Congregational property rights
Inclusion of laity, women, minority races, etc. in the governance of the church

19. A “New” Church Commission for a New Lutheran Church
Representatives from all three predecessor bodies came together to hash out details for a “new” church
Tried to incorporate suggestions from others into their decisions
New Name (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)
New Headquarters (Chicago, IL)
New Synodical and Regional Alignments
New Churchwide Units
New Representational System

20. A “New” Church The Commission seemed to try to win everyone’s approval
Appeal for a Women’s Auxillary Organization and a Churchwide Unit devoted to Women’s issues
The Commission created both
Appeal for representation from various races, genders, etc. led to the “Representative Principle” which affected every board, council, and staff in the new church.

21. Representative Principle
60:40 Laity to clergy 50:50 Male to Female 10% People of Color or Primary Language other than English

22. Can the new church be all things to all people? No…but they tried.
A “New” Church
Can the new church be all things to all people? No…but they tried.

23. The Formation of the ELCA
The merger proposal that formed the ELCA was put to a vote at each church’s national assembly on the same day, September 8, 1986 LCA – 611 yes, 11 no ALC – 897 yes, 87 no AELC – 136 yes, 0 no

24. The Formation of the ELCA
ELCA Constituting Convention held in Columbus, OH April 30-May 3, 1987
Rev. Herbert Chilstrom elected first Presiding Bishop of the ELCA
ELCA began its legal existence at 12:01 a.m. CST on January 1, 1988

25. The Formation of the ELCA
When formed, the ELCA became the 4th largest Protestant church in the United States
Behind Southern Baptist Convention, the United Methodist Church and the National Baptist Convention
ELCA began with:
5,288,471 members
11,133 congregations
17,052 pastors

26. The Obstacles to Formation
ALC
LCA
AELC

27. The Obstacles to Formation
Computer systems from the LCA and ALC were not compatible
LCA used IBM while ALC used Unisys
New ELCA system not in place until August 1988, creating 8 months of data backlog

28. The Obstacles to Formation
Publishing Houses of Predecessor Bodies
ALC = Augsburg Publishing House (based in Minneapolis)
LCA = Fortress Press (based in Philadelphia)
Combine to become Augsburg Fortress (based in Minneapolis)
Consolidating inventories and agreeing on works-in-progress proved to be a difficult task

29. The Obstacles to Formation
Synodical Organization
LCA had 33 “synods”
ALC had 18 “districts”
ELCA formed 65 “synods”
64 “regional”
1 “extra-regional”

32. ELCA Church Governance
In many ways, the issue of ecclesiology (i.e., the nature of the church) prompted the most visceral responses from people across the church
How do you combine two different governance models into one?

33. ELCA Church Governance
ALC
LCA
“Bottom-Up” model of governance
National church provided support and organization to congregations, but had little power in and of itself
“Congregationalist” mentality led to suspicion of new church structure
More “Top-Down” model of governance
National church had some authority, but shared responsibilities with synods and congregations
Prided itself on consistency of practice across the church
“Denominationalist” mentality fit well with new church structure

34. ELCA Church Governance
ALC
LCA

35. ELCA Church Governance

36. ELCA Church Governance
Chapter 3. NATURE OF THE CHURCH All power in the Church belongs to our Lord Jesus Christ, its head. All actions of this church are to be carried out under his rule and authority.

37. ELCA Church Governance
Chapter 3. NATURE OF THE CHURCH (continued) The Church exists both as an inclusive fellowship and as local congregations gathered for worship and Christian service. Congregations find their fulfillment in the universal community of the Church, and the universal Church exists in and through congregations. This church, therefore, derives its character and powers both from the sanction and representation of its congregations and from its inherent nature as an expression of the broader fellowship of the faithful. In length, it acknowledges itself to be in the historic continuity of the communion of saints; in breadth, it expresses the fellowship of believers and congregations in our day.

38. Who Has Authority in ELCA?
CONGREGATION
SYNOD
CHURCHWIDE
Congregation Member? Congregation Council? Pastor?
Congregations? Synod Council? Bishop?
Synods? Churchwide Council? Presiding Bishop?

39. Who Has Authority in ELCA?
YES!

40. ELCA Church Governance
A good summary of this sentiment comes from Rocky Mountain Synod Bishop Jim Gonia “Everything you do [as a congregation], you do on behalf of this whole church; and this whole church has a vested interest in everything you do.”

41. ELCA Church Governance
The issue of authority in the Church has still not been resolved adequately for many ELCA members
Has led to many divisive debates, especially surrounding the issue of Full Communion relationship with the Episcopal Church
Can pastors ordain other pastors, or must it be a bishop?