[Episcopal News Service]
The Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has asked its ministry and worship staff for a process to study and discuss issues related to authorized lay ministry and ordained ministry.
The discussion was prompted by resolutions from the church's Southwestern Synod and Allegheny Synod, asking the church for guidance on 'lay presidency,' allowing laity to preside at Holy Communion, especially in light of growing needs for alternative leadership in worship. The church's constitution allows laity to perform official church functions as long as a bishop authorizes them but practices vary among the 65 synods. There are 575 synodically authorized lay ministers in addition to the church's 17,425 active and retired pastors, according to ELCA Secretary Lowell Almen.
Bishop Donald McCoid of Pittsburgh, who chairs the Conference of Bishops, said that the bishops 'needed to find a time to look at what our practices are, what our questions are and how we can address this issue that's really important to the ministry of the whole church. 'The matter before us is not only who presides at the table, but who stands in the pulpit and who stands at the font,' added the Rev. Craig Settlage, associate executive director of the church's Division for Ministry.
The issue is important for churches with small membership and few finances for ordained clergy. The number of congregations in the ELCA with fewer than 50 at worship each week rose from 1,935 in 1988 to 2,339 in 2001, Settlage said. Similar numbers were reported for congregations without a called pastor. In 1988, when the ELCA was formed, there were 1,153 congregations without a pastor, compared with 2,456 in 2001.
Bishop Philip Hougen of the Southeastern Iowa Synod said that a churchwide policy on lay presidency has ecumenical implications. 'The Episcopal Church is looking for us to be an ally in limiting lay presidency,' he said. 'It is problematic for the Episcopal Church.' Bishop Steven Ullestad of the Northeastern Iowa Synod said, 'This is not a congregational issue, it's a church issue. The office of ministry is given to the church, not to an individual.' He said that the church needs flexible guidelines for authorized lay ministers that uphold the policies of the church.
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