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August 28, 2010
Convocation Inaugurates New Lutheran Body
Righteously disaffected from ELCA progressivism, the new North American seeks to be faithful to the creeds, the canon, and its congregations.
In March I wrote my “Past Imperfect” column about two denominational start ups: the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), which formed in 2009, and the North American Lutheran Church (NALC), which formed in 2010—indeed, yesterday.
On Friday, 1100 Lutherans, rightly and righteously disaffected from the once gigantic, now shrinking Evangelical Lutheran Church, formally adopted a constitution at a meeting in Columbus, Ohio.
Here is a key statement from the NALC’s detailed press release:
‘The NALC will embody the center of Lutheranism in America. The NALC will uphold
confessional principles dear to Lutherans including a commitment to the authority of the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions. Members and congregations of the NALC will have direct involvement in the decisions and life of the NALC,’ said the Rev. Mark Chavez of Landisville, Pa., director of Lutheran CORE.
The issue of authority surfaces three ways in Chavez’s statement: (1) the role of the Bible (as contrasted with culture and the “bound conscience” of the autonomous self), (2) the role of the creeds and confessions (as contrasted with contemporary conventional wisdom), and (3) the role of the constituent churches (as opposed to bodies composed by quota systems).
On Thursday, I asked spokesman David Baer how many congregations would be part of the NALC at the beginning. He explained that under ELCA rules, congregations couldn’t leave unless there was another group for them to join. Despite those rules, 18 congregations had already held congregational votes to join the NALC. Once the constitution was adopted, Baer said, the NALC “would be open for business.” Over the next year, he expected those 18 congregations to grow to about 200.
This is a contrast to last year’s events when several We’re-not-Episcopalian groups of North American Anglicans formed ACNA. Because ACNA was a wedding of groups with hundreds of congregations, it started out with a critical mass of about 700. NALC is not a merger but an institutionalized invitation to centrist Lutheran orthodoxy.
Both the ACNA and the NALC formed after their respective mainline denominations took revisionist stances on sexuality. But both groups are clear that the real issues are not about sexuality, but about biblical authority and, in fact, the gospel.
Another interesting similarity between the ACNA and the NALC is the strong support received from sister churches in Africa. World Lutheranism’s second and third largest churches are in Ethiopia and Tanzania. (Sweden has the world’s largest Lutheran body, but the rate of church participation in Sweden is far below that in the African churches.) Both African bodies sent representatives to the convocation that formed the NALC, and a bishop from Tanzania participated in the installation of Paull Spring, newly elected bishop of the NALC.
Spring and four other officers were elected to single-year terms. Spring, a retired ELCA bishop from Pennsylvania, made it clear that he would not serve after that initial year. Thus as new congregations join the NALC during the coming year, they soon be able to participate in the selection of ongoing leadership.
I was among the 800-plus attendees at a three-day theological conference that preceded the convocation at which the NALC was formed. A team of eminent Lutheran theologians was spearheaded by 81-year-old Carl Braaten, who spoke fire about the theological deficits of contemporary Lutheranism.
In a few days, I will post my reflections on the theological conference.
Comments
As a long-time member and staff member of an ELCA Congregation, I had already begun attending another denomination's services when the "ordain gay's" decision was made. I am delighted that there are Lutheran's in North America, and around the world who are standing for the authority of the Scriptures, and are seperating from the trend of the ELCA to interpret the Bible according to the mores of the culture. I will be looking for a congregation in Fort Wayne Indiana to stand with the North American Lutheran Church.
Posted By: Alice Culp | August 28, 2010 10:26 PM
I am glad you were there, David! I do have a lot of thoughts and unanswered questions about this issue. We must reconnect.
Posted By: uwe siemon-netto | August 28, 2010 11:33 PM
The NALC's new website is at www.thenalc.org. See tabs named Join Us and Congregations for information on how to join and for a list of congregations to date. The LCMC also has a list of new congregations that joined since the 2009 vote--many of those may also join the NALC.
Posted By: Kim Smith | August 29, 2010 2:07 AM
Some may be asking why didn't these congregations join the LCMS (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) It is possible that they were seeking a new denomination between the more conservative LCMS and the increasingly liberal ELCA?
Posted By: Basil | August 30, 2010 12:31 PM
If Catholics and Lutherans spent half as much time simply studying the Scriptures together and worshiping Christ the Only Lord as they do bickering about which side is doing it "right", the fruits of the Spirit would flourish for all involved.
I tried and tried, doing liturgy and rituals "right" in both, but the Holy Spirit did not open the eyes of my heart until I was in a tiny nondenominational church where Scripture was being usefully taught for real life application. Suddenly I understood the Scriptures like I never had before, just as Jesus opened the minds of the disciples in Luke 24:45 - Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
Jesus taught that the "faith of a CHILD"--NOT conformity to educated, power-weilding political men's governance and edicts--is what it takes to be in Him.
Posted By: Jeannette | August 30, 2010 1:33 PM
A third denomination could be added to the list. In the past couple of years a numerous congregations have left the Presbyterian Church USA for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. While the EPC has not formed in the last 2 years as is the case with the Anglican and Lutheran bodies, the same issues have been in contention. If the new bodies can establish and sustain themselves perhaps we are witnessing one of those historic reallignmnents that have been a part or our past.
Posted By: Steve | August 30, 2010 1:49 PM
Well folks, I'm an ELCA pastor and will remain one. I'm just at justified by faith in Jesus Christ through grace as I was last week and will continue to be -- as the Lord promises -- forever.
I will never be justified by God for having the "right" theological position on gay clergy. This is not an issue of salvation.
It bothers me that in the middle of the greatest recession since the great depression -- with all of the serious need right outside our church doors, with war in the Middle East, and with the obvious need for God's people to come together for the sake of the common good -- that some of us choose to have a big, splintering church fight over the possible ordination of a few gay people who could not be ordained in the ELCA without an official call (voted on) from a congregation. Sometimes we have no perspective in the church.
As for the ELCA, we should not have been creating new clergy policies unless the rules for everyone were clear. They were not a year ago and they still are not today. My own sexuality is freely expressed within the bonds of my marriage. That isn't possible for gay people in most states (yet). What benefit was there for the ELCA jumped the gun? A lot of confusion and hurt people.
The question I have for the new NALC is this -- What is your position on divorced clergy? Seems like Jesus said something directly against divorce (which he did not do regarding homosexuality).... (Matt 19, Mark 10) Will NALC clergy be allowed on the denominational roster in spite of their failed marriages? Just curious Carl Braaten & Richard Jenson. I'd be very interested in hearing those dogmatic speeches.
Oi!
Posted By: Tim Larson | September 8, 2010 9:55 PM
Good point, Pastor Larson, about questioning the NALC about divorced clergy.
As for the possibility of gay clergy expressing their sexuality within the bonds of marriage, while you are correct that legally that is possible only within a few states, marriage has both legal and religious sides. It's possible for people to enter into marriages that are recognized legally but are unrecognized by churches (e.g., divorced Catholics remarrying). Surely the converse is also possible, that people's marriages might be recognized by churches but not by government (e.g., gay couples having holy unions in certain churches). Must the ELCA's definition of marriage be limited by the governments of the states in which it has churches? Surely not. Some would argue that the ELCA should be free to limit its definition of marriage (e.g., not accepting gay weddings in Massachusetts); others would argue that the ELCA should be free to expand its definition of marriage (e.g., acknowledging that gay couples, despite what the law in a state might be, can enter into covenanted relationships blessed by their churches).
Posted By: David Lauri | January 6, 2011 9:19 AM