October 29, 2009
Greetings in Jesus’ Name:
"God is reforming the churches of the Reformation . . . The question for us is not so much whether we ought to re-vision Lutheranism in North America, but rather how will we respond to this clear invitation to re-vision Lutheranism in North America," Ryan Schwarz of Lutheran CORE Steering Committee told the Lutheran CORE Convocation September 25 in the Indianapolis suburb of Fishers, Indiana.
The next day, the 1,200 Lutheran CORE members at the Convocation unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing a process "leading toward a possible reconfiguration of North American Lutheranism." The Lutheran CORE Steering Committee was charged with developing a recommendation for action. Having been entrusted with overseeing this process, we want to keep you informed as to what is happening and how you can be involved in shaping the future for Lutherans in North America.
A timeline for reconfiguration has now been developed, the detail of which is below. In short, a major statement of the direction of reconfiguration will be published by the Steering Committee following its meeting on November 17-18, 2009. A design for reconfiguration will be created and published by February 2010, and that design will be presented for adoption and implementation to the 2010 Lutheran CORE Convocation, which will be August 26-27, 2010, in Columbus, Ohio.
Seven working groups are being formed. They will address various aspects of the life and work of Lutheran CORE and the work toward reconfiguration. The Vision and Planning working group, chaired by Ryan Schwarz, will serve as the lead unit in developing the reconfiguration proposal. Information on the groups and an application form for those who feel called to serve are available online at www.lutherancore.org.
Literally dozens of regional groups and gatherings have been organized post-Fishers. The Steering Committee has prepared a short list of discussion questions for such meetings, seeking input for the reconfiguration process. These questions are available on our website, www.lutherancore.org. If you are organizing a regional gathering, please download the questions and plan to provide your group’s ideas for the reconfiguration working groups.
This is an exciting time for faithful Lutherans in North America as we discover the future God has in store for us. A summary of the timeline for our common work over the coming months follows:
Nov 2, 2009 -- Lutheran CORE and WordAlone Network leaders meet for preliminary conversations
Nov 17-18, 2009 -- Lutheran CORE Steering Committee meeting, followed by public statement on reconfiguration
Dec 2009 -- Initial meeting of Vision and Planning Working Group
Early Jan 2010 -- Consultations with partner renewal movements and congregational members of Lutheran CORE
Mid Jan 2010 -- Meetings with movements and Lutheran church bodies that are not a part of Lutheran CORE
Late Jan 2010 -- Preparation of draft proposal by Vision and Planning team
Early Feb 2010 -- Review by Lutheran CORE’s Advisory Council, the theologians and church leaders who advise Lutheran CORE on significant issues
Mid Feb 2010 -- Final review by Steering Committee and publication of recommendation for review by Lutheran CORE members and partners
Mar 2010 -- Constitutional Working Group begins work on constitutional amendments required for implementation of reconfiguration design
July 2010 -- Proposed constitutional amendments published for review by Lutheran CORE members and partners
Aug 26-27, 2010 -- Lutheran CORE Convocation considers recommendation on reconfiguration and proposed constitutional amendments
Your servants in Christ,
Lutheran CORE Steering Committee
Bishop Paull Spring - Chair
Pastor Mark Chavez - Director
Pastor Scott Grorud
Pastor Rebecca M. M. Heber
Pastor Kenneth Kimball
Pastor Victor C. Langford III
Mr. Ryan Schwarz
Pastor W. Stevens Shipman - Secretary
Pastor Paul Ulring
Pastor Erma Wolf - Vice Chair
8 comments:
This is one of the saddest things I have seen since the Missouri Synod split. Once again Lutherans are working very, very hard to make God's house smaller! I remember the instruction to love God with all my heart and soul and my neighbor as myself; I don't remember the instruction to condemn others and fight amongst ourselves. In fact, the only people I remember Jesus getting angry at were the ones using God's name to inflate their importance and belittle others...not that there's any relevance here, hey? What an embarrassment for us, in front of the community and God as well.
Interesting, I thought that as Lutherans we affirm that the church is the community of believers gathered around Word and Sacrament. If so, then how exactly does Lutherans reorganizing earthly structures (ie the left hand kingdom) for clearer proclamation and more effective ministry constitute making God's house smaller?? Sounds very much like visible church = true church to me.
Clam
If it works like it did last time, it does it by clearly identifying the "other" and enabling their blanket rejection (perhaps because of a "confessional crisis"). I grew up in a Missouri Synod church. Thanks to geography, I currently attend an ELCA chruch and have been told by the pastor of the church I was baptized and confirmed in that I am no longer welcome to commune with my parents when I go home, because of disagreements between the two national organizations. I'm sure God is as happy about that as I am.
The victim-speak that led to the LCMS mess is loud and clear in this blog post. EG.."please pray for all those ELCA members, pastors, and congregations who have been hurt by the actions of the ELCA Churchwide Assembly..." Who is moving to reject their fellow Christians here, the synod assembly? Are they the ones using the exclusive language? Why not a prayer to resolve the conflict in the spirit of love and fellowship while working in Christ's service? That's the one I chose to say.
Wow, powerful comments. Would be nice to hear some sort of a rebuttle from those on the other side, but from following other similar blogs, no one has an answer. How easy it is to condemn others for what we "think" God would approve or disapprove of. Who is the real sinner here?
Having been to the CORE Convocation in Fishers, Indiana, where the plans were begun for this "reconfiguration", I am pleased and hopeful with what I see unfolding. And contrary to the dismissive comments above, the spirit at Fishers and what I perceive here is one of hope for the future. The focus is not on division and condemnation, but on encouragement and a desire to create room for a faithful, orthodox Lutheran witness, whether within the ELCA - as many are committed to remain - or outside the ELCA - as others feel called to do. I look forward to seeing and participating in what CORE can become.
Marshall Hahn
I am so happy for Marshall that he found hope and inspiration at Fishers for a more faithful Lutheran future. What exactly does this future look like? How many people can we exclude from God's house before there is no one left? Once again, left only with more questions and less answers.
Two very good questions, stated anonymously. What will it look like? Wait and see. Or, come and see. How many people CAN we exclude? I am in the ELCA. And right now, we, in the ELCA, are doing a pretty good job of excluding a whole lot of people - more all the time, from what I can see. Particularly judging from the proposed changes to ordination standards that have been put forward.
Marshall Hahn
I am arriving late to this discussion but here are my thoughts.
There is no rule on the books now that Excludes anyone who would likely fall under the CORE umbrella.
There is no institutionalized rule that prohibits are directly excludes any one who could be called orthidox or confessional.
So how can the those who like Mr. Hahn delcare they are being excluded have a claim unless they ae choosing to self-exclude?
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