Episcopalians vote to make historic pact with Lutherans

July 9, 2000
Web posted at: 1:05 a.m. EDT (0505 GMT)

DENVER (CNN) -- Deputies of the Episcopal Church voted overwhelmingly Saturday to establish "full communion" with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

The vote came at the Episcopal General Convention.

"It went through surprisingly easily," said Jim Solheim, the Episcopal News Service director. "They thought there might be some opposition, but no one spoke against it."

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The "Called to Common Mission" document does not represent a merger, according to the Episcopal Church's Web site. It does, however, commit the two churches to a full sharing of their mission and ministries.

The Rev. Jane Gould, an Episcopal chaplain at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said the cooperation between the two denominations would not result in "Lutherpalians or Episcorans," but in a better understanding of what the two religions mean.

"It means we stop working in isolation, we stop competing, and we promise to work together in every possible capacity," said Solheim.

"After 30 years of official dialogue, we discovered that there were so few theological differences [between the churches], only stylistic differences," he added.

Solheim said another advantage is that it would give Episcopalians and Lutherans a greater lobbying voice in Washington.

Episcopal Church, USA - Office of The General Convention
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

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