Dispatches from GA227: The Lutherans (ELCA) have a seat

Photo: Unsplash.com.

Things are officially underway, and you might be surprised to learn that we have some guests in our committee rooms. If you look at the name badges around the table, you will spot a few ELCA Lutherans hanging out with us during Presbyterian business. While I knew they would be here, it is often a big surprise for folks who are new to how the wider Church operates. No, they didn't get lost on the way to their own convention. They are actually supposed to be here!

It all goes back to a historic agreement from 1997 called the Formula of Agreement. Think of it as a theological friendship pact. We came into communion with the ELCA because, fundamentally, we recognized that our shared core convictions are far greater than our historical differences. For centuries, our traditions focused heavily on fine-print theological debates over things like how Christ is present in communion or exactly how church leadership should look. By 1997, we decided it was time to stop letting those arguments keep us apart. We realized that we don't have to be identical to be partners in ministry, and that a divided witness to the world hurts our shared mission.

So the PC(USA) and the ELCA, along with a couple of other denominations, officially declared "full communion" with each other. That is just church speak for saying we recognize each other as the real deal. We trust that they preach the Gospel beautifully and administer the Sacraments properly, and they think the same of us.

Because of that, we can even swap pastors, work on missions together, and pulpits are fully open to one another. In fact, this very Communion is the reason why ELCA churches have been so comfortable welcoming me into their pulpits to preach in the past.

To keep that friendship strong, we invite them to our big meetings as ecumenical advisory delegates. They don't get to vote on the final floor, but they get a seat at the table. None of them have spoken up in our meetings just yet, but they have their eyes and ears open, listening carefully to our debates and watching for anything that might jeopardize our historic communion.

Seeing them at the table gives me a huge sense of hope. Every week in worship, we profess our faith in the one holy catholic and apostolic Church. Let’s be honest, for centuries, Christians have been pretty excellent at dividing into separate corners. It can feel like we are too fractured to ever get back together.

But watching the theological children of Martin Luther sit alongside us—the children of John Calvin and John Knox—reminds me that the long, multigenerational journey toward reunification is actually happening. It is slow work, and it might take generations to completely heal all the divisions of the past, but moments like this prove we are actively moving closer. It makes me wonder if this is a stepping stone to an even grander horizon where we might see a day when we unify as the Reformed Rite alongside the Roman Rite and the Orthodox Rites. We are learning how to be one again.

So if you see me sitting near a Lutheran this week, know that it is all part of the plan to keep the wider Church connected. It is a tiny, beautiful glimpse of the unified Church we dream about.