LUTHERANS OK POLICY CAPE CHURCHES PRACTICED FOR YEARS

The national leadership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has approved a policy that community churches have been practicing for years, a Cape Girardeau pastor said.

Delegates to the ELCA's biennial assembly in Philadelphia voted 839-193 Monday to enter into full communion with the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Church of Christ and the Reformed Church in America. The move previously was authorized by the UCC and Reformed denominations. Final action still must be taken by the Presbyterians.

With the historic vote, Lutheran, UCC, Reformed and Presbyterian members in Cape Girardeau and around the nation will recognize the validity of each other's ministries. These pastors will be able to fill in when needed at another of these churches.

The congregations of these churches will be able to take communion together as well.

That is something that has been going on for years anyway, said the Rev. James Caughlan, pastor of Evangelical United Church of Christ. "This is an official stamp of approval for what local churches have been doing all along," Caughlan said.

Caughlan welcomes the action because it increases awareness and brotherhood among the denominations. "I think it needs to happen among more of the denominations so that we're all just Christians," he said.

Caughlan said the First Presbyterian Church, Westminster Presbyterian Church, St. Mark Lutheran Church and UCC had a common communion service at First Presbyterian two years ago when the proposal was introduced nationally. "We were all pretty excited about it," he said.

In a separate vote on Monday, the ELCA declined to enter into a similar understanding with the Episcopal church.

The Rev. Robert Klein Sr., St. Mark Lutheran pastor, said he doesn't see that changing relationships with Episcopalians locally. Klein said he believes the measure failed nationally because of the largely different role bishops play in the two denominations.

"The relationship that St. Mark's had with Christ Episcopal Church, in regard to this vote, will not change," Klein said. "We will still have a very good ecumenical relationship with them and hope to continue that for a long, long, long time."

Klein emphasized that this action by the Lutheran, UCC, Presbyterian and Reformed groups doesn't represent a merger. He said the churches have agreed to look past their differences and recognize their similarities.

Klein said the churches will be able to develop future churches that would represent all denominations. If the Lutheran, Presbyterian and the UCC churches all wanted to start a new mission church in Cape Girardeau, Klein said, an alternative now would be to do it together.

The vote was an effort to heal divisions of more than 450 years, dating to the Reformation.

The agreement affects 5.2 million members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; 2.7 million members of the Presbyterian Church (USA); 400,000 members of the Reformed Church in America and 1.5 million members of the United Church of Christ.

During the 16th century, when the Reformation spread throughout Europe, Martin Luther and reformer John Calvin shared many of the same beliefs, including an emphasis on the authority of the Bible.

But early on, Lutherans split with Reformed groups. The key issue then -- and one that remained for contemporary opponents of the plan -- was over the understanding of the Eucharist.

Similar to Roman Catholics and Episcopalians, Lutherans believe in the objective presence of Christ in the blood and wine of the sacrament, while Reformed Churches have emphasized the presence of Christ in the community gathered by the Holy Spirit.

Some Lutherans said unity would come at too high a theological price.

Others argued that because Reformed churches believe Christ is present in the community celebrating communion, the theological differences should not continue to separate the churches.

Differences with Episcopalians over the role of bishops struck a deeper emotional chord among many of the Lutheran delegates.

The Lutheran-Episcopal agreement, which was overwhelmingly approved by the 2.5 million-member Episcopal Church at its general convention last month, called for churches to not only recognize the validity of each other's ordained ministries, but to participate in the "historic episcopate," an unbroken succession of bishops dating back 2,000 years to the apostles.

Lutherans, who elect their bishops for six-year terms as opposed to giving them lifetime tenure as do Catholics and Episcopalians, are wary of any step that would further elevate bishops over ordinary church members.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.