A037 Accepting the agreement "Sharing the Gifts of Communion" between The Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria
Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring,
That the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church receive and commend Sharing the Gifts of Communion (Augsburg Agreement) as set forth following as the basis for a relationship of full communion to be established between The Episcopal Church and the Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern (ELKB) (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria); and be it further
Resolved, That the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church accept the affirmation of Sharing the Gifts of Communion (Augsburg Agreement) that our churches have the basis for full communion with each other, to be inaugurated through a service of reconciliation between the two churches; and be it further
Resolved, That the Presiding Bishop appoint four members to the Continuation Committee called for in Sharing the Gifts of Communion (Augsburg Agreement) to represent The Episcopal Church in the ongoing work of furthering our relationship; and be it further
Resolved, That Title 1, Canon 20, Section 1 be amended by adding a new subsection e. as follows:
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e. The Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern (ELKB) (via the acceptance of Sharing the Gifts of Communion [Augsburg Agreement] of 2022).
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e. The Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern (ELKB) (via the acceptance of Sharing the Gifts of Communion [Augsburg Agreement] of 2022).
Explanation
An earlier version of this resolution was referred from the 80th General Convention. It was listed as 2022-B001 and referred to Legislative Committee 19 - Ecumenical & Interreligious Relations. It has been entered as resolution 2024-A009. The Standing Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations is proposing this amended version of the resolution.
THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF BAVARIA
The discussions between the Evangelische-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern (ELKB) and The Episcopal Church (TEC) began as the result of a meeting in June 2013 between then Landesbischof Dr. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm and then Presiding Bishop the Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts-Schori. In their meeting, the two Presiding Bishops expressed the wish and challenge for the two churches to explore the possibility of closer communion, including, if possible, full communion with interchange of ministers and sharing of the sacraments.
A close relationship has existed for over 50 years between Episcopal Church and the ELKB in Munich, especially between the Church of the Ascension in Munich, a parish of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, and the Emmauskirche, a parish of the ELKB. Ascension has shared space in the Emmauskirche since 1970. Elsewhere in Bavaria, a similar close TEC-ELKB relationship exists with the Episcopal missions in Nuremberg and Augsburg, who also share space with ELKB parishes.
Conversations between representatives of the ELKB and TEC began in 2013 shortly after the encounter between Presiding Bishops Jefferts-Schori and Bedford-Strohm, and soon took on the characteristics of a dialogue. Meetings in subsequent years took place in New York, Tutzing, Paris, and Augsburg. Numerous smaller meetings took place between in-person meetings.
The conversation/dialogue committee included representatives from TEC, the ELKB, and:
The Director for Unity, Faith, and Order of the Anglican Communion Office,
The Director of the Council for Christian Unity of the Church of England,
A representative of Inter-Anglican Standing Commission for Unity, Faith, and Order
The Church Executive of the German National Committee of the Lutheran World Federation,
The Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (EKD) co-secretary of the Meissen Commission, and
CURRENT EPISCOPAL PARTICIPANTS IN THE TEC-ELKB CONVERSATION:
The Rt. Rev. Mark D.W. Edington (2019-present)
The Rev. Christopher Easthill (2019-present)
The Ven. Walter Baer (2017-present)
The Rev. Margaret Rose (2013-present) TEC staff representative
Kathryn L. Johnson, PhD (2013-present), Director for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations (ELCA)
Resolution 2018-C059 approved and commended the process of exploring deeper relations and the dialogue toward full communion between TEC and the ELKB.
Based on this mandate, between the 79th and 80th General Conventions, the dialogue committee developed a proposed agreement of full communion between TEC and the ELKB, found at the conclusion of this Blue Report. The agreement “Sharing the Gifts of Communion: An Agreement of Full Communion between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria and The Episcopal Church (Augsburg Agreement)” was proposed to the 80th General Convention, in Resolution 2022-A091, for which 2022’s Legislative Committee 19 substituted Resolution 2022-B001. The Convention deferred consideration of Resolution 2022-B001 to the 81st General Convention.
Following upon this, the Standing Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations has engaged in continued study of the document, consultation with theological experts and concerned parties, particularly around questions of the historic episcopate, and commends the agreement document.
Support Documents:
tec-elkb-sharing-the-gift-of-communion-updated-22022022
Commentary on Sharing the Gifts of Communion (the Augsburg Agreement)
or in Spanish:
tec-elkb-compartir-los-dones-de-la-comunión-actualizado-22022022
Comentario sobre Compartir los Dones de la comunión (el Acuerdo de Augsburgo)