Remember CCM? That horse-trading deal in which Episcopalians agreed “to study”[1] the Lutheran Confessions in exchange for the ELCA’s adoption of the sacramental historic episcopate?
Look at what happened Saturday, Feb 13th. Three ELCA bishops attended the ordination of the new Episcopal Bishop of Minnesota, the Right Rev Brian Prior. The grand pageant was held at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Several thousand attended.
The three ELCA bishops were Peter Rogness (St. Paul Area), Harold Usgaard (Southeastern Minnesota), and Larry Wohlrabe (Northwestern Minnesota).[2]
BUT: None of them were included in the laying-on-of-hands, despite CCM ¶ 12:
“… [B]oth churches … promise to include regularly one or more bishops of the other church to participate in the laying-on-of-hands at the ordinations/installations of their own bishops….”[3]
What CCM ¶ 12 gives with one hand, CCM ¶ 14 takes away with the other:
“For the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America … full communion … will be realized at this time. For The Episcopal Church, full communion, although begun at the same time, will not be fully realized until both churches determine that in the context of a common life and mission there is a shared ministry of bishops in the historic episcopate.”
In Episcopal eyes ELCA bishops aren’t kosher, even though all three ELCA bishops had Episcopal hands laid on their heads.[4]
What will it take for The Episcopal Church to declare full communion is “fully realized”? Plugging the leaks in the ELCA pipeline.[5] Until then, it’s Lutherans: Hands off!
As Gerhard Forde said, “They gave away the family farm.”
[1] CCM ¶4.
[2] Page from the official program of the ordination and consecration of Episcopal Bishop Prior.
[3]“As a result of their agreement in faith and in testimony of their full communion with one another, both churches now make the following commitment to share an Episcopal succession that is both evangelical and historic. They promise to include regularly one or more bishops of the other church to participate in the laying-on-of-hands at the ordinations/installations of their own bishops as a sign, though not a guarantee, of the unity and apostolic continuity of the whole church.”
[4] They were spliced into the pipeline as follows: Usgaard ’01, Rogness ’02, Wohlrabe ’07.
[5] The Episcopal Church will not declare full communion achieved until all ELCA bishops have been hooked up to the pipeline.