November 2, 2009

CHICAGO – Two leaders of the Lutheran Coalition for Renewal (CORE) said, with a "resounding yes," they are serious about their endeavors as an organization. They also said they "take no joy in following a process that will likely lead Lutheran CORE to depart from the ELCA's (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) institutional life and ministry."

The comments were in a letter written by the Rev. Kenneth H. Sauer and the Rev. Paull E. Spring – both former ELCA synod bishops – in response to an Oct. 12 open letter to Lutheran CORE written by the Rev. Stephen P. Bouman, executive director, ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission.

In his letter, Bouman asked if Lutheran CORE would to be "serious about mission." He said mission was not mentioned or was referenced as an afterthought during CORE's convocation, Sept. 25-26 in Fishers, Ind. About 1,200 people attended, including Bouman.

Most of CORE's convocation was devoted to responses to sexuality decisions of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. CORE opposed the assembly's decisions to change ELCA ministry policies, including a change to allow Lutherans in lifelong, publicly accountable, monogamous same- gender relationships to serve as ELCA associates in ministry, clergy, deaconesses and diaconal ministers. It also opposed parts of a social statement on human sexuality adopted by the assembly.

CORE ended its ELCA affiliation as an independent Lutheran organization immediately after the assembly acted on the sexuality proposals. CORE later initiated a process to become a "free-standing synod" in the ELCA and adopted a constitution.

Sauer, chair of CORE's advisory council, and Spring, chair of CORE's steering committee, wrote, "We share with you a sense of remorse and sorrow over what has caused Lutheran CORE to take the steps we have taken regarding our relationship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Over the years both of us, as pastors and as bishops, have been strong advocates for the ministry of the ELCA as one church."

Sauer and Spring wrote that they share a strong commitment to Christian mission and spoke of that in their presentations at the convocation. The constitution that CORE adopted "contains numerous and telling references to mission," they wrote. They pointed out that CORE made a decision to provide financial and other assistance for certain ethnic specific and immigrant African congregations.

"We recognize that some remarks at the convocation were pointed and blunt. Others spoke in an intemperate manner, something which we ourselves regret. We believe, however, that the vast majority who spoke during the public discussions were positive and irenic," wrote Sauer and Spring.

The two CORE leaders characterized the sexuality decisions made by the 2009 assembly "as part of an ongoing failure, within the churchwide expression of the ELCA, to listen to the words of Holy Scripture and the witness of two thousand years of Christian reflection on the Word of God."

Sauer and Spring said, since the assembly's conclusion, Lutheran CORE has experienced a significant increase in support and participation.

"We are serious about our fidelity to the Word of God and the Lutheran Confessions. We are serious about strengthening congregational life and ministry. We are serious about witnessing to others in word and deed that Jesus Christ is God's Word of salvation and newness of life for all people. We are serious about the mission to which God is calling us," they added.

The Lutheran CORE response is at http://tinyurl.com/yahlusp, on the Lutheran CORE Web site.

Stephen Bouman's open letter to Lutheran CORE is at http://www.ELCA.org/faithfulmission/bouman, and a news story about his letter is at http://www.ELCA.org/News/Releases.asp?a=4314, on the ELCA Web site.

ELCA News Service s