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WHEREAS, Article 7 of the Augsburg Confession, which we accept as “a true witness to the Gospel” according to our Confession of Faith (ELCA Constitution 2.05), states that “ ... it is enough for the true unity of the church to agree concerning the teaching of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments. It is not necessary that human traditions, rites or ceremonies instituted by human beings be alike everywhere;” and
WHEREAS, 16 leading international Lutheran theologians issued an Admonition for the Sake of the True Peace and Unity of the Church on November 18, 2002, which is incorporated by reference in this resolution, and which re-states the important witness from the Augsburg Confession and other Lutheran confessional writings in the context of the current dispute over the necessity of an historic episcopate; and
WHEREAS, this ELCA Synod has many members who, as a matter of faith, conscience and theology, must resist and will not comply with measures or actions that mandate an historic episcopate; and
WHEREAS, the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in 2001 recognized an exception to the mandatory imposition of the historic episcopate for duly-qualified ordinands but did not extend a similar exception for the benefit of newly-elected bishops; and
WHEREAS, the Admonition makes clear that the only route to preserving the Christian freedom that Lutherans have long enjoyed is to change what is now an exception into an option of equal standing, and, likewise, to make the two practices of installing bishops, with or without the participation of bishops in Episcopal succession, options of equal standing;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that this ELCA Synod urges adoption of appropriate amendments to the ELCA constitution and bylaws that will freely permit those seeking ordination or installation as pastors or bishops to do so with or without the participation of bishops in Episcopal succession and that these options shall have equal standing in the life of the ELCA.