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An email message to rostered leaders from Presiding
Bishop Mark Hanson - Lent 2008
February 28, 2008
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
"Proclaim the message;
be persistent whether the time is favorable
or unfavorable ... do the work of an evangelist ... " (2 Timothy
4:2a, 5b)
"Bishop Hanson, what is your
number one priority for the ELCA?" The question was addressed to
me recently with great clarity and a desire for specificity. My
answer? That we be an evangelizing church. The questioner nodded
with what I took to be a gesture of agreement and walked away.
I am curious how my questioner would have responded to his own
question. And I am interested in your response.
I wish we could have had further conversation, because the
question is both important and urgent. The urgency was brought
home again this week by the Chicago Tribune headline that
read, "Many in U.S. leave their churches." Research by the Pew
Forum on Religion and Public Life documents a decrease in U.S.
adults who identify themselves as Catholic or Protestant and an
increase -- doubling to 16 percent -- in those who are not
affiliated with a religion.
I have growing commitment to, and appreciation for, the fact
that we boldly declare that we are the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America. With that name it's tempting to
distinguish ourselves from "those other evangelicals" but I
prefer to make a consistently clear and constructive affirmation
of what it does mean that we are the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America.
To be evangelical means that:
-
We are a church body
centered in the good news that we are saved by God's grace
through faith for Jesus' sake.
-
The Holy Spirit is at
work through the proclamation of that evangel and lives are
changed -- strangers are welcomed, sins are forgiven, doubt
gives way to faith, despair turns to hope, the people living
in poverty hear good news, the oppressed are set free.
-
The church is "the
assembly of all believers among whom the gospel is
proclaimed in its purity and the holy sacraments are
administered according to the gospel" (AC VII).
-
In Christ we are set free
and sent into the world to bear witness in word and deed to
the evangel -- serving our neighbor, seeking the common
good, striving for justice and peace in all the earth.
Being evangelicals in a
Lutheran key permeates the life and work of this church:
-
We read and interpret the
Bible evangelically -- listening for "what urges Christ" (was
Christum treibt).
-
We worship evangelically
-- gathering around the means of grace.
-
We live evangelically --
forgiving as we have been forgiven, inviting people to new
life in Christ, walking together the way of the cross.
-
We lead evangelically --
as servants of the Word, bearing Christ to our neighbor.
How are we doing as an
evangelizing church? That is an important question to ponder as
we seek to hold each other accountable.
The challenges of this moment in history can be discouraging,
especially if we succumb to the great pressures on us. Rostered
leaders serving congregations are expected to attract and hold
members in an increasingly competitive and consumer-oriented
religious market place. Many of you are serving congregations
that have experienced significant losses, which often can lead
to a nostalgic longing for an idealized past that depletes
energies for ministry today. You face the challenge of
supporting mission beyond the congregation when resources are
diminishing or inadequate. We can lose ourselves in
discouragement when we view ministry as if it were all about us.
Rather than wondering anxiously "how are we doing?" by
ourselves, I invite you, as a Lenten discipline, to take a fresh
and confident look at where we are by asking the question out of
your daily baptismal renewal: "What is God doing with and among
us?"
On the cross all of our self-absorbed attempts to "survive" or
save ourselves were crucified. Through the gospel the Holy
Spirit claims, gathers, and sends us into a new life as an
evangelizing church for the sake of the world. The Holy Spirit
is the source of our power, strength, and gifts as together we
proclaim Christ and engage in God's mission for the life of the
world. In this mission we follow the way of the cross, losing
our lives for Christ's sake and for the sake of the gospel. A
cruciform ministry with brokenness, vulnerability, and
forgiveness at its center invites us together to seek to discern
the mind of Christ and to live as an evangelizing people. As a
result, an evangelizing church will be present where people are
being persecuted for their faith, where the reality of poverty
and violence diminishes abundant life, and where the creation
groans in travail. An evangelizing church will be present,
proclaiming Christ and bearing witness to all, including those
who claim "no religion."
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is and will be an
evangelizing church. I invite you to join me in embracing and
celebrating this call with new energy and passion.
In God's grace,
Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Lent 2008
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