Question:

We don't have an Episcopal church near us, so I was thinking of visiting a Lutheran church on Sunday. I know at one time, weren't the Episcopal church and the Lutheran church in the middle of talks regarding recognizing each other? Did this ever happen, and if so, do you know what particular branch of Lutheranism it involved? Also, does anyone know anything about the different branches of the Lutheran church?

Answer:

I presently worship in a Lutheran congregation. There are a couple dozen different Lutheran sects in North America ...

The one that has entered into "CCM" (Common Call to Ministry) with ECUSA is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Don't get mislead by the "Evangelical" in the title. They're as catholic, liturgical, sacramental, liberal and intellectual as Lutherans come.

Lutherans and Anglicans -- even the non-ELCA Lutherans who go a long way in the non-liberal non-catholic direction -- have always recognized one another's baptisms. In fact, both have always recognized the baptisms of *any* Christian church that uses water and the Tridentine formula; even those like Baptists and Pentecostals who don't recognize our baptisms.

The form of the service in the Lutheran Book of Worship is very like our post-liturgical-reform service. For the most part you will feel very much at home. Some older Lutherans replace the word "Catholic" in the Creed with the word "Christian", but that's a pretty trivial difference. Some texts are differently translated (their version of the words of welcome to the newly baptized are one of the ugliest arhythmic pieces of liturgical prose I've ever seen) but remain quite recognizable.

With Common Call to Ministry, which has been ratified by both national synods (and a simlar accord has been ratified between their sister churchs in Canada), we now recognize one another's orders. That was quite a hurdle, because the ELCA and ELCIC (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada) have a very different understanding of the apostolic succession than do ECUSA and the ACC (Anglican Church of Canada). Since Anglicans believe that the Eucharist must be consecrated by a priest, and that a priest can only be ordained by a Bishop, and that a Bishop is an heir of the apostolic succession; you can see how we could hardly receive the ministry of Lutheran pastors without coming to some acceptance of their understanding of the succession. And, it was very contentious.

Lutherans tend to be more congregationalist than Anglicans. They recognize the concept of "joining the church" by which they mean the local congregation, and the local congregations have their own constitutions and the power to make decisions that in the Anglican communion would normally be reserved to the Bishop or national synod. They do not believe in any sacraments except Baptism and Communion; and their handling of the bread and wine that remain after communion can be somewhat cavalier compared to its reverent handling among Anglicans (I have seen it buttered and served with soup!!! and I have seen it tossed in the trash!!!!) but it can also be treated as reverently as in the most Anglo-catholic of parishes.

Lutheran Chorale is a different style from Sarum Plainchant, but it is very beautiful. Lutherans are more likely than Anglicans to sing old German hymns in wonderful four-part harmony. Since sojourning among them I've been learning to sing the actual contralto line, instead of straining for soprano notes that were never intended for my rather mezzo range.

Oh, and Lutherans don't kneel -- they just sit for those parts of the service. You probably want to avoid the LCMS (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) -- they won't receive you for communion anyway, until you are confirmed within their synod, since they see communion as a symbol of doctrinal correctness and non-LCMS Christians aren't doctrinally sound; and WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) -- they don't even receive LCMS Lutherans for communion because the LCMS aren't strict enough.