Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations

The ELCA is committed to visible unity among Christians as well as mutual understanding and cooperation for the common good between Christians and people of other religions and worldviews. 

The ELCA Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations staff in the Office of the Presiding Bishop is responsible for supporting, enriching and coordinating the ecumenical and inter-religious life of this church across its various expressions, and enhancing the public commitments of this church in Lutheran, ecumenical and inter-religious circles.

What does this mean?

• We convene bilateral dialogues with other church partners, such as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
• We cooperate with partners, such as The Lutheran World Federation, the World Council of Churches and the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA.
• We facilitate the ecumenical and inter-religious work of congregations, synods and churchwide ministries by offering resources, convening the Lutheran Ecumenical & Inter-religious Representatives Network, supporting the reception of our full-communion agreements through the work of the coordinating committees and serving as liaison with full-communion churches and dialogue partners.
• We accompany others, including our inter-religious partners, through initiatives such as the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign (“Standing With American Muslims. Upholding American Ideals”).
• We provide resources and information about opportunities for ecumenical and inter-religious formation throughout the ELCA.

As a church, we must consider anew our calling and commitments as we live into a world that is both ecumenically diverse and multireligious. Three key ELCA documents, or declarations, currently serve to guide this critical work: “A Declaration of Ecumenical Commitment” (1991), “Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish Community” (1994) and “A Declaration of Inter-Religious Commitment” (2019). In 2020, work will be undertaken to develop “A Declaration to the Muslim Community.”

“…that they may all be one.” ~ John 17:21

From Conflict to Communion

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