Lutheran World Federation Work on Episkopé, 1983-2007
First Statement of Responsibility
Heidi Zitting
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.
Leiden
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
Brill
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
This article examines how the episcopal ministry and related concepts such as 'episkopé', 'installation' and 'consecration' are understood and used in Lutheran World Federation (lwf) statements on the Episcopal Ministry from 1983 to 2007. Over this time, some Lutheran churches entered into full communion with both episcopal and non-episcopal churches. Some ecumenical partners were also invited to participate as active observers in the lwf process of drafting statements. Through the ecumenical work done and the comprehensive identity study undertaken by the lwf, the understanding of episcopal ministry in lwf documents has developed from a 'Leuenberg-style' general Protestantism to a 'Porvoo-style' understanding of episcopacy.