Is “Called to Common Mission” inconsistent with Article 7 of the Augsburg Confession?
No. First, “Called to Common Mission” takes care to be consistent with the position of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, as expressed in the “Statement on Ecumenism-The Vision of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.” That statement was adopted by a 93 percent vote by the 1991 Churchwide Assembly. The statement explains that Article 7 of the Augsburg Confession does not exempt Lutheran churches from church order, but rather frees them to practice those church polities that may serve the unity of the whole Church.
