Blending Episcopal-Lutheran congregations in Baltimore

Called to Common Mission: 15 years of Episcopal-Lutheran partnership

By Richelle Thompson 
Posted Dec 13, 2016

Parishioners at the Church of the Nativity and Holy Comforter celebrate Holy Eucharist.

Editor’s Note: On Jan. 6, 2001, after 30 years of dialogue, the Episcopal Church and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, while maintaining their autonomy, agreed to come together to work for joint mission in the world and to allow clergy to move freely between the two churches. This week, ENS is running a “Called to Common Mission” series celebrating 15 years of Episcopal-Lutheran full communion.

[Episcopal News Service] In the winter months, Holy Comforter Lutheran Church in Baltimore, Maryland, faced $4,000 gas and electric bills – essentially every person in the pew would need to give $100 just to pay the balance. That didn’t take into consideration the need for a new roof and boiler, payroll, maintenance and other expenses. The building was in bad shape, and the congregation, though vibrant, was dwindling in numbers.

“We had to make a decision,” said Jeff Valentine, a member of the Lutheran congregation since 1972. He and his wife raised their family in the church—their three children were born, baptized and confirmed at Holy Comforter. The roots were deep and strong.

“What was important to us as a congregation? In the ideal world, we would have loved to stay in the building. But what was more important was that we stay together as a church family.”

One option was to open a storefront church or meet in borrowed space. Another was to see if there was a congregation with which they could partner. Valentine and other leaders acted as scouts, visiting area congregations to determine a possible match. There was no shortage of nearby churches: other Lutheran congregations, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, United Methodist. And then, on a snowy Sunday  – Feb. 1, 2015 – Valentine attended Nativity Episcopal Church.

In less than a year, the two congregations formed a partnership and became one of the newest expressions of the Episcopal-Lutheran Called to Common Mission initiative. On Nov. 1 of this year, the Baltimore congregation celebrated its first year together and changed the name from the plural – The Churches of the Nativity and Holy Comforter – to the singular The Church of the Nativity and Holy Comforter. It’s a drop of just two letters but a huge symbol of the progress and success of the partnership, and the continued commitment to working together as self-described “Lutherpalians.”

The Rev. Stewart Lucas celebrates Holy Baptism at the Church of the Nativity and Holy Comforter in Baltimore, Maryland.

That doesn’t mean the union of the two churches was easy. Both groups had to make compromises, letting go of a sense of ownership and being willing to experiment and learn from each other.

The Rev. Stewart Lucas, the Episcopal priest who began serving Nativity in 2013, jokes that the biggest hurdle was sorting out who ran the kitchen.

“The kitchen czars had to come together,” Lucas said. They had to figure out that “when we move the knives, we’ll decide together where they go.” After some initial discomfort, Lucas said that those relationships forged in the kitchen are some of the tightest in the church. Shared mission and responsibility, he said, builds community.

Nativity’s building was in better shape, so the two groups of leaders decided to sell Holy Comforter. But then the challenge arose: The congregations had to decide how to merge 100-plus years of furniture and liturgical accoutrements. Whose organ would they use? Altar? Linen cloths? Communion ware? Pews, chairs, tables, wall hangings?

As Lucas said, “How many purificators does one place need?”

Making lemonade out of lemons: Members of the Church of the Nativity and Holy Comforter enjoy an outdoor treat.

It can be hard in a single congregation where moving a beloved picture from one wall to another can incite passion. Imagine the patience and compromise it takes to incorporate two churches’ full of stuff.

It was harder for the Lutherans, of course. They were giving up their building and moving into someone else’s space. But the organ came with them. So did a set of seasonal banners created by a talented seamstress from Holy Comforter. The Lutheran altar has been re-stained to match the Episcopal woodwork and likely will be installed in early 2017.

The two congregations also had to work through intricacies of church polity. They are two separate legal entities with two different budgets – although that may change in the coming years. They are working on how to govern the congregation, building from the model of a vestry and a council. The two clergy leaders—an Episcopal priest and a Lutheran pastor—also had to figure out how to work together. The Episcopal diocese paid for a coach to meet with the two leaders, similar to a marriage counselor, so they could talk about their union, the opportunities and the challenges.

The two congregations have had to figure out differences in worship and liturgical styles. Holy Comforter broke bread for Holy Eucharist; Nativity had the tradition of wafers. They had to learn how to navigate two hymnals, a problem solved with using red letters on the hymn board to signal the Lutheran book.

Overall, the worship styles were similar, Lucas said. Working with the Lutheran pastor, the Rev. David Eisenhuth, the two have crafted a fully blended worship service.

“Neither congregation was so tied to liturgy and music. We weren’t destination music-and-liturgy churches. Our focus was more about mission and outreach,” Lucas said. “That enabled us to look more broadly at what we do on Sunday morning and figure things out. Not holding on so tightly to one way of worship enabled us to open our eyes and arms to some other plan.”

And, he said, “To be honest, this worship together is better than what we were doing separately.”

Longtime Episcopalian Rob Sohlberg said the differences between the two congregations were far less important than their similarities. The demographics of the two congregations mirrored one another. Both had a mix of white and black, some expatriates from England, the Caribbean, and Bermuda, and a sizable population of Liberian immigrants. The congregations attracted blue-collar and professional folks, liberal and conservative, young and old.

Bringing the two congregations together has meant 100 or more on Sundays, instead of 40 or 50 in each. The singing is more robust, more volunteers have stepped up and more people come to coffee hour to connect with others and share ideas.

“We were a pretty energetic congregation already,” said Sohlberg. “But this has injected a whole bunch of new life into our congregation.” The Episcopalians joined the Lutherans in their longtime project of putting together Christmas stockings for the Salvation Army. And the Lutherans joined the Episcopalians in their ministry to seafarers and in working on a Habitat for Humanity build.

“We’re not really two congregations anymore,” said Sohlberg. “It’s two legal entities but in terms of everything else, we are just one big mash-up. You would not be able to walk in on any given Sunday and know who was Episcopalian and who was Lutheran. We’re all there, participating in the liturgy, coming to coffee hour, washing the dishes in the kitchen and sending our kids to Sunday School. It’s everybody doing things together.”

Sure, said Valentine, the process had some niggling challenges at the beginning. But “when people ask me now how it’s going, on a scale of 1 to 10, I rate it a 12. I believe it’s a model that other congregations ought to look at.”

Just a year after the union, God is doing a new thing with this combined congregation, said Lucas. When a property became available next to Nativity, the church leaders decided to purchase it. They are still figuring out what God wants them to do with the building. But they have an inkling already.

Recently Lucas was planting some bushes in front of the building and a rabbi stopped by. He asked about possibly renting some space for his congregation. Lucas and the other church leaders don’t know yet whether that proposal will come to pass, but they believe that they are called to be a living example of life lived in shared community.

Said Lucas, “We can’t solve all the problems ourselves, but we can be a model of how … different groups can come together and be fruitful.”

– Richelle Thompson is deputy director and managing editor of Forward Movement.


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Comments (13)

  1. Mollie Williams says:

    What a wonderful story of faith and generosity of spirit. They are a model.

    1. Tora OBrien says:

      Is that you Mollie Williams from Chicago Illinois? This is Tora, wanting to say hello and let you know I am alive and well..working as a therapist in Honolulu Hawaii in a residential treatment center. I fondly remember sitting across from you with that beautiful painting behind you. You helped me immensely and it was sitting there that I knew one day I would do the same. Much love to you Mollie Williams!

  2. Marshall Williams says:

    I see a strengthening of the church through shared missions and inclusive worship. This is a great model!

  3. Marilyn Maloney says:

    I loved this story—very encouraging and spirit lifting. We are all God’s children.

  4. Stewart Lucas says:

    We are SO grateful to our bishops, staff and many others who have supported us along the way. We do hope to be helpful to others who might be willing to discern partnering with another congregation. We have lots to share from our successes and challenges! Many thanks for this great story Richelle. The Rev. T. Stewart Lucas Episcopal Rector Contact us through http://www.nativitycomforter.org

  5. Pamela Payne says:

    How nice to read a story of the Good News resulting from this merger. I wish all of you at the Church of the Nativity and Holy Comforter much grace and blessing in your journey together.

  6. PJcabbiness says:

    There are important theological and liturgical differences between the two separate and distinct denominations. These differences are important and should not be minimized. Each individual has the freedom to choose which denomination to support and belong to. The blending of the two makes no sense and serves no legitimate purpose. The current trend of reducing the practice of our Christian faith to lower and lesser deconstructed expressions is unfortunate.

    1. Jeff Maxwell says:

      Please remind me – exactly which denomination did Jesus belong to?

    2. Mike Grigsby-Lane says:

      Can you please point to the specific theological and liturgical differences you reference? I would say if I were to blindfold you and drop you in any given Lutheran or Episcopal Church, you would really have a hard time telling the difference. We say “Glory to you, Lord Christ”, they say “Glory to you, O Christ”….but especially given the wide variety of views of theology in TEC (and to a lesser degreen among Lutherans), there is not really that much difference.

  7. Mike Grigsby-Lane says:

    I sing with two choirs, one Episcopal, one ELCA Lutheran. Both congregations are dear to me and I love living at the intersection.

  8. Richard Bidwell says:

    For years I have said I was a Lutherpalian. It was great seeing that word in print in the above article.

  9. John Link says:

    A very interesting article which hits close to home as we are going thru the early stages of blending the same 2 Church Groups together in our local community and for the same reasons. The long History of our two buildings , Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, and Funerals all contribute to strong memories to be left behind in a change of location. With the Lords help we will get there someday.

  10. Barry K. Luedloff says:

    For many I have said I was “bi-Lutheran with Episcopal tendencies,” having grown up LCMS (my mother was a called LCMS school teacher for 33 years), served in LCA, then later ELCA congregations, along with RC and many other denominations utilizing organs in their worship. Finally, I have served two wonderful Episcopal parishes. Became “Episcopalian” a little over a year ago. For several years directed the ecumenical “Lutherpalian” choir here in Lake Saint Louis (that’s what they called themselves). As an ecumenical organist, I’ve seen and worship with all sides in the mix. There is VASTLY much more “sameness” than there is difference and frankly, IMHO, the suggested theological differences shouldn’t make ENOUGH difference to keep any of us apart in worship and mission! This article, and these two congregations’ journey to come together in identity, work and worship, absolutely warms my heart! We would all do well to take a lesson, and learn, from their example. Many blessings wished for them, and much success in their common mission!

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