LCANZ to explore one church; two practices of ordination

Today delegates at the General Synod of the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand (LCANZ), meeting in Melbourne, directed the church’s General Church Board and the College of Bishops to explore the theological, constitutional and governance issues involved in establishing ‘one church with two different practices of ordination’.

The proposal, which required only a simple majority, was approved by 250 delegates, with 89 voting against it and one delegate abstaining.

Synod directed that work be done to outline how one church with two ordination practices might function, such as one or more existing LCANZ districts becoming districts that teach and practice the ordination of both women and men to the office of the public ministry, or by establishing a non-geographical LCANZ ‘district’ that does so.

Delegates further requested that the fruit of that work be submitted as a proposal in time for discussion at the 2024 meeting of General Pastors Conference, for the Convention of General Synod.

Yesterday a proposal that the church introduce the ordination of women from February 2024, brought before General Synod by the St Pauls Box Hill congregation, was lost.