Considering the ELCA

[Ave Maria]

Hi everyone. I am considering both the Episcopal Church and the ELCA. I have some questions about the ELCA. Do you all practice regular confession? Also, does your church take a stance on different social issues?

 

[BigNorsk]

All Lutherans practice confession. The most common is corporate confession during the worship service. If you desire individual confession and absolution, most pastors would be happy to so serve you. There is seldom a specific time set up for individual confession. Some larger congregations may have such.

How much or little individual confession is practiced is somewhat related to the culture from which the particular ELCA congregation hails. Generally, those whose roots are in Scandinavia will not emphasis individual confession, you might even find a pastor or two who refuses to do individual though I have not seen it. If it is a congregation that has a lot of former Catholics or Orthodox, you are likely to even see a time posted for individual confession.

So it varies quite a bit, but if you desire it, it would normally be provided. I haven't seen any that would require individual confession.

The ELCA has a lot of social issue groups, and it's pretty common for the synod to take a fair number of positions on social issues. Note that when the ELCA takes a stance on a social issue it is not going to be a matter of dogma so it isn't going to result in others being declared heretics and driven out of the church. But the discussions of social issues can get pretty heated and quite forceful. The conventions are interesting that way.

Marv