Future Church

A Lutheran Sacramental Ecclesiology for the Twenty-first Century

Abstract

This article addresses how the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America might leverage its sacramental identity to achieve its goal of engaging one million new, young, and diverse people. The church is the penultimate sacrament, an extension of Jesus Christ in the world. As an extension of Christ, the church functions as a symbolic mediator. We are compelled to manifest Christ in compelling ways by practicing eucharistic solidarity with the despised while maintaining our historic Lutheran identity. This article explores how the church might re-envision itself according to the catholic sacramental principle, so that our denomination is equipped to meet the needs of individuals in a changing world and to work toward revitalization.