Communion in full.

DENVER--By a narrow vote, the 5.2-million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) voted at its 1999 Churchwide Assembly to enter into full communion with the 2.4-million-member Episcopal Church, the American branch of the Anglican Communion.

Full communion means the mutual recognition of sacraments, ordinations, and membership, the interchangeability of ordained ministers, and the pooling of ministry resources.

The close vote resulted from significant opposition over the issue of whether American Lutherans should accept the Episcopal belief in "apostolic succession"--that their bishops are part of the unbroken line of bishops leading back to the apostles.

The 1997 Assembly had failed by six votes to approve a previous agreement the Episcopal Church had already passed. In the wake of that vote, the ELCA appointed a group led by church historian Martin Marty to write a new agreement. The "Called to Common Mission" document will be presented to the Episcopal Church General Convention next summer.

Last year the ELCA voted to enter into full communion with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Reformed Church in America, and the United Church of Christ. At this year's assembly, the ELCA also overwhelmingly agreed to full communion with the Moravian Church, a church historically linked to Lutheranism.