End-of-life care

Lutheran, The, Aug 2004 by Weissenbuehler, Wayne

What does the ELCA say?

Does the ELCA have a statement on end-of-life care, and do ELCA congregations participate in hospice care?

The ELCA has both a message on end-of-life decisions (www.elca.org/socialstatements/endoflifede cisions/) and a social statement, Caring for Health: Our Shared Endeavor (www.elca.org/socialstate ments/health/).

Many congregations now have parish nurses who teach health and wellness and assist members.

Hospice provides palliative care (to lessen severe pain without curing the illness) for those who need pain control and medical treatment but have no reasonable hope of recovery. Thankfully hospice is practiced more widely today. It's always been a part of the church's ministry to care for the dying and terminally ill.

Almost all hospice centers have chaplains, and many pastors work closely with hospice caregivers in institutions or in homes. One important benefit of hospice care is the support and help it gives the loved ones of the dying. The church also has liturgical resources in the form of services of healing and anointing of the sick and in the commendation of the dying.

We believe that while God doesn't always cure, God always heals. And as any of us enter into the final stages of our life on Earth, God is still busy healing us in anticipation of the resurrection.

For a child to be baptized, is it a prerequisite that the parents be members of the church?

No. To use the words of our baptismal service, we believe baptism is a means of grace through which God joins us to the Lord Jesus ... and makes us members of the church that is the body of Christ.

The church asks that parents and/or sponsors promise to see to it that the child is taught in the faith.

The congregation into which the child is baptized also takes responsibility for helping the baptized grow in grace. A pastor may refuse to baptize if no reasonable assurance is given that the child will be raised in the faith.

We never want to support or encourage a magical understanding of baptism, which believes the only necessity is that the act be done. This would diminish the intent of this gift of grace. It makes as much sense as saying that the only necessity is for a child to be born into this world-not cared for and raised well.

We believe that while God doesn't always cure, God always heals. And as any of us enter into the final stages of our life on Earth, God is still busy healing ...

Weissenbuehler is a pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church, Englewood, Colo., and former bishop of the Rocky Mountain Synod.

Readers are invited to send questions to "Since You Asked" via e-mail to wayne@bethanydenver.org or to The Lutheran, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631-4183. Space does not allow publication of all questions, but all receive serious consideration. The volume of letters makes personal replies impossible.