The straight-talking presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America told pastors and lay leaders in Bismarck on Friday that he has both pessimism and optimism for the 5.1-million-member denomination as it faces its future.

Divisive issues have the potential to tear the church apart, most notably, the "full communion" agreement that the ELCA entered into with the Episcopal Church, the question, "should noncelibate gay and lesbian people be ordained into ministry?" and even the war in Iraq, on which Bishop Mark Hanson took a strong anti-war stance.

So Hanson repeatedly urged listeners to find the "glue" that holds the church together in spite of its disagreements.

Hanson visited clergy and laity from western North Dakota as part of his intention to visit all 65 ELCA synods in the nation in his first two years in office.

The hope he feels is, first of all, in Christ, he said, and the Holy Spirit at work in the world.

As a goal, he spoke about reorganizing the church over a few strategic priorities:

Becoming a more "witnessing" church. "It's very hard for us to talk about the faith," he said. Noting that the ELCA lost 26,000 members last year, he said congregations must move from welcoming newcomers who have the courage to walk in the door, to inviting those around them to come.

Out of 8,000 people he has asked the question, "Who invited someone to come to church in the last three weeks?" 18 raised their hands, Hanson said.

To an audience question about why the church should get involved in divisive social policy statements, Hanson replied that a calling of the church is "striving for peace and justice," and that social policy statements are the basis on which he can speak for the church's positions.

In 2005, the Churchwide Assembly will be asked to say "yes" or "no" to the question, "should we revise our standards of celibacy for unmarried clergy to allow gay and lesbian people in committed relationships to be ordained?"

How to remain in conversation, remain together in a denomination and work together in mission, while disagreeing on issues like this, is the challenge ahead, he said.

"My greatest fear is that the vast majority will sit this one out, wait and see (what the churchwide assembly decides), then decide whether to go or stay depending on the vote," he said.

"We have elevated this conversation to that level; it's become a church-dividing issue."

Beneath all these questions is another the ELCA's 11,000 congregations should ask themselves, Hanson said: "How much uniformity and conformity should we have? How much diversity?"