# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1947_S496
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

496 INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS

of attaining Lutheran Unity by way of additional doctrinal formu-
lations and reformulations; and

“WHEREAS, The adoption of the Minneapolis Theses, the Wash-
ington Declaration, the Brief Statement and Declaration, the Pitts-
burgh Agreement, and the Overture on Unity have demonstrated
that the chief obstacles to Lutheran Unity are not matters of doc-
trine as much as differences of background, approach, spirit, at-
titude, which can be resolved in an atmosphere of candor, mutual
understanding and love; therefore be it

“Resolved, That we reaffirm our sincere and earnest desire to
achieve official church fellowship with all Lutheran bodies, and
to that end continue our Committee on Fellowship, charging it to
explore the measure of agreement we have with other Lutheran
bodies and to further such agreement toward the goal of true unity.”

After your Committee had prepared the draft of its report to
this convention of Synod, the Fellowship Committee of the American
Lutheran Church under date of March 4 asked for a meeting with
your Committee, According to arrangements made at the August,
1946, meeting, two subcommittees met on April 14 to discuss what
doctrinal differences separate the American Lutheran Church from
our Synod. Subsequently, on May 9, your Committee and the
Fellowship Committee held a plenary meeting in Chicago to discuss
the report of the subcommittees, At this meeting the commissioners
of the American Lutheran Church disavowed as unfortunate the
statements made in the August, 1946, meeting, which statements
were reported in the Lutheraner of March 4, 1947, page 67, They
furthermore stated that their committee “is bound by and herewith
reiterates the position formulated in the resolution adopted by
the American Lutheran Church in 1938, to wit:

“That we declare the Brief Statement of the Missouri Synod,
together with the Declaration of our Commission, a sufficient doc-
trinal basis for church fellowship between the Missouri Synod and
the American Lutheran Church.

“ ‘That, according to our conviction and the resolution of the
Synod of Missouri, passed at its convention in St. Louis, the afore-
mentioned doctrinal agreement is a sufficient basis for church fel-
lowship, and that we are firmly convinced that it is neither necessary
nor possible to agree in all nonfundamental doctrines, N evertheless,
we are willing to continue the negotiations concerning the points
termed in our Declaration as “not divisive of church fellowship,”
and recognized as such by the Missouri Synod resolutions, and
instruct our Commission on Fellowship accordingly.’ ”

At this meeting the entire situation was thoroughly discussed,