# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S1142
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

584 INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS

Re The Confessional Basis for Church Union
and Fellowship
(Memorial 607)

Wuereas, The first objective of The Lutheran Church — mig
souri Synod is “the conservation and promotion of the uni
the true faith (Eph. 4:3-6; 1 Cor. 1:10) and a united defe,
against schism and _ sectarianism (Rom. 16:17)” (Constitutin.
‘Art. ITI); and °™
Wuereas, The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod, assembled
in convention in Chicago in 1947, reaffirmed its loyalty to the doe.
trinal position of the Brief Statement, thereby asserting that
1. Christians are “to have church fellowship only with orthodo:
church bodies”; 2. “We repudiate unionism, that is, church fellow.
ship with the adherents of false doctrine . . . as causing divisions
in the Church, Rom. 16: 17”; 3. “The orthodox character of a church
is established . . . by the doctrine which is actually taught in its
pulpits, in its theological seminaries, and in its publications” (Brief
Statement, Par. 28 and 29); in accordance with the above,

We, the members of Trinity Lutheran Church, Westville Ind.
and the members of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Otis, Ind., hereby
declare our unswerving and uncompromising loyalty to these
truths and all other truths set forth in the following: 1, The
canonical books of the Old and New Testaments; 2. The confes-
Sional writings contained in the Book of Concord; and 3, The Brief
Statement adopted in 1932.

We respectfully memorialize The Lutheran Church — Mis-
souri Synod, assembled in convention in .Milwaukee, to restrict
its church fellowship to those church bodies only which are will-
ing to bind themselves to the entire doctrinal stand of the above
Confessions, also with respect to the practical application of those
doctrines (e. g., our official position with respect to the lodge).

Resolved, That we petition Synod, in harmony with its official
doctrinal position (Brief Statement, Par. 29), to exercise evan-
gelical doctrinal’ discipline, whenever necessary, in the interest
of preserving the truth within our own Synod.

Adopted on March 28, 1950, by
Trinity Ev. LUTHERAN CONGREGATION
OF WESTVILLE, IND.

ANDREW Carson, Chairman
Exmer Luss, Secretary
WALTER M. Ave-Latiemant, Pastor

INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS 585

dopted on March 30, 1950, by

St. Paut’s Ev. LutHeran Cuurcu
or Otis, INp.

L. R. Scum, Chairman

JONHENRY Miuuer, Secretary

WALTER M. Ave-LatLemant, Pastor

Unprinted Memorials on “Common Confession”

Concerning the Report of the Committee on Doctrinal Unity,
sal icularly the “Common Confession,” the following unprinted
emorials were submitted: Nos. 3, 11, 14, 21, 50, 56, 58, 62, 65, 69.
(CE. Index.) ,
: ACTION
Upon recommendation of Committee 3, the following resolu-

tions were adopted: Resolution 14

“", Wuereas, By the grace of God the Committee on Doctrinal
Unity of Synod and the Committee on Fellowship of the American
:. Lutheran Church have jointly produced the document known as
the “Common Confession”; and
Wuereas, We find in this document nothing that contradicts
. the Scriptures; and

Wuereas, We are of the conviction that, under God, our Synod
should seek. a God-pleasing unity with all Lutherans; therefore
be it

Resolved, That we rejoice and thank God that the “Common
Confession” shows that agreement has been achieved in the doc-
trines treated by the two committees; and be it further

Resolved, That we accept the “Common Confession” as a state-
ment of these doctrines in harmony with Scriptures; and be it
further

Resolved, That if the American Lutheran Church, in convention
assembled, accepts it, the “Common Confession” shall be recog-
nized as a statement of agreement on these doctrines between us
and the American Lutheran Church.

ADDITION
Wuereas, Not all phases of the doctrines of the Scriptures
are treated in the “Common Confession”; and ;
Wuergas, Further study or future developments may show the
need of clarification or expansion of the “Common Confession”;
be it therefore
Resolved, That additional statements, originating in thé same