# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S1191 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) Poe Aono 3 : : Pay with your Committee and advocated that our Synod join the 678 INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL, MATTERS 6. Differing policies in regard to union Services together with those who ar faith. Other serious differences in doctrine betw i Synod and various member churches of the National reas ii Council could be enumerated. No one familiar with the do ie and practices of minorities, or in some instances majorities ins _various Lutheran groups in America will gainsay Dr Bers ue statements regarding the lack of doctrinal unity existing in come Lutheran church bodies in the National Lutheran Council today ism, that is, unionistie e not of the Lutheran Fields of Co-operation Limited With few isolated exceptions the work carri National Lutheran Council can be designated either as Oy, the work or as work with spiritual implications, in which we. ane participate if we are to remain true to the principles which guide Missouri Synod action in working together with other Chri one with whom we are not in pulpit and altar fellowship. tans Thus the field of possible Participation on the part of the Mi souri Synod in the National Lutheran Council work in which we could co-operate without violation of our principles is confined to a very small area. Polling of the Boards All major boards and commissions carrying on w Missouri Synod were invited to consult with our Commitee men of these boards carefully surveyed the possible areas of joint work with the National Lutheran Council in its specified field. Each board was asked to give the Commit 5 the question: “Shall the Missouri Synod join the National Mt A Lutheran Council and participat th i i anc oorpe e in that phase of work which you are carrying on The Board for Missions in North and § A ssi outh America, the armed Services Commission, the Board for Foreign Missions, the oard for Higher Education, the Student Service Commission, the Board for Parish Education, the Missionary Board of the Lutheran sonodical Conference, were unanimous in their recommendations t so far as their areas are concerned joi National Lutheran Council. ° me Should not join the The only board that found areas of i i i possible co-operation with oe onal Lutheran Council was the Board for Public Relations ur Committee readily agrees that in this limi ion would be wee limited field co-operation A representative of Associated Lutheran Charities also met tee its official expression on INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS 679 National Lutheran Council and participate in the work of the Council particularly in the field of “welfare service.” With refer- ence to “institutional missions,” however, he declared that because pulpit and altar fellowship had not been established by the Mis- souri Synod with the bodies comprising the National Lutheran Council, only a limited co-operation could be achieved. It must be borne in mind that neither the Associated Lutheran Charities nor its constituent bodies are synodical agencies. It would not be within the jurisdiction of a synodical convention to declare that we should join the National Lutheran Council for the purpose of carrying on joint charitable endeavors, which are not under the direction of Synod. What Would We GAIN? Since theoretically if we should join the National Lutheran Council and participate only in those areas of work not classified as spiritual, without violation of our principles, it is but fair to ask, “What would we gain by such membership?” It is the con- sidered opinion of your Committee, based on an analysis of expe- riences and facts, that it is more expedient for the Missouri Synod to carry on its work independently than to put a certain portion of it under the jurisdiction of a larger group of men, two thirds of which are not in fellowship with us or are not in agreement with us on many important aspects of the work of the Church. A factual evaluation of the work of the Missouri Synod today leads us to believe that its work can be carried on independently more efficiently, more effectively, and with greater economy than it could if we were to become participating members of the National Lutheran Council. Joining the National Lutheran Council would be of no advantage to the Missouri Synod. This has become clearly evident especially during this past decade. The National Lutheran Council consists of eight different groups. Not all of these are in pulpit and altar fellowship with one another. Every action must be approved by a majority before it can go into effect. The Mis- souri Synod is one closely integrated body, which can move rela- tively quickly. The Lord has abundantly blessed our work in the fields of missions, of education, of our Armed Services Commission, of our Emergency Planning Council. He has made our Church an active, vibrant, working organism. We do not believe that the work of the Missouri Synod in the past decade would have been done better, nor that we could have accomplished more, if we had been members of the National Lutheran Council. We believe that in the very nature of an organization which acts for eight different bodies there is an approach to problems different from that of one closely knit church body. The above statements are made in a spirit of deepest humility i | i 1 oi: PRI