# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1983_S216 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 216 STRUCTURE AND CONSTITUTION 5-13 To Receive Our Savior Congregation, Walnut, lowa WHEREAS, After only four months of work, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Walnut, Iowa, has been blessed with more than 60 souls in its membership; and WHEREAS, The congregation has resolved to seek member- ship in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod; and WHEREAS, The congregation has been duly incorporated under the laws of the state of lowa; and WHEREAS, The constitution and bylaws of the congregation have been approved by the Committee on Constitutions of the Iowa District West of The Lutheran Church—Missiouri Synod; therefore be it Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, assembled in its 55th Regular Convention, receive Our Savior Lutheran Church, Walnut, Iowa, into its fellowship. Our Savior Lutheran Church Walnut, Iowa Neal R. Smith, President Teressa Akers, Secretary R. G. Dohrmann, Pastor Emeritus 5-14 To Accept Faith Lutheran Church, Roosevelt, Utah, into Membership WHEREAS. Faith Lutheran Church, Roosevelt, Utah, is a newly organized congregation; and WHEREAS, The Constitutions Committee of the Colorado District has reviewed the constitution of the congregation and found it to be acceptable and in agreement with the con- fessional position of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod; and WHEREAS. This congregation has passed a formal resolution requesting membership in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod: therefore be it Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod receive Faith Luthern Church. Roosevelt, Utah, into member- ship in the Synod. Board of Directors Colorado District Ralph A. Phipps, President 5-15 To Accept Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Pueblo West, Colo., into Membership WHEREAS. Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Pueblo West, Colo., is a newly organized congregation; and WHEREAS, The Constitutions Committee of the Colorado District has reviewed the constitution of the congregation and found it to be acceptable and in agreement with the con- fessional position of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod; and WHEREAS, This congregation has passed a forma] resolution requesting membership in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod; therefore be it Resolved. That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod receive Our Savior'’s Lutheran Church, Pueblo West, Colo., into membership in the Synod. Board of Directors Colorado District Ralph A. Phipps, President 5-16 To Accept Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church, Garrison, Minn., as a Member of the LCMS WHEREAS, We, a congregation of Lutherans in and around Garrison, Minnesota, in accord with I Corinthians 14:40 calling for all things to be done in the Christian church decently and in order, have adopted a constitution and bylaws for such work; and WHEREAS, This same constitution and bylaws have been reviewed and approved by the Minnesota North District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Committee on Consti- tutions and by the Minnesota North District Board of Direc- tors; therefore be it Resolved, That Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church, Garrison, Minnesota, be accepted into the fellowship of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, with all rights and privi- leges thereof. Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church Garrison, Minn. Carl E. Johnson, President Norman Rynard, Treasurer Emanuel Blomquist, Pastor (The above resolution was approved and endorsed by Minnesota North District Board of Directors, Jan. 31, 1983.) 5-17 To Provide for the Formation of an Autonomous Partner Church in Canada Preamble Lutheran Church—Canada was organized in 1959 as a federation of the three Canadian Districts of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod with participation by Canadian congregations of U.S. based Districts. Its stated objectives included “To study the matter of the formation of an independ- ent Lutheran Church—Canada to be affiliated with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod” (Article IIT, 4). In the early 1960s two separate referenda on autonomy failed to win the necessary support. In the 1970s energies were redirected toward a three-way merger with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada and the Lutheran Church in America—Canada Section. When these efforts collapsed in 1977 (over the issues of Scripture and the ordination of women), Lutheran Church—Canada again addressed the goal of an autonomous partner church, while the other two Lutheran bodies proceeded with plans for a merger of their own. For autonomy to be acceptable to all Districts, certain conditions were deemed essential. These included assurance of financial viability and clarification of the seminary issue. By God's grace, all three Districts are now self-supporting and are allocating over $1,500,000 in support of a vigorous home missions program. In 1981 Lutheran Church—Canada, acting by the authority of the Synod, decided on a two-seminary program, with institutions at St. Catharines, Ont., and Edmonton, Alta. A draft constitution for a proposed autono- mous church is presently receiving responses from the field. In addition, a very successful participation in Forward in Remembrance has helped give Lutheran Church—Canada a new awareness of God’s blessing and a new sense of maturity. Through all these events the Lord of the church has been directing the Canadian Districts and their congregations to the point where more serious decisions now need to be made with respect to autonomy for Lutheran Church—Canada. To that end, the following overture is respectfully submitted: Wuereas, God has blessed Lutheran Church—Canada with spiritual and numerical growth and instilled in it a desire to be an autonomous church in order to carry out Christ’s mission in Canada and throughout the world more effectively; and Wuereas, Lutheran Church—Canada, even if it were