# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1986_S139
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

3. THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

To Promote the Confessional Stance of
the Synod

RESOLUTION 3-01

Reports 3-01A, 5-01, (CW, pp. 105-10, 165-68)

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has, from the
time of its founding in 1847 until the present moment,
professed its intention to be thoroughly committed to Holy
Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. Every congre-
gation, pastor, and teacher of the Synod “accepts without
reservation: (1) the Scriptures of the Old and the New
Testament as the written Word of God and the only rule
and norm of faith and practice [and] (2) all the Symbolical
Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as a true and
unadulterated statement and exposition of the Word of
God” (Constitution, Art. IT).

The members of Floor Committee 3, Theology and
Church Relations, are convinced that The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod wants to continue to be a confes-
sional Lutheran church in all aspects of its life and work.
To be a confessional church means there is content to our
faith, content to our love, content to our caring, content to
our evangelism and witness. That content is based on the
love of God revealed to us in Jesus Christ. It is in and
through Jesus Christ that we take our stand on Sacred
Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. This is why there
is content to how we do our theology, how we apply it, and
how we say it to each other and to the world. Content is
the reason why we appear at times and in certain circum-
stances to be cautious. It is also the reason on other oc-
casions for our willingness to take chances on and risks

Chairman Eldor Meyer of Committee 3

for God. It is to proclaim Jesus Christ that we are a confes-
sional Lutheran church.

As we prepare to take up some of these sensitive and
important matters, we commend for your consideration the
concluding words of the report of the Synod’s Commission
on Theology and Church Relations:

“Now is the time for The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod to commit itself more deeply and fully to the artic-
ulation of the historic understanding of the Christian faith
and to the strengthening of confessional Lutheran ties
throughout the world. Specifically, the Commission urges
the Synod to give first priority to the investment of time,
personnel, and financial support to programs of theological
study and interchange with the Synod’s partner churches
at home and abroad {italics added]. This is ‘the right time’
for the Synod to share more freely with others the rich
theological resources which God has so generously en-
trusted to our church body during its 139 years, and to
support more fervently the witness of all those wishing to
be faithful to the Biblical mandate to proclaim the scrip-
tural Gospel of Jesus Christ for the life and salvation of
people everywhere” (CW, p. 105).

Action: Adopted (14).

To Develop a Theological Statement
of Mission

RESOLUTION 3-02
Overtures 2-64A—J, 3-67-68, 3-98 (CW, pp. 95, 127, 135)

WuereEaS, God wills that His church seize every oppor-
tunity to give an uncompromising, yet winsome testimony
to the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and

Wuereas, Now is the time for The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod to commit itself more deeply and fully to
the articulation of the historic understanding of the Chris-
tian faith and to the strengthening of a confessional Lu-
theran witness throughout the world; and

Wuereas, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has
from the time of its founding in 1847 professed its intention
to be thoroughly committed to Holy Scripture and the Lu-
theran Confessions; and

Wuereas, Every congregation, pastor, and teacher of
the Synod “accepts without reservation: (1) the Scriptures
of the Old and the New Testament as the written Word of
God and the only rule and norm of faith and of practice
{and} (2) all the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lu-
theran Church as a true and unadulterated statement and
exposition of the Word of God”; and

WHEREAS, It is the first objective of the Synod to “con-
serve and promote the unity of the true faith (Eph. 4:3-6;
1 Cor. 1:10), work through its official structure toward
fellowship with other Christian church bodies, and provide
a united defense against schism, sectarianism (Rom.
16:17), and heresy”; and

Wuereas, The times provide an unprecedented oppor-