# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1956_S11
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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PRESIDENT’S TRIENNIAL REPORT 11

will probably enter into a union with the Ev. Lutheran Church
and the United Ev. Lutheran Church. This means that the Amer-
ican Lutheran Church, with which we have sought agreement that
pulpit and altar fellowship might be established, will no longer
exist, but will be a part of a new church body. This union, accord-
ing to reports, will be effected January 1960. This means that
because of this union, the Common Confession, Parts I and II,
if Part II is adopted by this convention, cannot and shall not serve
as a functioning union document for fellowship with the American
Lutheran Church, but will be regarded as a historical document,
which will show what honest efforts were made to reach agree-
ment in doctrine and practice.

What the future will bring we shall leave in God’s hands. We
must realize that God in His grace has blessed our Synod with
purity of doctrine. We should thank Him for it in all sincerity
of heart. We must also realize that God expects us to continue
in His Word and to hold fast the profession of our faith. Members
of our Synod will do well to recognize the great importance of pure
doctrine. After all, this is the real foundation and the real strength
of the Lutheran Church. I cannot emphasize this sufficiently. Not
great numbers, but solid Scriptural doctrine is what makes a Lu-
theran church truly Lutheran. Wherever there is a compromise in
matters of Biblical doctrine, you are confronted with something
which is not Lutheran. Hence pastors, teachers, and laymen should
become ever more thoroughly acquainted with and convinced of
true Biblical doctrine.

In March 1955 leaders of the Augustana Synod invited repre-
sentatives of our Synod to meet with them for the purpose of
inquiring what we consider the minimum requirements toward the
establishment of fellowship. We informed them that our church
has always held that there must be doctrinal unity before there
can be pulpit and altar fellowship. Furthermore, we called atten-
tion to the fact that, if free conferences were held, also the other
synods of the Synodical Conference should be invited.

Since the meeting with the representatives of the Augustana
Synod, our Synod received an invitation from both the Augustana
Synod and the United Lutheran Church in America “to consider
such organic union as will give real evidence of our unity of the
faith,” ete. The convention will consider this and pass the proper
resolutions.

Thorough consideration must be given by the convention,
under the guidance of Floor Committee 3, to the report of the
special committee on the invitation extended by the Lutheran
World Federation for membership in said body.