# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1956_S12
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

12 PRESIDENT’S TRIENNIAL REPORT

At the Houston Convention in 1953 your President reported
concerning certain memorials before the 1950 convention in Mil-
waukee, that two meetings had been held between some who
signed these memorials and the President and Vice-Presidents and
the Advisory Committee on Doctrine and Practice: “The matter
is not completed. God willing, another meeting is to be held, and
it is hoped that the matter will then be brought to a God-pleasing
conclusion.” Two meetings were held. However, though revisions
were made in the original report of August 1951, no agreement
could be reached. Recently the revised report, which had been
mailed to those who had voiced objections, was sent to all pastors
and teachers. A statement expressing nonagreement also with the
revised report by those who had voiced objection to the first report,
was added. It enables everyone to see for himself what the
objections are. As far as the Praesidium and the Advisory Com-
mittee on Doctrine and Practice are concerned, we believe that
we have carried out our Synod’s instructions.

Members of Synod will recall that, because the 1945 “A State-
ment” as such is no longer a basis of study, but the issues raised
by it were to be submitted in the form of theses or guidelines to
pastors and congregations to give them opportunity to study them
in a quiet, earnest, and prayerful manner, your President sent
guidelines on the following topics: Sola Scriptura, Fellowship,
The Church, Exegesis of Romans 16: 17,18, and Prayer Fellowship.

It was hoped that the last in the series on the topic: “The Principle |

of Love in the Life of the Church” might have been mailed during
the last triennium. However, the author, who had consented to
prepare them, found it impossible to finish them until recently.
They are in the hands of the Praesidium for careful study; but
there was too little time to study them thoroughly. As soon as
this can be done, they will be printed and mailed.

It should be mentioned here that the theses on the Doctrine of
the Church were sharply criticized by some individuals, by a large
conference, and also in print. The entire correspondence and all
the documents were given to the chief author that he might have
opportunity to consider and study them carefully and prepare
a satisfactory answer. In His wise providence God saw fit to lead
him through a long siege of severe sickness and ultimately called
him to his eternal rest. Also one of the consultants was called
home.

The free conferences in Europe, known as “Bad Boll Meetings”
underwent a change for the year 1955 and 1956. Last year, with
the exception of the meeting in Berlin, the conferences were con-
fined to the Free Churches. They did much to cement the rela-
tionship between the three Free Church bodies which are in pulpit

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