# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1956_S493
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS 493

its church body on the development or progress, if any, of such
discussions”; and

Wuereas, The experience of the past has demonstrated the
desirability of this procedure; therefore

We recommend that the Committee on Doctrinal Unity be
authorized to represent The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
in this endeavor.

We furthermore recommend that The Lutheran Church —
Missouri Synod request the joint committee in future discussion
with other churches

1. To institute a thorough exploration of the doctrine and prac-
tice of all the churches participating until, under the blessing of
God, unity of doctrine and a common procedure in attaining unity
in practice are established on the basis of the Scriptures and the
Lutheran Confessions.

2. After such exploration to draw up a fresh document, jointly
arrived at by the representatives of all the churches involved,
setting forth the agreement found both as to doctrinal basis and
practical application, as the given situation may require; to submit
this document to the membership of all groups concerned in suffi-
cient time for thorough study before the conventions of the
churches or synods; and to present it to the conventions for action.

3. To supply the leadership for the planning and execution of
approaches designed to promote a fuller meeting of minds on
a broader front, such as free conferences on the District, circuit,
and local levels (with intensive committee work at each level to
stimulate and guide discussion), meetings of theological faculties,
and similar ventures.

In connection with this recommendation we quote the words
with which Dr. C. F. W. Walther called for a free conference of
all Lutherans of the Augsburg Confession a hundred years ago.
They are astonishingly relevant today:

“Since it is a fact that there are still some differences of con-
victions even among those Lutherans of our land who hold de-
votedly to this basic Confession of our church — and the discussion
of these differences in our journals can easily do more to delay
than to promote the unification of our churches which we all
desire-—a personal conversation and interchange could only be
wholesome. Such an interchange would above all bring with it this
incomparable blessing: the struggle which is always necessary even
within our church would take on the character of a mutual rivalry
among brethren in the faithful preservation of the treasure of
purity and unity of doctrine.” (Lehre und Wehre, II [1856],

pp. 4, 5.)