# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1956_S577
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS 577

Wuereas, Our present lodge practice tends to cause prospective
members to avoid our congregations and to seek membership else-
where, also in false believing churches; and

Wuereas, We thus lose our opportunity to testify to such lodge
people; therefore be it

Resolved, That we urge our pastors and congregations to exert
all their power, upon the basis of God’s Word, to win, persuade,
and retain persons who are lodge members but who desire to
affiliate with our church; and be it further

Resolved, That our pastors and congregations to a broader
extent carry out the spirit of Section 14.1, Paragraph “g,” of the
Handbook of Synod, namely, to continue to instruct and teach,
while Holy Communion is being administered to them, without
falling into the category of procrastination; and be it further

Resolved, That the first sentence in said paragraph be altered
and be made to read: “A conscientious pastor may administer
Holy Communion to a person who is still outwardly connected
with such a lodge”; and be it finally

Resolved, That all congregations be encouraged to distribute
tracts and other literature which point out the anti-Christian
character of the lodge. THEO. BoRCHARDT

Member of Zion Lutheran Church
Fraser Township, Fairmont, Minn.

Committee 7 also considered Memorial 503:

Revisions in the Fraternal Organizations Resolutions
(Memorial 503)

The members of this committee are Pastors George Beider-
wieden and W. H. Meyer and Mr. Edgar Fritz. This committee met
on December 16, 1955, in St. Louis. Rev. George Beiderwieden was
excused because of local parish duties. Rev. W. H. Meyer was
chairman of the meeting; Mr. Edgar Fritz served as secretary.

Other men present were Dr. Paul M. Bretscher, Pastor Julius
W. Acker, and Mr. Raymond A. Rempert. These men comprise the
Synodical Commission on Fraternal Organizations.

Our committee was assigned to study a revision of Section
14.03, Paragraph g, of our synodical Handbook which relates to
communing lodge members.

The entire group discussed the background of our church’s
position on the Fraternal Order question as it relates to this
problem.

Our suggested revisions are contained in the following resolu-
tions. A motion was made, seconded, and carried that we submit
to the St. Paul convention the following addition to Section 14.03,

{
{
1