# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1969_S61 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) THEOLOGICAL MATTERS 61 in discussions with a view toward altar and pulpit fel- lowship. Although the Lutheran Church in America has traditionally held that formal doctrinal talks are un- necessary for church bodies subscribing to the same Confessions, an informal meeting between representa- tives of the two churches was held in May 1968. At its 1968 convention in Atlanta, the Lutheran Church in America endorsed the late President Franklin Clark Fry’s response to President Harms’s invitation and en- couraged newly elected President Robert Marshall and other church officials to continue “unofficial discussions” with leaders of other Lutheran bodies with a view to- ward the establishment of fellowship. Accordingly an- other meeting between representatives of the two groups was held in February of this year to discuss a number of topics pertaining to the constitutions of the two bodies. The commission recommends: 10. a. That the Synod endorse the efforts of Presi- dent Harms in seeking consultations with the Lutheran Church in America in order to remove the causes of misunderstanding and separation between our church bodies. b. That the President of the Synod in conjunction with the Commission on Theology and Church Rela- tions be encouraged to continue discussions with offi- cials of the Lutheran Church in America with a view to exhibiting the extent of the doctrinal agreement be- tween the two church bodies. c. That the Synod encourage her congregations, con- ferences, and faculties to engage in doctrinal discussions with their counterparts in the Lutheran Church in America. The American Lutheran Church The commission has been active in various ways to implement Resolution 3-23 of the New York convention (1967 Proceedings, pp. 102—103). First the commission completed its task of preparing outlines of the essays adopted by the commissioners. These outlines were used as study guides for joint meetings between congrega- tions and conferences of The American Lutheran Church and The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod. Second, on President Harms’s request several members of the commission served as resource persons for the discussion of the fellowship question at District conven- tions during 1968. Third, the commission was consulted by President Harms in his appointment of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod members of a joint special committee to deal with disturbing diversities in position and practice. This committee has now held two meet- ings in an effort to clarify the nature and significance of recognized diversities and to establish procedures for dealing with them in an evangelical manner. President Harms has kept the commission informed of the prog- ress of these talks. Finally, the commission has dis- cussed at length with President Harms many questions and concerns about Resolution 3-23 and its implemen- tation. Since Resolution 3-23 expressly directed that in re- gard to the establishing of fellowship with The Amer- ican Lutheran Church “the President of the Synod in conjunction with the Council of Presidents make the appropriate recommendations to the 1969 convention,” the commission refrains from submitting a recommen- dation on this matter directly to the Synod. The com- mission, however, prepared a statement reflecting the differing opinions within the commission on whether the Synod should establish fellowship with the Ameri- can Lutheran Church at this time and dealing with the factors that should be taken into consideration in reach- ing a decision on this matter. This statement was sub- mitted to President Harms and the Council of Presidents in March of this year. The commission recommends: 11. a. That the Synod commend its officials, congre- gations, conferences, and other groups for their efforts to implement Resolution 3-23 by holding joint discus- sions with their counterparts in The American Lutheran Church. b. That the Synod thank the officers, pastors, and congregations of The American Lutheran Church for their many acts of courtesy and kindness toward us and especially for their willingness to meet with us for doc- trinal discussions. c. That the Synod encourage the continuation and wider extension of these joint meetings and discussions with the membership of The American Lutheran Church at all appropriate organizational levels. The Lutheran Church of Australia After several years of discussion leading to the adop- tion of the “Theses of Agreement” and the “Document of Union,” the two major Lutheran synods in Australia united in 1965 to form the Lutheran Church of Aus- tralia. Although the previously existing fellowship re- lations of the merging church bodies were suspended as a result of the union, the newly formed Lutheran Church of Australia has expressed its desire “to enter into discussions with Lutheran Churches at home and abroad to determine with which of these fellowship in Word and Sacrament exists or can be reached.” (“Docu- ment of Union,” 13) During its 1967 convention in New York, The Lu- theran Church — Missouri Synod received a letter from President M. Lohe of the Lutheran Church of Australia expressing interest in meeting with our Synod for the purpose of establishing pulpit and altar fellowship be- tween the two church bodies. The convention responded by expressing its willingness “to have conversation and consultation with the Lutheran Church of Australia with the object of duly establishing a proper basis on which The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod can en- ter into pulpit and altar fellowship with the Lutheran Church of Australia.” (Resolution 3-24, 1967 Proceed- ings, p. 103) In October 1968 President Harms, accompanied by Dr. Herbert Bouman, brought greetings to the conven- tion of the Lutheran Church in Australia and met with its Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Rela- tions. All official contacts with our Lutheran brethren