# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1969_S62 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 62 THEOLOGICAL MATTERS of Australia have been marked by an evident com- munality in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and a deep mu- tual commitment to the authority of Holy Scripture and the witness of the Lutheran Confessions. The commis- sion recommends: 12. a. That the Synod give thanks to God and ex- press appreciation to the Lutheran Church of Australia for her willingness to enter into deliberations leading to pulpit and altar fellowship. b. That the Synod authorize its President, at a mu- tually acceptable time, to initiate discussions with the Lutheran Church of Australia that would, we trust, dis- close the unity necessary for the establishment of church fellowship between our two church bodies. c. That the “Theses of Agreement” of the Lutheran Church of Australia form the basis of such discussions between the church bodies, Lutheranism in Canada On Jan. 1, 1967, the Canada District of The American Lutheran Church formed an autonomous church body known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada. Both as a former district of The American Lutheran Church and as an autonomous church body, the Evan- gelical Lutheran Church of Canada has been involved in the discussions looking toward the establishment of pulpit and altar fellowship between The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod and The American Lutheran Church. Since Jan. 1, 1967, this involvement has taken the form of conversations with the Lutheran Church — Canada, an administrative structure of the three Cana- dian Districts of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod. Doctrinal discussions, whether at the local, re- gional, or national level, have disclosed and strength- ened a genuine consensus in faith and in the under- standing of the Gospel. In its convention in June 1968 the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada unanimously extended the hand of fellowship to The Lutheran Church —- Missouri Synod. Our commission has re- viewed the constitutional articles of faith of the Evan- gelical Lutheran Church of Canada and found them to be both Scriptural and adequate. At the request of the Lutheran Church — Canada, members of our commis- sion have participated in official discussions with repre- sentatives of the Lutheran Church — Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada. In keeping with the request of the Lutheran Church — Canada and in accordance with the Synod’s accepted procedure (cf. Handbook 16.03a), the commission recommends: 13. a. That with gratitude for the Holy Spirit’s guid- ance and blessing, The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod establish altar and pulpit fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada. b. That through the existing channels of interchurch relations the Lutheran Church — Canada and the Evan- gelical Lutheran Church of Canada be encouraged to exercise a mutual ministry to strengthen their under- standing and practice of fellowship. The Lutheran Church — Canada has also engaged in doctrinal discussions with the Lutheran Church in America — Canada section. Both groups have expressed a strong desire to continue these discussions as a means of furthering Lutheran unity in accordance with the requirements of the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. In an effort to encourage these efforts to- ward a united Lutheranism in Canada the commission recommends: 4 14. a. That the Synod authorize and encourage the Lutheran Church — Canada through its committee on relations with other churches and in consultation with the Commission on Theology and Church Relations to pursue the quest for Lutheran unity with the Lutheran Church in America —Canada section on the basis of the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. b. That any requests for official synodical action which might result from these discussions be conveyed to the Synod at the appropriate time and according to appropriate synodical procedures. C. Other Christian Groups The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod was repre- sented at the July 1968 meeting of the World Council of Churches in Uppsala, Sweden, by “delegated ob- servers” Dr. W. F. Wolbrecht, Dr. William Buege, and Dr. Richard Jungkuntz. Dr. Jungkuntz, who was ap- pointed to the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council, gave the commission a detailed report of the meeting. The commission is currently at work preparing the guidelines and report on the World Coun- cil of Churches requested by the 1967 synodical conven- tion (Resolution 3-13, 1967 Proceedings, pp. 92—100). At the request of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S. A., the commission is preparing an evalua- tion of The Confession of 1967. The commission is endeavoring to reactivate Lu- theran-Reformed discussions as authorized by the New York convention (cf. Resolution 3-04, 1967 Proceedings, p. 98) and is seeking to coordinate its efforts in this matter with those of the Division of Theological Studies of the Lutheran Council. During the past biennium there have been two meet- ings in the program of theological consultation between representatives of Lutheranism and Eastern Orthodoxy in the U.S.A. The chief topic thus far has been Scrip- ture and tradition, but the discussions have not yet ad- vanced to the point where publication of materials is feasible. Our representatives in the consultation are Dr. Richard Baepler and Dr. Warren Rubel. American Lutherans and Roman Catholics have con- cluded their third series of discussions. This series, which dealt with the Eucharist as sacrifice, was reported to the commission by our two Lutheran Church — Mis- souri Synod representatives. Dr. Fred Kramer and Dr. Arthur Piepkorn. A fourth series of talks dealing with the Eucharist and ministry is currently in progress. + The Lutheran Church — Canada’s Commission on Relations with Other Church Bodies is submitting identical recommendations presented elsewhere in the WorKsBook.