# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1969_S110
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

110 CHURCH RELATIONS

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod give congregations of our Synod the opportunity
to express their views regarding altar and pulpit fellow-
ship with The American Lutheran Church by means of
a congregational referendum.

BetHaNny LUTHERAN CHURCH
Port Orchard, Wash.
Joun F. Beck, President

(3-47)
To Refer Fellowship Question
to Congregations

Wuereas, We are most thankful to the God of all
mercies and truth for every endeavor to maintain and
advance true unity in the church; and

Wuereas, Doctrinal unity founded on the proper
Scriptural and confessional basis is consistent with the
purpose of sound Lutheranism and the objectives of The
Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod, expressing the will
of God; and

Wuersas, The current search for God-glorifying altar
and pulpit fellowship between The Lutheran Church —
Missouri Synod and The American Lutheran Church is
a most praiseworthy venture for Christ and the Gospel;
and

Whereas, Full fraternal church relations “can also
bring numerous blessings into the practical life of the
participating church bodies”; and

Wuergas, To accomplish this holy purpose, Resolu-
tion 3-23 of the 1967 New York convention encouraged
the congregations of Synod to discuss pulpit and altar
fellowship with The ALC; and

Wuereas, Seeking true unity in the Gospel for full
fellowship with The ALC also prompted the Synod in its
New York Resolution 3-22 to recognize most regretfully
that “disturbing diversities still exist” that need to be
cleared away, and that “the Synod direct its officials to
make arrangements for promoting the widest possible
mutual recognition of the doctrinal consensus and its
implications for church fellowship among the entire
membership of the Synod”; and

Wuereas, The Montana District has expressed its
gratitude to God for the spiritual unity that has been
recognized; and

Wuereas, The Montana District has declared its full
cooperation with synodical and District officials in moti-
vating its congregations to thoroughly discuss the per-
tinent issues involved in the proposed pulpit and altar
fellowship with The ALC among ourselves and also
with The ALC on all levels available to us in order that
a clear and definite understanding of our respective
doctrine and practice may be realized; and

Wuereas, The results of such cordial confrontations
and joint studies have been communicated to the Dis-
‘trict President for the purpose of reporting them to the
President of the Synod and the Council of Presidents for
their drafting of a directive recommendation to the 1969
Denver convention relative to altar and pulpit fellow-

ship between our Synod and The ALC, as required by
New York Resolution 3-23: and

Wuereas, We have pledged ourselves to implore the
God of all grace through the Spirit of all gifts for the
President of the Synod and the Council of Presidents, as
in the fear of God and in the love of truth, they prayer-
fully seek to carry out their joint responsibility in this
assignment; therefore be it

Resolved, That since the activation of pulpit and
altar fellowship must ultimately be determined on the
local level by individual congregations of which the
Synod is composed, First Lutheran Church of Missoula,
Mont., humbly requests the 1969 convention to also re-
fer the question of declaring pulpit and altar fellow-
ship with The American Lutheran Church to the con-
gregations of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
for final action and decision; and be it further

Resolved, That we earnestly plead with all members
of the body of Christ to continue fervently praying for
and conscientiously working toward any and every
Spirit-motivated, Gospel-centered, Bible-based, doctri-
nal unity that, God willing, also shall eventuate in pulpit

and altar fellowships. First LuTHERAN CHURCH

Missoula, Mont.
ArT BRACKEBUSCH, Chairman
Joun Rotu, Secretary

(3-48)

To Amend Fellowship Resolutions
to Provide for Referendum

Wuereas, Any declaration of altar and pulpit fellow-
ship with The American Lutheran Church will involve
every congregation of The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod; and

Wuereas, There are within LCMS those individuals
and possibly congregations who cannot accept with a
clear conscience such a declaration at this present time:
therefore be it

Resolved, That we petition the Synod to submit any
action to establish such altar and pulpit fellowship to a
referendum of the congregations; and be it further

Resolved, That if this resolution be in opposition to
any previous resolutions, they be amended accordingly.
TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH
Navasota, Tex.
ARTHUR WARNASCH, Secretary

(3-49)
To Refer Fellowship Matter
to Congregations

Wuereas, The “essays adopted by the commissioners
of The American Lutheran Church and The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod” are a beautiful exposition of
the Lutheran Confessions, as far as they go; still they do
not deal specifically and adequately with the particular
issues that we face in our day and time: “verbal inspira-