# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1969_S174
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

174 CHURCH RELATIONS

down the confessional steadfastness, Biblical loyalty,
and spiritual strength of the LCMS:; and

Wuereas, Rom. 16:17 gives specific instructions cov-
ering this situation: therefore be it

Resolved, That the Mount Hope Lutheran Church,
by a unanimous standing vote of the voters, urgently
requests that The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
decline the offer of altar and pulpit fellowship with The
American Lutheran Church until such time as essential
Scriptural unity of confession and practice has been
established beyond any reasonable doubt.

Motunt Hore LUTHERAN CHURCH
Casper, Wyo.
Epwarp Preuss, President

Essentially the same overture was offered by:

(3-212)

Trinity Lutheran Church, Rock Springs, Wyo., Ger-
ald Rohde, Chairman.

(3-213)
Rev. A. E. Batiansila, Keene, N. H.

(3-214)
Rev. Robert Luoma, Troy, N. H.

(3-215)

To Decline Fellowship Offer
for Stated Reasons

Wuereas, It is the experience and conviction of
many pastors and congregations that there are many
serious differences in doctrine (e. g.. the inerrant Word,
creation, the invisible church, etc.) and in practice
(e. g., lodgism, ecumenism, close Communion) between
The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod and The
American Lutheran Church pastors and congregations;
and

Wuereas, Research and surveys by non-Lutherans
as well as Lutherans have repeatedly and consistently
demonstrated much weaker Biblical convictions and
practices among ALC pastors than among those of the
LCMS: e. g.:

“What Do Pastors Believe?”

ruary, March, April 1966
“Divided They Merge” Christianity Today, Oct. 13, 1967
“Ecumenism’s Roots’ Lutheran Layman, September

1967
Protest Paradox, Jeffrey K. Hadden, 1967
Will Ethics Be the Death of Christianity? Glock and

Stark research, 1967
lowa Lutheran Ecumenism, Wm. P. Thalacker, ALC

pastor, 1967
The Lutheran Ethic and Social Change, a Detroit Metro

Lutheran Research and Planning Study, 1969

Milwaukee Journal, Feb-

and

Wuerras, Fellowship with The ALC would draw us
into communion with a weaker Lutheran body, which
would naturally water down the confessional steadfast-
ness, Biblical loyalty, and spiritual strength of the
LCMS; and

Wuereas, The ALC has offered the left hand of fel-
lowship to the ultraliberal Lutheran Church in Amer-
ica at the same time the right hand of fellowship has
been offered to the LCMS, the acceptance of which
would obviously involve the LCMS in a pan-Lutheran
fellowship to which we must take the strongest possible
exception according to 1 Cor. 1:10 and Rom. 16:17; and

Wuereas, The ALC is a member of the Lutheran
World Federation and the World Council of Churches
(with the prospect of identification with the National
Council of Churches not far removed), and fellowship
with The ALC would involve us immediately through
The ALC with the LWF, the WCC, and the NCC, with
which the LCMS has officially and repeatedly declined
to identify itself; and

Wuereas, Many pastors and congregations would
find themselves in conscience bound to withdraw from
the LCMS or practice selective fellowship and selective
stewardship should altar and pulpit fellowship between
the two synods be consummated; therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod decline the offer of pulpit and altar fellowship
extended by The American Lutheran Church because
the essential Scriptural unity of confession and practice
between the two synods has not been established; and
be it further

Resolved, That the LCMS identify The ALC mem-
bership in the Lutheran World Federation and the
World Council of Churches, as well as the offer of fel-
lowship with the Lutheran Church in America (which
Dr. Schiotz characterized at The ALC convention at
Omaha as “similar to declaring legal a common-law
marriage’), as additional reasons why we cannot in
good conscience accept their offer.

MESSIAH LUTHERAN CHURCH
Sterling, Il.

Haroitp NEtson, Secretary
Evtpor MvueELLeR, Pastor

(3-216)
To Decline Establishment of Fellowship

Wuereas, It is the experience and conviction of many
pastors and congregations that there are serious dispari-
ties in doctrine (e.g., verbal inspiration) and practice
(e. g.. lodge membership) between pastors and congre-
gations of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod and
The American Lutheran Church; and

Wuereas, Surveys and studies have repeatedly and
consistently demonstrated much weaker Biblical con-
victions and practices among The ALC pastors than
among those of the LCMS; and