# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1973_S45
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

MINUTES OF THE CONVENTION 45

amendment was declined after no negative vote had
been registered against the calling of the question on
the amendment. The assembly then returned to the
main motion and adopted Res. 3-12A by a standing
vote of 513 to 394.

Point of Privilege

At this point Dr. Tietjen was granted a point of
privilege to respond to the vote which had been taken.
He stated that he had two words to bring to the con-
vention. The first was a hard word. He felt that he
had been grievously wronged since in his opinion the
overtures relating to his resignation were of such a
nature that they should, on the basis of the Constitu-
tion, not have been allowed to appear in the Convention
Workbook. He had declined to resign because he be-
lieved that the position which he held was a call from
God. The second word which he had was a good word,
a word of forgiveness, because he did not believe the
convention knew what it was doing. It was a word of
forgiveness because of the suffering and death of our
Lord Jesus Christ. He stated that he felt no ill will
towards anyone and prayed that God’s love might sur-
round the delegates and that they might know His peace.

Closing
The convention was declared recessed until 3 p.m.

Session 16

July 13, Afternoon

Opening

The afternoon session began with an installation
rite at which Dr. Arthur C. Nitz officiated. Delegates
who had been elected to various boards and commissions
accepted their offices and pledged to carry out their tasks
with the help of God.
Point of Privilege

On a point of privilege Committee 3, the floor com-
mittee on Seminary Issues, asked that the following
statement be read into the record:

Brethren: The following statement is being made in
the interest of reading into the record of this convention
a matter of privilege.

In good faith, Resolution 3-12 was printed in Today’s
Business on Wednesday of this week.

In good faith Committee No. 3 was ready to present
the documentary support of every item in the resolution
which is no longer before the convention.

In good faith, the committee believed the convention
schedule would allow ample time for full discussion and
disclosure of facts where the committee was challenged.

However, the convention and the chair have been im-
peded in carrying out their work. Therefore, through no
fault of its own, the committee reached the point where,
because of time restrictions, no reasonable person would
expect that the convention could deal with a matter re-
lating to President Tietjen.

We are therefore grieved that we are accused of
having grievously wronged Dr. Tietjen for presenting
certain facts in Today’s Business. The Convention has
been likewise accused. Brethren, we regret this unfair
condemnation of the Convention and the Committee.

Parish Services

Chairman Griese introduced Resolution 7-05 (TB
205) asking for the inclusion of female teachers on the

roster of the Synod. This historic resolution was adopted
by the convention.

Higher Education

Resolution 6-31 (TB 266) asking that funds be made
available for the building of Irvine was reintroduced to
the convention, since action on the resolution had not
been completed in a previous session. After some fur-
ther discussion the delegates asked the Board of Direc-
tors of the Synod to make 1 million dollars available
immediately from capital funds or to borrow the money
so that construction might be begun and further di-
rected them to release the 2 million dollars designated
for this project in the 125th Anniversary Thankoffering
as soon as it was available. Immediately following this,
they asked for the appointment of a Task Force to study
Synod’s program of Higher Education and to bring con-
crete resolutions to the 1975 convention for action on
this matter (Res. 6-30, TB 265). They did this after
changing the wording of the first resolved to read:

Resolved, That the BHE convene a meeting with the
president, a member of the Board of Control chosen by

that board, and a member of the faculty of each synodi-
cal college and seminary chosen by that faculty,

with the remainder of that resolved remaining as
printed.

They also changed the first line of the second re-
solved to read:

Resolved, That the BHE, in consultation with the
Board of Directors, appoint a Task Force outside of the
membership and staff of the BHE to...

Minutes

The minutes of Sessions 9, 10, 11 stood approved as
submitted.

Floor Committees

A proposed resolution relating to the appointment
and makeup of convention floor committees did not re-
ceive a second and was not considered after the Sec-
retary of the Synod pointed out that the synodical
Bylaws govern these matters.

Evangelism

Resolution 3-07 (TB 69) asking the Synod to estab-
lish evangelism as a high priority and to bring at least
425,000 converts into The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod as a fitting thankoffering in follow-up to the
125th anniversary was adopted after adding the fol-
lowing:
Resolved, That we deeply regret and repent of the
meager attention that we have been giving to the matter
of evangelism at this convention in comparison to the
attention being given to other matters, and that we re-
quest the President of the Synod together with the Vice-~
Presidents and all District Presidents to move up into
the first priority of administrative jeadership a positive,
aggressive, and continuous emphasis on our Lord’s great
commission to preach the Gospel to every creature,
undergirding the efforts of our synodical and District
boards of evangelism.
Greetings

Dr. Carl Mau, representing the Lutheran World Fed-
eration, was presented to the convention delegates. In
his remarks he indicated that it is difficult for members