# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1846 09 05_S3
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

§6. The united expansion of the kingdom of God, and the enabling and furthering of special churchly purposes. (Seminary, agenda,* hymnbook, Book of Concord,** schoolbooks, Bible distribution, mission work within and outside the church, etc.)

Chapter II. Conditions Under Which Union with the Synod May Take Place, and Fellowship with It May Continue.

§1. The confession of the Holy Scripture of the Old and New Testament as the written Word of God, and the sole rule and standard of faith and life.

§2. The acceptance of all the symbolical books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (namely: the three ecumenical† symbols, the unaltered Augsburg Confession, its Apology, the Smalcald Articles, the Large and Small Catechism of Luther, and the Formula of Concord‡), as the pure, unadulterated declaration and exposition of the divine Word.

§3. Renunciation of all mingling of churches and of faiths, such as: the serving of mixed congregations, as such,§ by ministers of the church; participation in the worship and sacramental acts of false-believing and mixed congregations; participation in all false-believing tract and mission enterprises, etc.

§4. The exclusive use of pure church and school books (agendas, hymnbooks, catechisms, readers, etc.). If it is not practicable in a congregation to exchange, without further ado, existing

* Agende, properly agenda, means literally that which is "to be done" by the minister of the church, whether at the common public worship service or at the special churchly ministerial acts, as for example baptism, marriage, and so on. Hence it is that a book, too, is called an Agende, in which is contained, on the basis of the right church faith, everything that the pastor is to say and do — both when he draws near to God together with the congregation in prayer, confession, praise, and intercession, and also when, as the mouth and hand of God, he dispenses to the congregation the blessings and saving benefits of the Lord.

** This is the name of the collection of the confessional writings of the Lutheran Church that was completed in the year 1580, which book is the true concord, or harmony, of the opposing positions contending within the Roman and the Reformed churches, and the right union of the same. This collection contains the individual confessions, or symbols, named in Chapter II, §2.

† That is, universal. For this was the name given to the church assemblies (synods, councils) that were convened by the church of the world then known — that is, of the three continents Asia, Africa, and Europe, so far as they had been discovered — as opposed to the particular synods that were gathered, for instance, from a single province of the Roman Empire.

‡ Although the Formula of Concord seeks only to settle controversies in doctrine that had arisen between the confessors of the Augsburg Confession and within the Lutheran Church, and although for that reason it has therefore also not been received by the Lutheran Church in all countries into the body of the church's confessional symbols, it is nevertheless of the most decided importance for our church here in America — especially on account of its sharp and cogent assertion and defense of the pure doctrine against the Reformed — so that it would be most reckless, indeed unconscionable, not also to confess it in the most definite manner.

§ These, then, are such congregations as are composed of Lutherans and Reformed, or so-called Evangelicals (United Protestants), and are not infrequently served by so-called Lutheran preachers, who must then, of course, be of a double character — Lutheran to the Lutherans and Reformed to the Reformed.

hymnbooks and the like of erroneous faith for orthodox ones, the preacher of such a congregation can become a member of the synod only on the condition that he promises to use the erroneous hymnbook, etc., only under public protest, and to work in all earnestness toward the introduction of an orthodox one.

§5. The regular (not merely temporary) calling of the preachers, and the regular election of the deputies by the congregations, as well as the irreproachable conduct of the preachers and the deputies.

§6. The provision of the children of the congregations with Christian school instruction.

§7. The exclusive use of the German language in the synodical assemblies. Only guests may address the synod in other languages, if they are not proficient in the German language.

§8. Persons unknown to the synod cannot enter as members of it, unless they are able to properly establish their credentials as regards doctrine and life.

Chapter III. The Outward Organization of the Synod.

§1. The constituent parts of the synodical membership are: the ministers of the church and the deputies of the parish congregations,* of which each has the right to elect one. Preachers or deputies who are absent for a well-founded reason may, in a given case, cast their vote in writing.

§2. The above-named members of the synod elect from among themselves, from the ministers of the church, by majority vote and for three years, a president, a vice-president, a secretary, and a treasurer — the latter of whom may also be elected from among the deputies.

§3. Only advisory members are: all orthodox preachers, candidates of the preaching office, and teachers not authorized by any congregation, and all delegates of a congregation of the synodical association who appear other than as deputies.

§4. All synodical assemblies are public; the synod may, however, make an exception to this rule if it finds it necessary, or if it is requested to do so.

§5. The preachers belonging to the synod shall use their presence at the synodical assembly also for the holding of a pastoral conference.

§6. The regular synodical assembly is held once every year.

§7. During the sessions of the synod, sermons shall be preached several times by members of the synod on subjects that the president shall determine for them at least three months in advance.

§8. Matters of doctrine and of conscience

* A parish congregation is either a single congregation, or the sum of the individual congregations served by a pastor — just as in Germany the territory within which he administers his office in various places is called a parish or a diocese. So even if the pastor here in this country should serve three, four, or even more spatially separated congregations, they are, essentially, in relation to him, always only a single congregation, and must therefore send a joint deputy to the synod.

are decided by God's Word alone; all other decisions are made by majority vote; in case of a tie, the president decides.

Chapter IV. The Sphere of Business of the Synod.

§1. Oversight of the purity and unity of doctrine within the synodical district.

§2. Supervision over the official conduct of the preachers and teachers of the synodical district.

§3. The joint defense and expansion of the church.

§4. The publication and promotion of a church periodical.

§5. The conscientious examination of candidates for the preaching office and the teaching office.

§6. The performance of churchly ordination and installation into office.

§7. The training of future preachers and schoolteachers for the service of the church.

§8. The provision of pastorless congregations that turn to the synod.

§9. The rendering of theological opinions and judgments, and also the settling of disputes between individual persons or entire parties within the congregations — the latter, however, only in cases in which the synod is requested to do so by all parties concerned.

§10. The pursuit of the greatest possible uniformity in the ceremonies.

§11. Care for the faithful fulfillment of all the duties of the preaching office, especially for the exercise of a genuinely evangelical pastoral care in all its branches; accordingly, also the promotion of thorough confirmation instruction in general, and in particular with regard to the erroneous doctrines of the dominant sects, and the introduction and maintenance of Sunday catechetical instruction for confirmed youth.

§12. The support of poor congregations within the synodical district in obtaining regular service by a preacher.

§13. The collection of churchly-statistical reports from the synodical district, together with the compiling of an American Lutheran church chronicle.

§14. Connection with the Lutheran Church abroad.

Chapter V. The Conduct of Synodical Business.

§1. The synod convenes once every year, at the time and place determined at the last synod held. For an exception, see Chapter VI, A, §14. The duration of the annual synodical assemblies may never be extended beyond ten days.

§2. The synod opens its sessions with singing and prayer; thereafter the names of the voting preachers and deputies present are recorded by the secretary, after their credentials have been examined and recognized. Thereafter the reception of the merely advisory members is carried out, and their names are likewise entered into the synodical register.