# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Mai 1856_S150
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

150 A General Conference of the Lutheran Ministers in America.

"We forbear, so as not to preempt the brethren, from expressing ourselves further on the proposal made. Commending the matter to the invisible Lord and Head of the Church, we now wait to learn — whether by private letters or by means of our ecclesiastical periodicals — the opinion of those who deem the matter worthy of their consideration and discussion, concerning the subjects, form, time, place, and so forth, of such joint deliberations. We remark only, further, that the gatherings and deliberations, for all their public character, will naturally be only private in nature, and that all those present, without thereby intending any representation of their respective synods, should take part only in their own person."

Since Professor Walther — to whom surely many a Lutheran minister gives hearty thanks for the above proposal — would like to learn the opinions of the brethren on this subject, I take the liberty of expressing here, in all modesty, a few thoughts, even should they serve among the brethren only to stimulate reflection.

As regards the subjects of the deliberations, these of course may not encroach upon the domain of the various synods, but must move rather in general terms, and the resolutions can therefore not be binding upon any synod, but only advisory for the whole Lutheran Church of this land. Among the subjects of general importance, the following may certainly claim first place: In what points must all Lutherans be unconditionally at one? to what extent does this unity exist among us? — Of those assembled — which synod of this land is, by the standard of the Augsburg Confession, to be held orthodox? in what points may a difference be allowed to stand, and how should the various synods conduct themselves toward one another regarding such unessential differences as still remain? would it be useful or harmful, at the present time, to reconcile the unessential differences, and in what way might an eventual reconciliation best be achieved? what should the generally valid rules be for the formation of new congregations, for the reception of members into the congregation, of ministers and congregations into the synod, for church discipline, and so forth? how should congregations of one place, belonging to different synods, conduct themselves toward one another? how far may our Christian tolerance toward other confessions extend? what stance ought we to maintain, in this turbulent age, toward certain political questions of the day? how might such various abuses be done away with as the hiring of ministers on contract, their being driven off or running away from congregations, the serving of so many congregations by a single minister, and the like? how should and could we work together in the work of education, of the home—