# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1848_S59
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 59 —

...contribute, which has already been refuted under the first point. But
since they took particular offense at the expression we used — "a sound
constitution, not contrary to Scripture, also contributes its part to the
church's thriving" — we hereby declare once again that by this we by no
means ascribe to our constitution what belongs solely and exclusively to
the means of grace, but only that it contributes to the church's thriving in
the same sense in which we could say the same, for example, of the
observance of Sunday, etc.

As to the accusation that we dealt falsely in our synodical report, it is
further remarked: not only is the committee a witness that Pastor Geyer
absolutely rejected annual synodical conventions — this is also evident
from his own submission — but that Mr. Hökendorf retracted that claim is
likewise attested not only by members of the committee, but also by
Pastor Geyer's own second submission, in which he evidently dropped that
claim and insisted only that we should not set up any synodical
constitution for the thriving of the church.

The synod finally declared that henceforth it would only take into
consideration such submissions as contain matters properly within its
purview, or that request an opinion and the like, per Chapter IV, § 9, and
Chapter V, § 13 of our constitution, but that it would reject those
containing merely hostile attacks on the synod, for which purpose public
newspapers might be made use of instead.

The Faude Affair.

The synod likewise found itself compelled to declare itself, with even
greater emphasis, regarding two submissions from Mr. C. Faude and his
principals.

In the first of these two submissions, he not only denies what he had
conceded the previous year before the committee — namely, that Pastor
Bürger's refusal of an unreconciled person from Holy Communion had not
been an excommunication [Bann], and that he and his principals had been
guilty of transgressing the commandment of love toward their pastor — but
he even takes it upon himself to pass judicial-style judgment on aged
pastors of our day, and accuses the members of that committee of having
been unwilling to hear him out sufficiently and of having judged in a
biased manner — although these members are well aware that they not
only proceeded with forbearance and patience, but also took every
possible pain to settle the whole dispute amicably and peaceably, so that
in the end both parties seemed satisfied — something C. Faude and his
companions could all the more readily have been as well, since Pastor
Bürger had made humble concessions, which were published in the
synodical report, and which latter fact should at least have convinced
them of the impartiality and accuracy of the synodical report. Yet the
whole letter reveals a spirit filled with mistrust and prejudice against us,
one that, without desiring further instruction, believes it must have the
last word — which is why it would also be futile labor for us to try to
justify ourselves further against their individual reproaches.

It further appears from the letter that C. Faude and his companions
administer Holy Communion to one another themselves; whether,
however, they have done everything they could to reconcile themselves
with Pastor...