# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1852_S222
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 222 —

...Lutheran preacher, and that, since their numbers, and hence their
means, are still so very small, it assist them for the time being with
their church building and the salary of their future preacher. The
Synod resolved to signal its willingness to grant the request of the
congregation named.

3. By resolution of our Synod, it shall in future be the practice, when
new congregations are admitted, that petitioners who have already drawn
up a congregational constitution [*Gemeinde-Ordnung*] append it to their
request for admission, so that the Synod can satisfy itself that it
contains no provisions contrary to our constitution. The Synod by no
means intends thereby to interfere in the affairs of congregations, or
to prescribe to them what church constitutions they should have; but
only to gain for itself a testimony, and thereby assurance, of the
orthodoxy of the congregations to be admitted. In general, as regards
church constitutions, it is held best that, before drawing one up in
writing, a congregation should first put it into practice — that is,
that pastor and congregation should live their way into a fitting and
wholesome order, and only then draw it up and fix it in writing.*)

4. All preachers belonging to the Synod, in whose congregations written
church constitutions already exist, are to bring these to the next
synod or send them in.

5. A call shall be issued in the *Lutheraner* to the holders of shares
in the book-publishing company, asking them to state in what manner
they wish repayment of their shares, or whether they wish to leave the
money with the publishing fund for the time being.

6. Resolved, that the proposed reprinting of the synodical constitution
with its additions be postponed until the Synod's new organization.

7. Notices on the doctrine of election by grace, as well as on Luther's
work against Erasmus, are to appear in the *Lutheraner*.

8. Resolved, that the pastors and congregations be reminded to see
faithfully to it that, in accordance with the first synodical report,
above p. 14, IV., letters of dismissal from their former pastor be
produced by those congregation members who move from another parish
into theirs and wish to join them.

9. The Synod does not consider it right for Lutherans to take up
collections for church purposes among the false believers, since in
that case something is being asked of them that, given their Christian
and ecclesiastical position, must go against their conscience. It is a
different matter when such people of other faiths offer us voluntary
contributions for church purposes.

10. Resolved, that following Pastor Walther's appeal in the *Lutheraner*
and preceding sermons by the pastors concerned on this subject, a
collection be taken throughout the whole synodical district for the new
building of Concordia College in St. Louis, and that congregations also
otherwise be urged to take an active part in our educational
institutions.

11. The filling of vacant pastorates, etc., was left to the presidium.

*) From this declaration it follows of itself that congregations which
do not yet have a written church constitution, and therefore cannot
append one to their request for admission, will nevertheless also be
admitted by the Synod; the requirement to append a written church
constitution thus applies only to those congregations that have already
drawn one up.        D. Secr.