# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1872_S94
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 94 —

...voting members: in the Western District 100, in the Northern District
66, in the Middle District 58, in the Eastern District 46, in all 270
members; accordingly we would have 28 delegates to send, namely 14
pastors and 14 congregational deputies. Of these, the Western District is
to elect 5 pastors and 5 lay deputies, the Northern District 4 pastors and
4 lay deputies, the Middle District 3 pastors and 3 lay deputies, and the
Eastern District 2 pastors and 2 lay deputies.

Concerning the Minnesota Synod.

The Reverend President of the Minnesota Synod, Pastor Sieker, expressed
the wish that our General Synod might issue a declaration on whether the
Minnesota Synod would also be recognized by it as a member of the
*Synodalconferenz* [Synodical Conference]. At the Synod's request, President
Sieker gave a historical account of the Minnesota Synod's origin. From its
founding it had belonged to the old General Synod. Its actual founder was
the elderly missionary Heyer. The members of the synod soon recognized,
however, that this connection was not a wholesome one for them. When the
General Council was formed, Minnesota joined this ecclesiastical body,
believing it had thereby taken a very salutary step. It soon had to learn
from experience, however, which led it to regret this step as well. The
Minnesota Synod gratefully acknowledges the service of love by which
brethren of the Missouri and Wisconsin Synods helped it to this
recognition. For a time the Minnesota Synod carried on the fight against
the un-Lutheran character within the Council; but when it became clear
that such a fight was in vain, it withdrew. Now, however, it does not wish
to remain alone. In the past year the Reverend Wisconsin Synod extended
it the hand of brotherhood and recognized it as an orthodox sister synod.
In like manner it now wishes to be recognized by the Missouri Synod. On
the advice of our General President it took part in last year's free
*Synodalconferenz* [synodical conference] in order to give actual notice
of its wish to participate in the conference. President Sieker did not
wish to testify personally to his synod's confessional standing, but
believed this could best be done by those members of our Synod who live
in Minnesota. Some of our synodical members from that state also reported
that at two conferences held between members of the ministerium of both
synods, complete doctrinal agreement had emerged on the points just
discussed, though not all points of doctrine had yet been dealt with. When
asked about the confession contained in the synodical constitution,
President Sieker declared that his synod confesses God's revealed Word of
the Old and New Testaments and the confessional writings of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church, which were named specifically. These, too, are
accepted in the sense that they agree with God's Word ("*weil*" [because]
they do). — Finally...

Translator's note: "Hörerſchaft" on p. 93 is printed as shown; "Diſtriet"
(twice, this page) and "Synpde" are printer's errors for "Diſtrict" and
"Synode," transcribed as printed — see finds file.