# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2026_S241
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS­­—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

241

R62.8

Unity

in Doctrine, Uniformity
and Variety in Practice
A Study Document

Unity

in Doctrine, Uniformity
and Variety in Practice
OBER

A STUDY DOCUMENT OF THE COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
OCTOBER 2025

Contents

Preface........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 1
Introduction.............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Early Church ................................................................................................................................................................................................................5
Case Study 1

Jerusalem Council (Acts 15)......................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Case Study 2

Date of Easter (Second Century)................................................................................................................................................................ 7
Lutheran Reformation ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
Case Study 3

Lutherans Invocait Sermons (1522) ...................................................................................................................................................... 11
Case Study 4

Adiaphoristic Controversy (16th Century) ..........................................................................................................................................15

The Missouri Synod .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Case Study 5

Formation of the Synod (1847) ............................................................................................................................................................... 19

© 2026 The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod 1333 S. Kirkwood Road St. Louis, MO 63122 888-THE LCMS • lcms.org
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permission. All rights reserved.
Cover Image: LCMS Communications/Erik Lunsford

Case Study 6

Lay Lectors (1989) ........................................................................................................................................................................................22

What Now? ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 27

2026 Convention Workbook