# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1876_S46
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 46 —

In the discussion of this matter it turned out at once that almost universally the assembled delegates considered the establishment of one great German general synod, spread over the whole United States and Canada, impractical, obstructive and unworkable. Some did fear a much more dangerous fragmentation if only state synods were established without their then forming together one great body with church government. Against this, however, it was pointed out that we are far from believing with the papists that there can be legitimate particular church bodies only when they are all outwardly united under one church government or even under one head. Church history teaches in this regard that when one stresses the outward connection too much and presses too hard that everything be concentrated under one church government, a false spirit has arisen. The matter of cost is also to be taken into account. What sums of money would be necessary to send delegates to such a general synod of all the state synods! In Germany there are only territorial synods. Here such a general synod would embrace a territory greater than all of Europe.

We are not, it was declared, against some union of all the individual orthodox synods. For that we have the *Synodalconferenz* [Synodical Conference]. Precisely that is a great fault in Germany, that the various territorial synods never came together, where they could strengthen one another and one body could call upon the others for help. But let no one think that a flourishing condition of the Lutheran Church is not possible otherwise than if it forms an imposing outward whole body with ecclesiastical jurisdiction. On the contrary this would only hinder the prosperity of the Church. Such a total government can accomplish very little, since the body becomes exceedingly unwieldy. Just think what kind of synod that would be in fifty years, if God does not forsake us in his wrath. The president of such a general synod would in the end be able to do next to nothing for the whole. It might well seem, with a general president at the head, as if one pulse beat through everything, and yet that would not be the case. We have therefore, according to § III of our Constitution, conceived as the goal to be striven for by the Synodical Conference only "a union of all Lutheran synods of America into one orthodox American church," not synod. The first question put in this debate: Is the goal to be striven for by the Synodical Conference the union of all synods into one synodical body, into one general synod of North America? was thereupon answered unanimously with No.

Quite another question is the second: Do we want to strive for state synods? The Conference has already set this as a goal in its Constitution, where § III says: "Striving for a delimitation of the synods along territorial boundaries, provided that language does not separate."