# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1877_S29
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 29 —

[the Greek continues from the previous page:] (τὸ) ἐν ὑμῖν ποίμνιον τοῦ θεοῦ, 1 Pet. 5:2), their *clerus*, their *portio gregis Dominici* [portion of the Lord's flock], the particular portion of the people of God that has fallen to them (v. 3), their particular congregation, over which alone the Holy Spirit has set them to tend it (Acts 20:28), over whose souls they are therefore also to watch and for which they shall one day give account (Heb. 13:17).

Thesis 4.

Who or how many are to belong to the district of each preacher, that is, to his parish [*Parochie*], is not determined in God's Word, is therefore not of itself *juris divini* [of divine right] but *humani* [of human right], and thus a matter of Christian freedom and of agreement (Gal. 2:9).

Thesis 5.

Following the apostolic precedent of appointing the elders or pastors κατὰ πόλιν, that is, city by city, from town to town, from place to place (Titus 1:5), the parishes or pastorates should not be determined by an arbitrary number of heads and changing persons, but should be geographically bounded and have their own territory; hence Scripture never names the churches or congregations after their preachers, but after places, after houses (Rom. 16:5), cities (1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1; Rev. 2:1 ff.), provinces (Gal. 1:2), regions and peoples (Gal. 1:22; Rom. 16:14; ἐκκλησίας τῶν ἐθνῶν).

Thesis 6.

Orthodox preachers carry out their office in Christ's stead (2 Cor. 5:20); whoever therefore lives where he has the opportunity to enjoy the service of an orthodox pastor as his pastor, and does not make use of him, despises not merely a man but Christ (Luke 10:16).

Thesis 7.

Where the boundaries of different parishes run together, concern for one's own soul and the furtherance of the kingdom of God decide which of them one is to join, taking into account not only nearness to or distance from the place of preaching but also the greater ease or difficulty of reaching it, and naturally also the language; for where faith does not determine, love is to be the standard (1 Cor. 16:14).

Thesis 8.

Since parish boundaries were not originally fixed by God, and so are not of themselves of divine right, they can be changed *pro re nata* [as circumstances require], that is, a parish can be divided into several, filials