# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1877_S34
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 34 —

where the altar stands. He wants to be a good Lutheran in this and appeals to Scripture. How is the man now to be dealt with?

Answer: One should of course not thrust the man away at once, for it is possible that he is acting in an erring conscience; but he must also be sharply tested whether he is not perhaps a spiritually proud person. He will probably say that in Germany it has always been the custom to have the altar in the east. But then one must be able to impress on him that this is not God's commandment and that he cannot prove it from Scripture. One should also inquire whether he perhaps himself made the proposal, at the building of the church, to put the altar in the east. Then a new reason may well come in that reveals him as a haughty person who is vexed that his proposal did not carry. If one yields too early to such a man, one can strengthen him dangerously in his defiance and pride. It is also God's way that he often throws just such stumbling blocks in the way of a spiritually proud person in order to help his poor soul. So love for such a soul should drive us to take the matter seriously and sharply and not to give way so soon.

After the Conference had unanimously affirmed Point 2 of the 9th thesis, the third point was taken up for discussion. It reads:

"A ground for changing parish relationships cannot be: 3. preference for a particular gift of a preacher (1 Cor. 1:11–13; 3:3–23), for that, for all its appearance of spirituality, is something carnal."

We see this from the passages cited, where the apostle rebukes his Corinthians for making so many distinctions among preachers, and tells them: that is carnal.

It happens very often today, where congregations stand quite near each other, especially in cities, that a member leaves his preacher and attaches himself to another, although both pastors have the pure doctrine, and indeed because he does not like the person of his preacher or because the latter does not have such brilliant gifts as the other. That is sinful and shameful. Everyone should rather think: Here where I live God has appointed precisely this man to me as pastor; that was already planned from eternity, and I can be sure of this: this is the man through whom God wants to bring me into heaven, he will surely give me the bread of life that I need; from him I shall receive the right counsel and sufficient comfort in all distresses. And should my pastor really do something wrong, God will so lead me that I shall surely recognize the right from God's Word and that it will not turn out to my harm. But if you will not and cannot by any means remain with one preacher, then move