# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1877_S40
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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matter to put it into effect at once without adequate preparation. However desirable such a union may be as the proposal aims at, the nature of the subject nevertheless demands that one become perfectly clear in advance about every step to be taken, that through the most all-sided and thorough discussions, without any precipitancy, the matter be brought to maturity, and then be not a self-made work of men but the fruit of unity active in love. Besides, the matter concerns the congregations in particular; it could therefore in no way be proceeded with without their consent. It was very decidedly emphasized in addition that it is not a question here of one of the existing synods being absorbed by the others and so becoming merely districts of that body, but that the present proposal demands a complete dissolution of the present synods, a remodelling of the Synodical Conference [*Synodalconferenz*] into an organically articulated body whose individual members would be state synods. It would therefore also be useless, indeed wrong, if we, for our part, in order to further the plan in question, were to negotiate unilaterally with the Missouri Synod and enter into a special union with it, without taking into account the other synods within the Synodical Conference. For this matter concerns the whole Synodical Conference equally, and only through a completely common, uniform procedure of the whole Synodical Conference could a truly salutary realization of the proposed plan be achieved.

While this was acknowledged from the other side as perfectly correct for the ultimate goal of the whole plan, it had nevertheless to be remarked that a partial agreement, indeed union, of individual synods concerned could well be conceived, which need by no means hinder the attainment of that ultimate goal, but would help a considerable step forward toward it. Precisely the Ohio Synod, which suffers together with the Missouri Synod under inconveniences caused by the reaching of the one synodical territory into the other, has very special difficulties in removing these inconveniences, e.g. on account of its English district, to bear in mind and to discuss with the Missouri Synod, which would be quite foreign to the other synods of the Synodical Conference. The synod can indeed hope to remove these difficulties by consultations with the venerable Missouri Synod, which is most directly concerned, whereas drawing in the other synods, who have nothing at all to do with this, would not be helpful to the work but would only make it needlessly harder.

After the necessary clarity about the subject had thus been reached by the debate, and complete unanimity regarding the plan itself had also appeared, it was

Resolved, that a committee, consisting of Profs. M. Loy, W. F. Lehmann, C. H. L. Schütte, and Pastors Meiser and Belser, on this