# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1898_S30
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

30 Proceedings of the seventeenth convention

ly fellowship, and thereby give one another the testimony that they recognize each other as true Christians who have and confess the same right, united faith. But this has true worth and right meaning only if they are just as conscientious in guarding themselves against every defilement through the services of false believers and erring believers. What should the pastor now make a duty for those whose pastor he is with regard to the funeral? What if, in a mixed marriage, in which perhaps a Lutheran wife was joined to a member of a Methodist congregation, the Methodist husband had died? Would the Lutheran wife then have to arrange a Methodist funeral? No. Rather, when the Methodist congregation and its pastor bury their deceased member, she lets the matter take its course, is present as a mourner, but does not regard the Methodist preacher as the one who is to comfort her in her sorrow. Or else, if the orthodox spouse has died and the erring spouse is left, what has the pastor of the congregation to do there? Is he to refuse to bury the orthodox spouse in a churchly manner, because in doing so he would be officiating here at the request of the erring spouse and thus in a sense accepting a call from one of erring belief? No; as certainly as he is dealing here truly with the dead person, in that he here shows churchly honors to one blessedly fallen asleep and pays churchly recognition, so in such a case he is to accompany his departed parishioner to the grave, in union with the orthodox congregation, calmly and with Christian and churchly honors, and do what he has done hitherto as pastor of the deceased, treating him as a Christian parishioner.

For the same reason it is to be rejected when Lutheran Christians have children baptized by preachers of erring belief, even where the baptism would still be a right one. Even if baptism is performed there with water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the calling in of one of erring belief to such an in itself right work is nonetheless a defilement by a false-believing church fellowship and a breaking through of this principle of church solidarity, at which we are standing just now. In such cases, where no orthodox pastor is to be had, the father himself should take the water and baptize his child himself.

The second group of items to be considered here belongs to the field of church discipline [*Kirchenzucht*]. That Christian congregations should exercise church discipline, for this we have God's command. Christ's order reads: "Tell it to the church; and if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." The Apostle writes: "Put away from among yourselves that wicked person." But to the conscientious handling of a Christian church discipline all Christian congregations should also be spurred on by this, that they have sister congregations with whom they can live in church fellowship, and, according to God's will, ought to live. And