# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1904_S5
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1904. 5

Doctrinal Proceedings.

May a Lutheran Pastor Give Holy Communion to a Lodge Member, or Must He Refuse It to Him?
(Essayist [*Referent*]: Pastor J. F. G. Harders.)

The grace of our LORD and Savior JESUS Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.

The topic set before us for our doctrinal proceedings this time reads: "May a Lutheran pastor give Holy Communion to a lodge member, or must he refuse it to him?" We confine ourselves to speaking of such people as are lodge members and at the same time members of an orthodox Lutheran congregation. They may be people who for years went to the Lord's Table, were members of a lodge in secret, and now suddenly became known as such; or people who, as a result of persuasion or of their own free choice, while belonging to a congregation, joined a lodge and were honest enough to tell their pastor and their congregation so; or finally also such people as a pastor finds on taking up his office in a congregation, recognized by it and by his predecessor as tolerated and fully entitled members. How is an orthodox Lutheran pastor to conduct himself toward such people when they come and present themselves as guests at the Lord's Table? If we see clearly how we are to treat such people within our congregations, then we also know what to do with lodge members standing outside our congregations if it happens that they approach us with the request for sacramental fellowship. What we refuse to members who are attached to the congregation we must doubtless refuse to them also; but as for the gifts of grace of the Gospel, we may no more refuse them to people standing outside the congregation, supposing they come to us in the manner pleasing to God, than to our own congregation members. Christ's blood and righteousness are the common property of the whole lost and condemned world. "Mine!" "For me!" every one may say, indeed every one should say, according to the will of Him who wills that no one be lost, but that everyone be helped and everyone come to the knowledge of the truth. For that reason, for the sake of simplicity and concentration, we can limit ourselves in our discussion to speaking only of people who are within our congregations.

To arrive at the solution of the question, let us first call to mind what Holy Scripture says about Communion fellowship, about partici-