# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1847 06 15_S113
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

The Lutheraner.

"God's Word and Luther's teaching shall now and never pass away."

Volume 3.

Published by C. F. W. Walther.

St. Louis, Mo., June 15, 1847.

No. 21.

Terms: The Lutheraner appears once every two weeks, at a subscription price of one dollar for out-of-town subscribers, who must pay half of this in advance and bear the postage themselves. — In St. Louis, each individual issue is sold for 5 cents.

On the Duty of Attending the Congregational Meetings.

An address delivered at a meeting of the Lutheran congregation in St. Louis, Mo., by C. F. W. W.

It has, alas, become almost a habit among many of us, beloved brothers in Christ, to neglect the congregational meetings even without necessity. In particular I find that many who joined our congregation only more recently do indeed come diligently to church, but leave the congregational meetings almost entirely unattended. Since many do this who otherwise take pains to lead a Christian walk, it appears evident that this neglect is not to be blamed on ill will and contempt for church order, but on error and ignorance of what makes such conduct blameworthy and sinful.

Since it is now my duty, as pastor of this congregation, to watch that nothing sinful and pernicious creep in and become a settled habit; and since, according to God's Word, my calling and my office require of me, as St. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4, that I "preach the word, be instant in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all patience and doctrine," I hasten to meet the encroaching enemy with God's Word.

But before I do this, I declare in advance: it will indeed follow from what I say that it is thoroughly sinful and reprehensible to become guilty of such neglect; yet by this I by no means wish to put to shame those who have hitherto been guilty of it, for they have done so — I repeat, as love bids me presuppose — hitherto only because they have not rightly perceived the nature of the matter and have been led by a mistaken view of it. I do not wish to wound but to heal; I do not wish to frighten with the thunder of the Law those whom I would consider unbelievers, but rather to bring to clarity those in whom I trust the willingness to obey God in all things, namely, that congregational meetings and attendance at them are not a matter resting on human discretion, but one that rests on God's command and ordinance.

So hear, then, my reasons, and judge for yourselves. It is a holy duty of every voting member of the congregation not to neglect the congregational meetings without necessity, and that for the following reasons:

1. Because, if everyone wished to neglect them, the ruin of the congregation would thereby be brought about.

Christ says: "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." As often, therefore, as a Christian does anything, he applies this standard to his actions as a test. He asks himself, how would you wish others to act in this case? and directs himself accordingly. He must therefore also necessarily ask himself what would result if everyone wished to proceed as he does. If he then sees that harm would result from it, he refrains from it.

But congregational meetings are, especially under our present circumstances, absolutely indispensable to the survival of our congregation. We have no consistory and no local church inspectorate, and I must add — thank God! — that we do not have such guardian authorities who look after everything for us while we might sleep. Everything belonging to the administration of congregational affairs, the establishment of outward regulations, the oversight of income and expenditures, the care of the poor, the exercise of church discipline, and the exercise of a church court in matters of doctrine and life — all of this lies in our own hands, and therefore also upon our own conscience. What, then, would become of our congregation if we held no meetings in which all this is undertaken and attended to? How can things proceed in an orderly manner in the house of God, if we do not confer together and come to agreement about the necessary regulations suited to our circumstances? How can each member's duty of contribution be laid upon him, and these contributions for the support of the preaching and teaching office, the buildings, the church furnishings, and to cover many other needs, be properly apportioned and duly overseen, if we do not assemble from time to time for this purpose? How can our poor be supported according to our ability, their need made known to all, and action taken on their behalf with everyone's consent, if everything were entrusted to a single person and left entirely to his own judgment and good will? Who then could still know who belongs to the congregation and who does not? Who would know which festivals are to be observed, and at what time and in what order our public services are to be held? Where then would we have opportunity to carry out the third step of admonition and rebuke? Christ says in Matthew 18: "If thy brother trespass against thee — rebuke him — if he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two more — if he will not hear them, tell it unto the church. But if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican." Where, then, is our congregation to be found, whenever someone wishes to proceed according to this command of Christ, if we hold no meeting? Where then is the highest church court, before which the innocent may find his right, and the guilty, as St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2, may be "punished by many"? Where then is the church that, according to God's Word, first judges, and then, where necessary, places the obstinate sinner under the ban, declares him a heathen or a publican, and cuts off the rotten member from its body, so that it may not infect the whole body? Where then is the church to be found, when the preacher begins to lead souls astray through false doctrine, and the church must then judge the most important matter of all, namely, whether the Gospel of Christ is being rightly taught, or falsified and perverted? Where further is the church, when a pure teacher is suspected of being a false prophet, a heretic, and now appeals to the judgment of the whole flock? There is no doubt: our congregation must sooner or later collapse; everything in it must fall into the utmost confusion; its most necessary affairs must remain unattended; the whole must become a disorderly, confused heap that has entirely lost the true form of an apostolic congregation — unless every single member takes part in the government and administration of the congregation, that is, unless congregational meetings are no longer