# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1930_S71
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of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1930. 71

[Printed in English except where noted; the committee reports below are printed in German and are translated here.]

Report of Committee on Two Requests.

(Committee: Pastors A. W. Fuerstenau, O. Luessenhop, W. J. Kowert,
G. M. Thurow; Teacher J. C. A. Winterstein; Messrs. J. H. Schmidt, H.
Leitow.

Your Committee had before it two petitions or protests which were signed by two pastors each of the Missouri Synod. Both letters referred to the synodical report of the 14th convention of the Missouri Synod. The petitions or protests asked that the critical examination of this report be postponed until the Missouri Synod has met again.

Your Committee recommends that this petition be granted for the sake of the brethren who have a troubled conscience because of the "term question"; it regrets very much, however, in the second place, that the other two protestants have neglected to give reasons for their protests, and therefore advises emphatically that in future no protests be brought before the Synodical Conference without sufficient grounds.

Adopted.

Report of Committee on a Memorial Concerning
Modus Procedendi in Intersynodical Controversies.

(Committee: Pastors H. Haserodt, P. Succop, Dr. H. Wente, E. Kirst;
Teacher P. J. Dubberstein; Messrs. H. Brandt, A. Egelhoff.)

We find in this submission two questions to which an answer is requested, namely:

1. When is it established that a congregation has left a synod without violating brotherly love?

2. Should provisions regarding intersynodical relations first be ratified by the individual synods before they take effect?

We, as a committee, are of the opinion that the question under Point 1: "When is it established that a congregation has left a synod without violating brotherly love?" is already answered by the provisions of the Synodical Conference (*Synodalkonferenz*) in the "Handbuch" [handbook], p. 156, and we therefore refer to that paragraph which bears the heading "Change of the Previous Synodical Affiliation" [see below], since we are of the opinion that we cannot give a better answer than this.

As to the second point, whether provisions regarding intersynodical relations should first be ratified by the individual synods before they take effect, we call attention to the fact that, although the Synodical Conference in drawing up a modus procedendi will certainly establish nothing that is contrary to the Word of God, the individual synods must nevertheless be given opportunity at any time to raise objections against particular points if they consider this necessary. Such a right of the individual synods, however, is clearly expressed in the provisions of the Synodical Conference already in existence. We refer to § IV, p. 142, and to the explanations on § IV, p. 144 [see below]. We are of the opinion that no further resolution is necessary here.

Change of the Previous Synodical Affiliation.
(Synodal Handbook, p. 156.)

The right and the freedom to join a synod or to leave one is an inalienable congregational right. How a congregation exercises this right is, in the end, for it