# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_October 1864_S307
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Two Documents from the Prussian Lutheran Church.    307

-ligated to see to the maintenance of pure doctrine and the unadulterated administration of the Sacraments in our congregations to the best of our ability, and to render to one another for this purpose the mutual assistance and service of brotherly love.

We accordingly recognize and declare it to be our duty:

1. To promote and cultivate unity in spirit and fellowship in confession, and to that end to hold, where possible, at least one synod annually, with free participation by members of our congregations;

2. to oversee one another's conduct of office and the churchly life in our congregations and our churches, and for this purpose to visit one another diligently, in such a way that, where possible, a visitation be held regularly at every congregation once every five years, and otherwise, in an extraordinary manner, upon special request of the pastors or congregations.

3. In the case of a pastorate falling vacant in one of our congregations, we recognize it as the duty of all, especially of the pastors living nearest, to take up the orphaned congregation to the best of their ability and to serve it with Word and Sacrament until the Lord has given it a new shepherd.

4. We recognize it as one of our most important duties to see, to the best of our ability, to the preservation of the public preaching office among us in general, and to the refilling of vacant pastorates. To this end we intend to retain among ourselves the two customary examinations of candidates for the preaching office, pro venia concionandi and pro ministerio, and to hold the usual colloquium with candidates or pastors already examined elsewhere. Likewise, pastors duly called by our congregations shall be ordained, or respectively installed, among us according to customary practice.

5. It goes without saying that a congregation wishing to call or retain a pastor whom the judgment of the synod has declared unqualified for the preaching office can no longer belong to our synodical body.

6. For the convening of synods, for the ordering and arranging of visitations, examinations, and colloquia, for the carrying out or ordering of ordinations and installations, as well as for the peaceful settlement or arbitration of disputes in and among congregations and pastors, we have elected a synodical board, consisting of our fellow signatories and brothers in office, Ehlers and Diedrich. These have accepted this election and are willing to undertake the duties of their position as designated. For examinations and colloquia they intend to call in one or a few other brothers in office, whom they shall choose according to the circumstances, but also for the holding of oral examinations as well as for the carrying out of ordina-