# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1975_S75 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 75 WHEREAS, The resulting controversy, including uncharitable attacks on many individuals, has caused serious offense both within and without the church; and WHEREAS, Both sides represent God-fearing Christian people who love their Savior and claim adherence to the Scriptures and Confessions and sincerely believe they are right: and WHEREAS, This controversy has distorted our witness to a dying world and has kept us from fulfilling in greater measure our glorious work of making disciples of all nations; and WHEREAS, Many on either side who are disturbed hesitate to sever their relations with our church for fear of being schis- matic; therefore be it Resolved, That the Synod in convention assembled approve a peaceful division of our church body; and be it further Resolved, That each congregation express itself by ballot on its confessional stand, declaring itself on the theology es- poused by the President of our Synod in A Statement of Scrip- tural and Confessional Principles. whether it considers this as truly Scriptural and Lutheran or “un-Scriptural’” and ‘“‘un- Lutheran”; and be it further Resolved. That the properties and assets of our church body be divided according to the result of the vote; and be it further Resolved. That the balloting be accomplished within 6 months of the final day of this convention and that the division of the Synod be accomplished within 1 year of the same; and be it further Resolved. That the implementation of the division and other attendant matters be handled by five representatives selected by each side, in consultation with the Synod’s Board of Directors and its legal counsel; and be it further Resolved. That a legal structure be established that would continue uninterrupted the Concordia Pension and Welfare benefits for the constituents of both groups; and be it finally Resolved. That the name The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod be retained by that group representing the majority of the church body. Messiah Ev. Lutheran Church Sterling, III. Harold Nelson, Secretary Eldor Mueller, Pastor 3-42A To Divide into Two Synods WHEREAS, The Synod was memorialized by a number of congregations prior to the 1973 convention (Overtures 4-12 to 4-16) to set up a structure whereby the Synod, Districts, and individual congregations could in an amicable and loving way acknowledge the theological differences that do exist in the Synod and make a mockery of the very meaning of the word “synod” —a “walking together”; and WHEREAS, Since the New Orleans convention this ‘split’ has been clearly delineated by the forming of a “synod within the Synod,” identified as an organization known as “ELIM”; and WHEREAS, The observation of our President, Dr. J. A. O. Preus, in his ‘‘Report to the Church —Jan. 1975,” that ‘the pro- test movements within our Synod have now been heard” (p. 10, par. 5) is not only true, but polarization and identification have occurred, and individuals and congregations know where they stand in relationship to these issues; and WHEREAS. These positions have been taken as a matter of conviction and conscience by sincere believers on both sides — and a compromise of conviction and conscience is, as Father Luther himself said, ‘neither safe nor right”; and WHEREAS, It is highly improbable that this serious split in the Synod will be resolved by the proposed ‘‘Convocation” to be held April 14—18, but that this will further serve to demon- strate the divergence of theologicai thought in the Synod; and WHEREAS, There are also innumerable persons and congre- gations in other Lutheran communions who are desirous of finding an end to their own search for a truly Scripturally sound and confessionally conservative Lutheran Synod with whom they might enter into fellowship and thus be done with the struggle against the incursion of neo-liberal theology within their own church; therefore be it Resolved. That The Lutheran Church ~ Missouri Synod meet- ing in convention at Anaheim, Calif., in this year of our Lord 1975 take the needful steps toward forming a new Scripturally sound and confessionally conservative Lutheran Synod by following in general the steps outlined in Overture 4-15 to the convention in New Orleans in 1973 toward the dissolution of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod and the formation of two new Synods, neither of which would be privileged to use the name “Missouri Synod.” One of the ‘new synods” would consist of those who choose to follow the new theology embraced by the so-called ‘faculty majority’ and supposedly espoused by the group identified as “ELIM.” The other ‘new synod” would consist of those who desire to adhere to the theology of ‘told Missouri” as this has been summarized in the synodically approved A Statement of Scrip- tural and Confessional Principles. where all those who seek a Scripturally sound and confessionally conservative Lutheran Church might find fellowship and freedom to be about the work of the Lord without dissipating their time and energy any further in endless theological squabbling. The paragraphs of 1973 Overtures 4-15 and 4-12 we think would be helpful in implementing the above are as follows: Resolved. That the convention of the LCMS establish a legal committee made up of the current Board of Directors of the Synod and its legal counsel with the power to oversee the property and assets of the Synod and to make all legal decisions necessary for the division of said property and assets. as well as the implementation of the division of Synod itself; and be it further Resolved. That this legal committee conduct a referendum of the congregations of their confessional stands, so that they might declare themselves publicly on the theology espoused in the synodically approved A Statement of Scriptural and Confessional Principles or whether they consider it to be un-Scriptural and un-Lutheran: and be it further Resolved. That the legal committee call two constituting conven- tions for the purpose of establishing two new synods within one year of the final day of this convention and attended respectively by one lay delegate and one pastoral delegate from each eight congrega- tions depending on their vote in the referendum: Also, New Orleans Overture 4-12, Resolve 3: Resolved. That the real property and tangible assets of the Synod and its Districts, and where necessary. of individual congregations, be equitably distributed on the basis of communicant membership involved in such division, and this division to be effected by synodical and District boards of adjudication appointed by the Synod’s praesid- ium to obviate any and all appeal to civil courts. All communicant members shall have one year from the time of this convention to file claims for their proportionate assets to be transferred to a Lutheran synod of their choice: and be it further Resolved. That all boards, faculties, and officers of the in- stitutions, Districts, and missions of the Synod retain their offices under the direction of the legal committee until the con- stituting conventions of the new synods are completed; and be it further Resolved. That a legal structure be established which would continue uninterrupted the Concordia Pension and Welfare benefits for the constituents of both new Synods. Mt. Greenwood Lutheran Church Chicago, Ill. Carl Uminger, Chairman Ruth Peterson, Secretary John F. Bollmann, Pastor Identical or similar: 3-42B Our Savior, Pinole, Calif. Conrad Coyner 3-43 To Provide for Amicable Division of Synod PREAMBLE. The sole and sufficient confessional standard of The Lutheran Church -— Missouri Synod is stated in Article II