# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S229
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Intersynodical and Doctrinal Matters 229

‘souri Synod in the light of the Declaration of the Commissioners of
the American Lutheran Chiirch as a basis for pulpit and altar fel-
lowship; and

“WnuereEas, Though these documents — the Pittsburgh Agree-
ment on the one hand, and the Brief Statement and Declaration on
the other — differ in wording, yet both express the true position
of the American Lutheran Church; and

i “Wnrereas, The United Lutheran Church in America has
adopted the Pittsburgh Agreement; and the Declaration of our
* Commissioners in connection with the Brief Statement has found
*aeceptance within the Missouri Synod and was proposed by the
intersynodical commissioners of the Missouri Synod as an integral
part of the doctrinal basis for future church fellowship; and
__ “Wuergas, To our regret fellowship has not resulted since ap-
parently in both ‘bodies there are large and influential groups in
.; disagreement therewith: therefore be it

“Resolved, That the American Lutheran Church declare its
_Yeadiness to establish pulpit: and altar fellowship with either or —
both of these honorable church bodies on the basis of their full
and wholehearted acceptance of, and adherence to, either of these '
documents, in the hope that the existing obstacles may be removed
and that such pulpit and altar fellowship may be declared at an
early date; and therefore, that the Commission on Lutheran Unity
be continued.”
It will be noticed that-in these resolutions no recognition is
‘given to the request of the Missouri Synod that one common docu-
ment setting forth the doctrinal position held jointly by both bodies
be prepared. There is expressed, moreover, the view that as far
as doctrinal agreements are concerned, the only document the
,U.L.C. A. would have to adopt to come into fellowship with the
A. L.C. would be the Pittsburgh Agreement. The removal of ob-
stacles is mentioned as a requisite, but assent to the Declaration
or the Brief Statement is not referred to as necessary.

Here there is a difficulty. According to our conviction, in the
Missouri Synod quite generally the view is held that the Pittsburgh
Agreement is inadequate as a document on which the synods here
in America can unite. On this point the Missouri Synod and the
American Lutheran Church do not see eye to eye.

The meeting held by the commissioners of the American Lu- . °
therdn Church and the Missouri Synod on February 12, 1943; un-:

' fortunately was very brief. There was not much time for delibera-
tions, the meeting lasting but half a day. The discussion was of
a general nature, and no resolution pertaining to the elaboration of

'