LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 160

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160 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

church bodies have been in altar and pulpit fellowship with one
another, and it provides extensive documentation from the
official resolutions, statements, and representatives for the
doctrinal differences which exist between them as presented in
the FODT Report. The LCMS commissioners encourage the
members of the Synod to give this document careful study.

The LCMS representatives to the Commission on Fellow-
ship regret to have to report that the doctrinal differences
between the LCMS and the ALC which have been previously
reported to the Synod in its past reports to the convention
continue to exist. Our most recent discussions indicate great
impediments still remain between our two church bodies since
no progress has been made in reaching agreement on the
authority and interpretation of Holy Scripture, the meaning of
confessional subscription and the limits of diversity, and the
nature and basis of church fellowship. Nor is there any basis
for suggesting that these serious doctrinal differences will be
easily or quickly resolved. That these differences exist and that
they manifest themselves in such areas as the ordination of
women into the pastoral office is acknowledged by the repre-
sentatives of both of our church bodies. What is not agreed to is
the significance of these differences for altar and pulpit
fellowship. Discussions in the Commission on Fellowship
during the past biennium have made it increasingly clear that
one of the major differences between our two church bodies is
the matter of attitude toward and implications of doctrinal
differences which exist within a church body or between
church bodies.

It should be noted that the ALC representatives to the
Commission on Fellowship have indicated that they regard “A
Statement of Doctrinal Differences” as “basically a fair reflec-
tion of the discussions which have taken place between the two
churches and of the ALC position” (Reporter, Feb. 2, 1981). At
the same time, we are gratified to report that in our most recent
meeting the ALC representatives have emphasized that, de-
spite the acceptance of the report of a task force report on
abortion for ‘comment and counsel,” the official position of the
ALC on the abortion question is now stated in a document
officially adopted in 1980 for “judgment and conviction” which
strongly opposes this practice.

The LCMS representatives to the Commission on Fellow-
ship are grateful for the opportunity which has been ours to
participate in fraternal doctrinal discussions with repre-
sentatives from The American Lutheran Church. These dis-
cussions, while candid, have been carried out in a friendly and
cordial spirit. It is the prayer of the LCMS representatives that
God may bless our efforts to clarify areas of disagreement
between our two churches so that doctrinal agreement on the
issues that now divide us may ultimately be reached.

Samuel Nafzger

3-03
Report of Commission on Worship

It was in 1977 that the Dallas convention, one year prior to
the scheduled appearance of Lutheran Book of Worship(LBW),
passed Res. 3-04A, directing that a thorough review of LBW be
conducted by a Special Hymnal Review Committee (SSHRC).

The report and recommendations of this committee, a
booklet of 43 pages, was disseminated in May 1978 and its
contents subsequently also included in the Convention Work-
book of 1979. This committee recommended:

That the Synod accept as official the Lutheran Book of
Worship with specified modifications and that the book be
entitled Lutheran Worship.

Reflecting the recommendation of the SHRC, the Commis-
sion on Worship, in its report to the 1979 convention, appended
a proposed general list of contents, both liturgical and hymno-
logical, for the proposed service book and hymnal, Lutheran
Worship. After considerable discussion on the floor of the
convention, Res. 3-01 was passed:

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod {LCMS)
in convention adopt Lutheran Worship as an official hymnal of the
LCMS (the general contents of the book are appended to this
resolution); and be it further

Resolved, That the congregations of the LCMS be encouraged to
use Lutheran Worship as their service book and hymnal.

The commission now had its work cut out for it. Together
with its adjunct committees, it forged ahead to formulate and
finalize the manuscripts for Lutheran Worship. Numerous
meetings were held, and the individuals given certain assign-
ments worked untiringly to carry out the resolution. The
commission seriously considered the many suggestions about
the contents of the book which came to its office from pastors
and lay people after the convention. It bent every effort to doits
very best, viz., to produce a book strongly reflecting our great
heritage in liturgy and hymnody, a book that would be clearin
its doctrinal expression and artistically and liturgically
satisfying.

At this writing it is predicted that, barring unforeseen
difficulties, Lutheran Worship, Pew Edition and Lutheran
Worship Accompaniment Edition—Liturgy should be on the
market in the autumn of this year.

The commission is making plans and preparing materials
for the Synodwide introductory process of Lutheran Worship.
On the Saturdays during October and November of 1981
approximately 400 congregational cluster workshops will be
conducted by individuals (pastor, musician, and educator)
selected by their respective District Presidents and previously
trained by the commission in June and July of 1981. Each
workshop will include about six representatives (pastor,
organist, choir director, worship committee personnel, elder,
education leader) from each of the 15 to 18 area congregations
invited to participate at a specified location.

These introductory events and the accompanying materials
are made possible by a grant of $175,000 from Lutheran
Brotherhood, a fraternal benefit society in Minneapolis, Minn.

Increasingly pastors are demanding a new agenda which
would include updated forms of the rites included in The
Lutheran Agenda (1948) plus numerous other occasional ser-
vices necessary in the worship life of their congregations. The
commission is therefore urging this convention to give it
authorization to develop and field-test such rites, the manu-
scripts of which to be presented for approval at the 1983
convention of the Synod.

During the past biennium three members of the commission
resigned for various valid reasons: Rev. Robert D. Koeppen
(chairman), pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Hinsdale, I11.;
Rev. Dr. F. Samuel Janzow, Concordia College, River Forest,
Ill.; and Dr. Ed Klammer, Concordia Publishing House, St.
Louis, Mo. To fill these vacancies, President J. A. O. Preus,
after consultation with the Vice-Presidents, appointed Dr.
Henry Lettermann, Concordia College, River Forest, Il.; Dr.
Roger Pittelko, pastor of Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, Elk
Grove Village, Il.; and Mr. Norman Troyke, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Other members of the commission are Dr. Paul Bunjes, Con-
cordia College, River Forest, I].; Dr. Alfred Fremder, chairman,
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo.; Dr. Norman E. Nagel,
Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind.; and Dr. Ralph C.
Schultz, secretary, Concordia College, Bronxville, N.Y.

Prior to the 1979 convention the newly organized com-
mission had appointed Dr. Fred L. Precht as acting executive
secretary. Subsequently the commission proceeded to process
the issuance of a call for nominations for the position of
executive secretary. In its meeting of Sept. 18, 1979, the
commission elected the aforementioned to the position of
executive secretary. On Oct. 22, 1979, he was officially installed
by the then chairman of the commission, Rev. Robert D.
Koeppen.

Alfred Fremder, Chairman
Ralph Schultz, Secretary

3-04
Report of Commission on Organizations

Although many religious sociologists and observers ex-
pected a peaking and subsequent decline in the activity of new
sects and “cults” to begin in 1979, no evidence of such a decline
has been noted in the office of the Commission on Organiza-
tions. To the contrary, during the past two years the com-
mission has distributed 27,310 pieces of literature, personal
and form letters, and interviews in response to requests for
counsel and information, compared to 22,429 during the pre-
vious biennium. During the past eight years, the annual