LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 193

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THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 183

WHEREAS, The wholesome, positive, loving relationship of
Christian people to one another is a means through which the
Holy Spirit wants to lead the world to take note of and believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 17:20-21); and

WHEREAS, In many parts of our country, Missouri Synod
Lutherans have enjoyed a wholesome, mutually edifying
relationship with fellow Lutherans both of the ALC and the
LCA, as well as smaller Lutheran bodies; and

WHEREAS, We feel it an overwhelming obligation to imple-
ment the fellowship we have in the Gospel and commit
ourselves to do so, especially with other Lutherans; avoiding
only on such occasion where a denial of God’s Word is clearly
involved; and

WHEREAS, The CTCR’s “BibleStudy on Fellowship” proved
helpful in reminding us of these Scriptural truths; therefore be
it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in
convention encourage its congregations to continue to develop
God-pleasing closer bonds with other Lutheran congregations

in ways that proclaim a clear witness to the Gospel of Jesus
Christ.
Trinity Lutheran Church
Memphis, Tenn.
L. V. Schmidt, Chairman
Paul R. Martens, Pastor
Ronald J. Wiese, Pastor
Identical or similar:
3-73B to 3-73E

Trinity, Spencerport, N.Y. Charles Goehring

Bethlehem, Minnetonka, Minn. A. H. Malotky
Concordia, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Harlan Ketelsen
Redeemer, Lebanon, Conn. Robert Small

3-74

To Maintain and/or Establish Fellowship
with ALC, AELC, and Wisconsin Synod

WHEREAS, The Southern District Board of Directors has
adopted the following strategies in their Goals and Objectives
for 1978—82:

Propose resolutions to the synodical Board of Directors and ‘or
synodical conventions to resume full altar and pulpit fellowship
with The American Lutheran Church (Goal III, Objective C,
Strategy 1);

Propose resolutions to the synodical Board of Directors and or
synodical conventions to take steps toward establishing altar and
pulpit fellowship with the Association of Evangelical Lutheran
Churches at the 1981 synodical convention (Goal III, Objective C,
Strategy 2);

and

WHEREAS, With reference to The American Lutheran
Church, fellowship is in effect (albeit: ‘in protest’’)

1. The first Resolve of Dallas, 1977, 3-02, quotes the 1970
Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR)
document: ‘‘Fellowship in protest is not tantamount to break-
ing fellowship.”

2. The second Resolve of Dallas, 1977, 3-02, states that
discussion should continue between the two church bodies with
a view toward the resolution of differences.

3. A study on the nature and implications of fellowship
from the CTCR, as directed by St. Louis, 1979, 3-03, is currently
in process; and

WHEREAS, With reference to the Association of Evangelical
Lutheran Churches, a constitutional amendment adopted at
St. Louis, 1979, and subsequently ratified by the congregations
of the Synod, states as an objective of the Synod: “‘Conserve
and promote the unity of the true faith (Eph. 4:3-6; 1 Cor. 1:10),
work through its official structure toward fellowship with other
Christian church bodies, and provide a united defense against
schism, sectarianism (Rom. 16:17), and heresy (Handbook,
page 253, Article 3, Objective 1); therefore be it

Resolved, That the spirit of Goal 3, C 1, is in keeping with
current synodical posture, which proposes the resolution of
differences; and be it further

Resolved, That the spirit of Goal 3, C 2, isin keeping witha
stated objective of the Synod, as long as the unity of the true
faith is conserved and promoted; and be it finally

Resolved, That since the above-stated objective would not
exclude the Wisconsin Synod, the Southern District would
propose resolutions to the synodical Board of Directors and.’ or
synodical conventions to attempt reestablishment of full altar
and pulpit fellowship with that body also.

Southern District
Richard E. Kuehnert Jr., Secretary

3-75A

To Declare Fellowship
with Other Lutheran Bodies

a HEREAS, It is our Lord who creates unity in His church;
an

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Confessions state that “‘it is suffi-
cient for the true unity of the Christian church that the Gospel
be preached in conformity with a pure understanding of it and
that the Sacraments be administered in accordance with the
divine Word”: and

WHEREAS, The American Lutheran Church, the Lutheran
Church in America, and the Association of Evangelical
Lutheran Churches desire to be in fellowship with us; therefore
be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod put
aside the “protesting fellowship” with The American Lutheran
Church and that we declare full pulpit and altar fellowship
with The American Lutheran Church, the Lutheran Church in

America, and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran
Churches.

Christ Lutheran Church

Lansing, Mich.

F. Merrill Wyble, Executive Director

Evelyn A. Sergent, Secretary

Identical or similar:

3-75B to 3-75F

St. Stephen, New Orleans, La.
Bethlehem, Minnetonka, Minn.
Bethlehem, Minnetonka, Minn.
Epiphany,—

St. John’s, Portland, Oreg.

Ernest Beyer
A. H. Malotky
A. H. Malotky

Werner Bern

Maurice Lower

3-76A

To Encourage
Responsible Christian Fellowship

WHEREAS, “Fellowship with Jesus Christ immediately re-
sults in fellowship among His people (CTCR—Bible Study on
Fellowship, p. 17)”; and

WHEREAS, “All believers in Christ are members of His one
body, possessing ‘one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one
Baptism, one God and Father’” (ibid.); and

WHEREAS, “God unites believers with Himself and each
other by means of the Gospel and sacraments” (ibid.); and

WHEREAS, The use of the Word and sacraments makes us
“Christ’s holy people, whether in a local congregation, orina
larger grouping of congregations .. .” (ibid.) like our District
and Synod; therefore be it

Resolved, That the SED petition the LCMS to recognize that
individual Christians, Lutheran congregations, the Districts
of our Synod, and the Synod itself, at their appropriate levels,
have responsibility to make God-pleasing decisions on the
implementations of the fellowship we have with all Christians;
and be it further

Resolved, That the SED petition the LCMS toimplement, at
the synodical level, new expressions of fellowship with other
Christian denominations in the spirit of the family God has
made His church to be; and be it further

Resolved, That individual members of the SED, congrega-