LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1986, Page 145

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THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 145

To Encourage Continued
Confessional Witness

RESOLUTION 3-12
Overtures 3-06, 3-11A—B, 3-19 (CW, pp. 113-114, 116)

Wuereas, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is
not a member of the World Council of Churches, the Na-
tional Council of Churches, or the Lutheran World Fed-
eration, nor does it provide financial support to these
organizations; and

Wuereas, It has been the longstanding practice of the
Synod to send observers to assemblies of various organi-
zations for the purpose of obtaining firsthand information
on developments within and among church bodies world-
wide and making known its position as a confessional
church on various contemporary theological issues; there-
fore be it

Resolved, That the Synod encourage its President and
the Commission on Theology and Church Relations to con-
tinue to keep the Synod informed regarding developments
within Christendom and to give witness to the confessional
Lutheran stance of the Synod in every appropriate forum.

Action: Adopted (9).

To Continue Efforts
Toward External Unity

RESOLUTION 3-13A

Overtures 3-20, 3-26-3-27, 3-29-3-30, 3-94 (CW, pp.
116, 118, 133-34)

Wuereas, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has
had a longstanding commitment to the goal that all Chris-
tians “embrace and adhere to a single true religion and
live together in unity and in one fellowship and church”
(AC, Preface 4) in the conviction that God’s Word requires
Christians to seek external unity in the church on the basis
of agreement in doctrine and practice; and

Wuereas, Representatives from the LCMS have par-
ticipated in the Lutheran-Episcopal and the Lutheran-Re-
formed dialogs held in the USA during the past 18 years;
and

Wuereas, These discussions have resulted in proposals
for “interim eucharist sharing” between Lutherans and
Episcopalians (actually implemented between three Lu-
theran church bodies and the Episcopal church in 1982)
and for full church fellowship between participating Lu-
theran and Reformed churches (approved by the Presby-
terian Church U.S.A. earlier this summer and scheduled
to be officially considered next month by the three Lu-
theran church bodies which participated in these dialogs),
and

Wuereas, The LCMS representatives to these discus-
sions have prepared minority reports in which they have
given witness to the historic Lutheran conviction that the
Scriptures and Lutheran Confessions require agreement
“in doctrine and in all its articles” and “concerning the
right use of the holy sacraments” as the basis for the im-

plementation of formal declarations of altar and pulpit fel-
lowship (FC SD X 31); and

Wuereas, The Synod has asked the CTCR to prepare
practical guidelines “to assist the officials, pastors,
teachers, congregations, and individuals in the Synod, in
determining which practices and activities are appropriate
to the various levels of inter-Lutheran and inter-Christian
relationships in which the Synod is involved” (1981 Res.
3-03A), and the CTCR is presently engaged in a synodwide
study to carry out this assignment; and

Wuereas, Provision for pursuing the goal of Lutheran
confessional unity through theological discussions has
been made in the proposal for inter-Lutheran cooperation;
and

Wuereas, Priority needs to be given to strengthening
relationships with Lutherans who share a commitment to
confessionally orthodox doctrine; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod ask God to bless all discus-
sions devoted to achieving unity in the church based on
agreement in doctrine and in practice; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod commend its representatives
to the inter-denominational dialogs for their confessional
witness to the Scriptural teachings concerning the neces-
sity for agreement in the confession of the Gospel and in
all its articles as the basis for external unity in the faith;
and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod express its sorrow and con-
cern that the other Lutheran participants in these discus-
sions have agreed to consider recommendations for church
fellowship contrary to the historic Lutheran understand-
ing of the Scriptural requirements for altar and pulpit fel-
lowship as expressed, for example, in the Galesburg Rule
of 1857 (“Lutheran Pulpits for Lutheran Ministers Only—
Lutheran Altars for Lutheran Communicants Only”),
thereby creating additional barriers between our respec-
tive churches; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod encourage all of its members
to continue their study of scriptural teaching concerning
Christian fellowship, making use of the CTCR’s 1981 re-
port, “The Nature and Implications of the Concept of Fel-
lowship,” and sharing their insights with the commission,
especially regarding the application of scriptural principles
of fellowship to specific cases of inter-Christian relation-
ships; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod continue its efforts to carry
out doctrinal discussions with other Lutheran churches
with which it is not in altar and pulpit fellowship, including
discussions with the new Lutheran church when it comes
into existence, as well as with the newly organized Lu-
theran Church-Canada; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod encourage the President of
the Synod, in consultation with the CTCR to give special
attention to ways in which unity between strongly confes-
sional Lutheran churches throughout the world may be
deepened and enhanced.

Action: Adopted (12).

(Delegates declined to insert as a first resolve, the resolve of
Overture 3-94, which reads, “Resolved, That The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod respectfully urges all Lutherans to