Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1969 · 48th Convention › Page 44
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Page 44

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

44 MISSIONS

witness to this great fact, it is necessary for churches
to find ways in which they can make a united witness
to all men. We do not say this with any intention of
minimizing the necessity of speaking the truth. But
we must deplore any evidence of a spirit of smugness.
of separatism. and of indifference to the quest of the
church to achieve the expression of the unity of the
Spirit.

We therefore encourage our Synod to continue its
dialog with fellow Lutherans and with other Christians
both in our own country and in foreign lands. We ought
to do this energetically, trusting that through our listen-
ing and speaking the Holy Spirit will break down the
barriers which are keeping Christians apart.

Need for an Evangelical Emphasis on Lodge Practice

The commission is also deeply concerned that the
Synod maintain an evangelical emphasis in its practice
with regard to fraternal organizations.

In “The Synod’s Position Concerning Lodges”
(Handbook, pp. 213—214) the emphasis seems to be
legalistic. For example: “The Synod is firmly opposed

. . take action against ... admonish all pastors...
‘lodge evil’... shall be suspended and eventually ex-
pelled ... eradicating the ‘lodge evil’... not to admin-
ister Holy Communion . . . nor to admit such persons
to communicant membership.” Of course we must point
out that one who knowingly holds to the religious ele-
ments of a secret order cannot at the same time con-
sistently subscribe to and confess such Scriptural doc-
trines as the Holy Trinity, the deity of Christ, the vi-
carious atonement, and justification by faith alone. In
our approach to officials of fraternal organizations, in
our efforts to win for Christ those who belong to frater-
nal organizations, and in dealing with “exceptional
cases” among our own members, the emphasis must
always remain evangelical. Only as the Holy Spirit
brings the power of the Gospel to bear on the heart
of man will man be moved to take his stand on the side
of Christ and to confess Him boldly and consistently.
Only as faith in Christ matures will the appeal of fra-
ternal organizations diminish and eventually disappear.

Conclusion

We do not have many overtures to bring before the
convention. Those which we have prepared we believe
to be directed toward an ongoing process of change and
development in the church. We must repeat what was
said at the beginning of this report— that what has
been said is a faithful reflection of what we have seen
and is an attempt to be faithful to the assignment which
the Synod has given us. If we have been critical, we
have tried not to be judgmental. We are trying to speak
the truth in love.

WiLLiaM S. GrauMANN, Chairman
LEONHARD C. WUERFFEL, Vice-Chairman
Dona.p L. KELL, Secretary

Martin L. KretTzMann, Consultant

APPENDIX
“Affirmations on God’s Mission”
(A partial catalog of material which has been prepared on
the basis of the affirmations for various uses in the church.)
I. General Articles on the Affirmations

1. A series of six articles in The Lutheran Layman
from December 1966 to May 1967, by Pastor
Charles Mueller, Silver Spring, Md. These arti-
cles take the substance of the affirmations and
relate them to the daily life of the Christian in
the world.

2. An editorial in the South Wisconsin District Edi-
tion of the Lutheran Witness, March 1967, which
gives an overview of the affirmations and points
out both their Scriptural and Confessional base
as well as their relevance to the life of the
church today.

II. Studies on the Affirmations Designed for Use in
Congregations

1. “Mandate for Mission.” A study prepared by
the Board for Parish Education. There is one
lesson to cover each affirmation. The pattern
followed is problem oriented, with the examina-
tion of pertinent Scripture passage, discussion
questions, and the substance of the affirmations.
Attached to this is a 14-page summary of Sec-
tion I of the ‘Report of Mission Self-Study and
Survey” presented to the Detroit convention.
This is a rearrangement of the “theological basis”
section of that report to fit into the various
affirmations.

2. “So the Church Is God’s Mission.” A proposed
study guide to lead both clergy and laity into the
spirit and meaning of the Mission Affirmations.
The method followed here is to present certain
case situations and to give participants the op-
tion of selecting various answers to the prob-
lems. It also includes a bibliography with 21
titles, and references to articles in the Concordia
Theological Monthly from 1960 to 1966. This
was prepared by a committee of the Southern
District.

3. “That Word Mission.” An outline prepared by
Rev. Arthur J. Schauer, Imperial, Mo., for use
in an adult Bible class. Pastor Schauer has
taken the resolutions of the convention, con-
densed them into very simple statements, and
added questions for discussion under each of the
six lessons. Eight pages.

4. ‘We Say We're Sent.” 13-unit series on the
affirmations reprinted from The Gate, by Robert

Hoyer, 1969.
III. Worship Materials Based on the Mission Affirma-
tions

1. “Your Worship, Sir!” A series of six worship
services with the substance of the affirmations,
a dialog, Scripture readings, and homilies. Pre-