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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Page 59

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

THEOLOGICAL MATTERS 59

projects. The commission has therefore moved to co-
ordinate these various studies before issuing materials
to the Synod.

H. Questions Regarding Ecumenism

In response to information from the synodical Presi-
dent that many inquiries concerning involvement in
interchurch and ecumenical events have been addressed
to his office by members of the Synod, the commission
recommended appointment of a committee to develop
guidelines for participation in ecumenical activities. The
President appointed the following men to this special
committee: Dr. Herbert Bouman, Dr. Carl Gaertner,
Dr. Oswald Hoffmann, Prof. Eugene Klug, and Dr. Ar-
thur Carl Piepkorn. The committee has a tentative
draft of its report under consideration and expects to
submit it to the commission this fall.

I. Charismatic Movement

At the request of individuals and with the concur-
rence of President Harms, the commission is endeavor-
ing to understand and evaluate the various phenomena
(e. g., baptism of the Spirit, speaking in tongues, proph-
ecy) associated with the charismatic movement. As part
of this endeavor, Dr. Ralph Bohlmann attended a 3-day
conference in Minneapolis in the fall of 1968. The com-
mission’s report is currently in the drafting stage.

J. Woman Suffrage

The 1967 synodical convention directed the commis-
sion to complete its study on woman suffrage and to
provide guidance in the matter of the membership of
women on synodical boards, commissions, and commit-
tees (Resolutions 2-05 and 2-06, 1967 Proceedings,
p. 89). The commission has finished this assignment and
distributed the resulting document to the church (cf.
Worksook Appendix). The commission recommends:

7. That the position paper entitled Woman Suffrage
be received by the Synod and commended to its mem-
bers as expressing the Synod’s understanding of the
rights of women to vote and hold office in congregations
and on synodical boards, commissions, and committees.

The commission has requested the Commission on
Constitutional Matters to draft appropriate sample
paragraphs for the constitutions of congregations de-
ciding to make the changes permitted by the document.

II. CHURCH RELATIONS
A. Sister Churches

India Evangelical Lutheran Church

Our sister church in India has taken action in church
fellowship matters in accord with Resolution 3-04 of
the 1965 synodical convention (1965 Proceedings, pp.
104—105), which recognized the freedom and indepen-
dence of younger overseas churches in fellowship nego-
tiations and decisions. In the 1968 convention of the
India Evangelical Lutheran Church, the hand of fellow-
ship was extended to two other Lutheran churches, fel-

lowship discussions with the Lutheran Church of Aus-
tralia were authorized, and a decision was reached to
apply for membership in the Lutheran World Federa-
tion. After considering these actions of our sister
church, the commission asked President Harms to con-
vey the following message to the India Evangelical Lu-
theran Church:

a. We thank the IELC for sharing with us the resolu-
tion of the Sixth Convention of the IELC, April 25—27,
1968, whereby the hand of fellowship was extended to the
Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church and to the Arcot
Lutheran Church as well as the resolution to begin dis-
cussion with the Lutheran Church of Australia for the
purpose of establishing official fellowship relations.

b. We express our full confidence that the IELC has
discovered a proper confessional basis for fellowship
with the Tamil Lutheran Church and with the Arcot
Lutheran Church as stated also in the resolution.

c. We rejoice with our sister church in India in such
extension of her fellowship relations and wish these
churches in altar and pulpit fellowship God's blessings
as they serve jointly in this area of the Lord’s vineyard
and also wish them success in their fraternal endeavors
with the Lutheran Church of Australia.

d. We also take note of IELC convention action to ap-
ply for membership in the LWF. In accord with the find-
ings and recommendations of the CTCR regarding the
LWF, we implore the blessings of the Lord of the Church
on such affiliation.

Fellowship Relations with Overseas Mission Churches

The commission has met with a committee of the
Board for Missions in an effort to develop a proper pro-
cedure for recognizing or establishing formal fellowship
relationships with autonomous churches in the overseas
mission. This matter is currently before us with regard
to a request of the Lutheran Church in the Philippines
to enter into a sister church relationship with us, and
it will very likely face us again with regard to our
churches in Ghana, Japan, Mexico, and Taiwan. In an
effort to clarify its own responsibility in this matter.
the commission has adopted the following resolution and
submitted it to the Board for Missions:

Resolved, that the CTCR carry out its responsibility
in fostering fellowship between the LC-MS and a church
established through the Synod’s mission endeavors, as
follows:

a. By encouraging the Board for Missions and its var-
ious representatives to assume the initiative in creating
the conditions for formal church fellowship.

b. By encouraging the Board for Missions and its var-
ious representatives to arrange for the necessary dis-
cussions by chosen representatives of the churches in
question; to wit, by way of an exchange of delegates to
the respective conventions of the church bodies involved
for the purpose of considering items of mutual concern,
such as respect for confessional standards and provisions
for carrying out their common mission in the world.

c. By suggesting to the Board for Missions and its
various representatives, that, in consultation with the
President of the Synod, they arrange to include in any
exchange of persons such individuals as relate to the
concerns of the church’s theology (e. g., CTCR members),
missions, and administration.

d. By encouraging the Board for Missions to arrange
for formal declaration of fellowship status by the assem-
bled convention of each church and then requesting the
president of each of the churches involved formally to
designate persons to be responsible for carrying on fur-
ther liaison work between the churches concerned.