Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1969 · 48th Convention › Page 96
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Page 96

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

96 CHURCH RELATIONS

in order to prove fruitful, must involve the sacrifice of
doctrinal principles and thus involves unionism; and

Wuereas, The constitution of LCUSA specifies under
“Authority and Powers” (Art. VI, Sec. 1 e) that LCUSA
is authorized to “determine the external relations of
the council to religious and secular organizations and
movements either directly or through one or more of
its divisions, such determination to be subject to the
unanimous approval of the participating bodies”; and

Wuereas, The LCMS in its synodical convention has
not approved the involvement of LCUSA representa-
tives with COCU: and

Wuereas, Such an involvement and activity should
be reserved for an individual church body; and

Wuereas, LCUSA has overstepped its bounds as
a cooperative agency in such an involvement: therefore
be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod in convention assembled reaffirm its basic right
to determine its own course of action regarding fellow-
ship and merger discussions: and be it further

Resolved, That The LCMS publicly declare that the
Lutheran Council in the U.S. A. does not officially rep-
resent The LCMS in its conversations with the Consul-
tation on Church Union and that such LCUSA involve-
ment should henceforth be abandoned: and be it further

Resolved, That The LCMS instruct its representa-
tives to LCUSA to provide the necessary direction to
keep LCUSA from assuming responsibilities above and
beyond those intended when LCUSA was formed, and
included in its constitution: and be it finally

Resolved, That The LCMS reaffirm that its member-
ship in LCUSA will be maintained only so long as that
agency functions as a cooperative and not a consulta-

tive agency. Rev. THEODORE E. GUNDLACH

Watertown, Wis.
(3-05)

To Sever Relations with LCUSA

Whereas, The Lutheran Council in the United States
of America is not representing our Synod only in “ex-
ternals” (matters which do not involve church fellow-
ship, work, and worship) but is leading us into joint
religious work in areas such as campus and student
work, providing spiritual services to men in the Armed
Services, and in the training of missionaries: and

Wuereas, LCUSA is involving our Synod in highly
debatable social, political, and nonreligious issues which
do not represent the thinking or wishes of all our con-
gregations and people: and

Wuereas, LCUSA is carrying out a semiclandestine
series of doctrinal discussions which are not open to the
entire constituency of our Synod and are being used
to train a corps of specially invited clergymen in a the-
ology and an approach to the Scriptures which is not
in harmony with the officially confessed and accepted
position of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod:
and

Wuereas, Membership of our Synod in LCUSA com-
pels our members to support activities which conflict
with their consciences as they give their mission offer-
ings: therefore be it

Resolved, That St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Fair-
mont, Minnesota, petition The Lutheran Church — Mis-
souri Synod to sever its relations with the Lutheran
Council in the U.S.A., bringing about such complete
separation no later than by the end of 1969.

St. Pact’s LuTHERAN CHURCH
Fairmont, Minn.

VERNON H. Har ey, Pastor
Lorin GELLERT, Secretary

(Documentation Forwarded to Floor Committee)

(3-06)

To Acknowledge Error and Withdraw
from LCUSA

WuereEas, Historically The Lutheran Church — Mis-
souri Synod has correctly, on the basis of Scripture,
repudiated religious unionism, demanding doctrinal
agreement prior to union; and

Wuereas, Membership in the Lutheran Council in
the U.S.A. involves the LCMS in religious unionism:
“The joining in religious worship or religious work or
in both by such as are not in doctrinal agreement is
religious unionism” (John H. C. Fritz, Religious Union-
ism): and

Wuereas, The LCMS is not in doctrinal agreement
nor has it declared pulpit and altar fellowship with the
major participant bodies of LCUSA (LCA and ALC);
and

WHEREAS, One of the divisions of LCUSA has pub-
lished Who Can This Be? a study document that at-
tacks the deity and vicarious atonement and satisfaction
of Christ; and

WHEREAS, Officials of LCUSA still defend Who Can
This Be? and

Wuereas, The leadership of LCUSA has evidenced
its determination to enlarge its unionistic field by elect-
ing to send “observer consultants” to the Consultation
on Church Union (COCU), which is beyond the scope
of LCUSA's function, the LCMS not having authorized
such representation; therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod in convention assembled recognize its error in
joining the Lutheran Council in the U.S.A. and, in
agreement with the Word of God, repent of the error
and remove itself from LCUSA until such time as all
participant bodies are in fu!l doctrinal agreement.

Rev. Walter T. Koch
Silver Spring, Md.
Rev. Rudolph H. Beck

Jefferson City, Mo.
Rev. H. J. Behrens
Grant Park, Ill.

Rev. Carl Hoffmeyer
Hamler, Ohio

Rev. Reginald Muhl
Stanwood, Iowa

Rev. Henry Tietjen
New Haven, Conn.