Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1969 · 48th Convention › Page 177
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Page 177

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

CHURCH RELATIONS 177

a fact that becomes obvious in such ALC publications
as The Bible: Book of Faith, Theological Perspectives,
The Reformation — Then and Now, and When God
Speaks — a practice that is totally foreign to our Syn-
od’s single, unified doctrinal position: and

WHEREAS, Statements in the above-mentioned publi-
cations have on occasion cast doubts on the Bible as the
Word of God as well as on historic doctrinal statements
of the Lutheran Church; and

Wuereas, The damage done to our Missouri Synod
in terms of division and confusion due to a declaration
of fellowship with The ALC would be irreparable: and

Wuereas, The ALC at its 1968 Omaha convention
declared fellowship with the Lutheran Church in Amer-
ica, a church body with which we are not in doctrinal
agreement, thereby placing our Missouri Synod in the
unfortunate position of having to decide the fellowship
issue with both The ALC and the LCA: and

WuereEas, The time allowed for official discussions
with The ALC, as well as discussions between the LCMS
and The ALC representatives on the local level, has
been far too short for such a critical matter; therefore
be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod, in convention assembled in Denver, Colo., in
1969, declare itself opposed to fellowship with The
American Lutheran Church at the present time: and
be it further

Resolved, That earnest efforts be made to establish
full doctrinal agreement with The ALC before making
any further offers or attempts to declare fellowship with

The ALC. Rev. Water H. Mou

Oshkosh, Wis.
(3-223)

To Oppose Declaration of Fellowship

Whereas, The Synod has requested that congrega-
tions conduct intersynodical meetings to discuss altar
and pulpit fellowship between The American Lutheran
Church and The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod;
and

Wuereas, A committee was selected to represent
Calvary Lutheran Church, Houston, Tex., and six such
altar and pulpit fellowship meetings have been held
jointly by committees and other members of Abiding
Savior Lutheran Church (ALC), St. Stephen Lutheran
Church (LCMS). and Calvary Lutheran Church
(LCMS); and

Wuereas, The President of the Texas District of the
LCMS circulated a questionnaire entitled “Report Form,
Implementation of Resolution 3-23": and

Wuereas, Our pastor went on record in completing
his part of this form as opposing items 1. 2, 5, and 6. and
favoring items 3 and 4 as listed on page 13 of Toward
Fellowship; and

WHEREAS, Our committee and the president of our

congregation concurred with our pastor in the above,
indicating further that if the “six-point package” must
be voted on as an entity, it would not be acceptable for
the following reasons:

a. Points 1 and 2 would allow pastors of The ALC
who might deny the infallibility of Scripture and the
deity of Christ to preach to our laity; and

b. Points 5 and 6 would allow pastors of inadequate
Scriptural background and conviction regarding God’s
Holy Word to become a part of the LCMS clergy: and

Wuereas. Our committee and president submitted
the following additional reasons for rejecting items 1.
2.5. and 6, or the “six-point package” as a whole:

a. Although The ALC’s policy-making body, cate-
chism, and doctrine express a view parallel to that of
the LCMS in opposition to secret organization member-
ship. their tolerance of such among their membership
belies their official position to a greater extent than
most Missouri Synod congregations (Eph.5:11). In
order to enable ourselves to assist The ALC in recover-
ing from this error, we need to first “remove the same
beam from our own eye’: and

b. The ALC has a de facto merger now existing with
the Lutheran Church in America, and this would then,
in effect, place us in the same position in relation to
the LCA, without our ever officially declaring or accept-
ing the LCA in fellowship: and

c. The ALC and the LCA now hold memberships in
the World Council of Churches. the National Council
of Churches. and the Lutheran World Federation, and
a declaration of fellowship with The ALC would cer-
tainly involve the LCMS in association with the objec-
tives of these organizations, namely, the world ecumen-
ical movement. which we consider abominable to our
Lord (Eph. 5:6-11 and 1 Cor. 10: 20-22); and

d. The findings of our committee during dialog indi-
cate that Scriptural interpretation among the member-
ship and clergy of The ALC is of a nonbinding and
general nature, left to any individual's interpretative
preference — a comfortable conformity with the world.
The express view of representatives of the referenced
ALC congregation is that the Lutheran Confessions are
not in harmony with today’s society and need to be re-
written to conform. ALC representatives were sur-
prised and horrified that we should advocate carrying
out church discipline in accordance with Matthew 18;
and

e. It was learned by the committee that women hold
voting rights within The ALC, a practice that we find
in direct conflict with 1 Cor. 14:34-35 and 1 Tim. 2:
11-13: therefore be it

Resolved, That we. the voting membership of Cal-
vary Lutheran Church. Houston, Tex., in a regularly
called assembly on March 16. 1969, enjoin the delegates
to the 1969 Denver convention of The Lutheran Church
— Missouri Synod tc oppose the declaration of altar and
pulpit fellowship with The American Lutheran Church