Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1969 · 48th Convention › Page 183
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Page 183

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

CHURCH RELATIONS 183

tain myths; and includes (5) denial of the Christian
doctrine of hell (Lutheran News, Nov. 15, 1965; Dec.
25, 1967); and

Wuereas, The ALC is a member of both the Lu-
theran World Federation and the World Council of
Churches, and it would be inconsistent if The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod would remain outside of the
LWF and WCC if pulpit and altar fellowship is declared
with The ALC; and

Wuereas, Congregations within The ALC tolerate
and contain members of anti-Christian lodges (this is
according to a poll taken by laymen of the LCMS and
Lutheran News, Dec. 25, 1967), and “we repudiate
unionism, that is, church-fellowship with the adherents
of false doctrine, as disobedience to God’s command”
(Brief Statement, Par. 28); and

Whereas, The Formula of Concord states: “No criti-
cism should be made of any church for more or less
outward ceremonies provided that there is agreement
among them in doctrine and all its articles”; and

Wuereas, There is obvious disagreement between the
LCMS and The ALC on the most basic doctrine of the
complete and total inerrancy and infallibility of Scrip-
ture; and

Wuereas, 1 Cor, 1:10 and Rom. 16:17 admonish “that
ye all speak the same thing” and to “mark them which
cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine
which ye have learned; and avoid them”; therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod shall not enter into pulpit and altar fellowship
with The American Lutheran Church; and be it further

Resolved, That the LCMS admonish The ALC to (1)
repent of the insidious false doctrine being preached in
their midst, (2) renounce membership in unionistic
groups such as the Lutheran World Federation and the
World Council of Churches, and (3) no longer accept
members of anti-Christian lodges in their congrega-
tions; and be it further

Resolved, That the LCMS under the guidance of
God the Holy Ghost lead The ALC to return to God’s
holy, inerrant, and infallible Word for all doctrine, for
reproof, and for learning; and be it finally

Resolved, That the LCMS again consider the ques-
tion of pulpit and altar fellowship with The ALC only
after the brethren of The ALC have been gained, and
only when we all speak the same thing and there are

no divisions among us.
Pitcrim LUTHERAN CHURCH

Houston, Tex.
Maurice Buepsoe, Chairman
Curtis KEtty, Secretary

(3-231)

Essentially the same overture was received from
Rev. E. H. Sanders, Bishop, Tex., with the following
alterations: slight changes of wording in several
whereases; the omission of the 12th, 13th, and 16th
whereases; the substitution of “decline to enter” in

the first resolved; and the deletion of the second re-

solved.

(3-232)

An overture identical with that of Pilgrim, Houston,
Tex., was received from St. John’s Lutheran Church,
Cypress, Tex., Lawrence Lieder, President: Howard
Treichel, Secretary; Ronald Damerow, Pastor. Attached,
however, was an additional resolved: “That we, the
members of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Cypress, Tex.,
make our concern and our stand known to all that this
congregation shall not be bound by any resolution of
The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod to practice
altar and pulpit fellowship with the aforementioned
Lutheran bodies as long as doctrinal agreement and
practice on the basis of God’s Word have not been
reached.”

(3-233)

Another overture from Grace Lutheran Church, San
Marcos, Tex., Ansel McCarty, President; James Parish,
Secretary; Paul Geiger, Pastor, is identical with that
of Pilgrim, Houston, except for the omission of the 10th,
11th, 12th, and 13th whereases.

(3-234)

To Withhold Fellowship and Practice
Christian Admonition

According to the evangelical procedures governing
the activities of the circuit counselor laid down in the
Handbook of the Synod, his responsibilities are the fol-
lowing: (please refer to the Handbook of The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod, 1967, Constitution, p.17, Art.
VII; and Bylaws, p. 85, 3.71; p. 86, 3.73; p. 86, 3.75, a,
b, and d).

It is obvious that a circuit counselor must recognize
that neither the Synod nor the District of the Synod
nor the pastoral conference nor an individual pastor
determines the doctrinal position of a local congregation.
It is the responsibility, under the Word of God, for
a local congregation to establish her own theology.
(‘Rob the congregation of the right to judge doctrine
and you give them over to slavery.” — C. F. W. Walther)
It is not incumbent or enjoined upon a local congrega-
tion, according to Scripture, to be conscience bound to
join a synod.

When a local congregation freely and voluntarily
joins a synod, it does so in the confidence that all mem-
bers of that synod agree with that congregation’s the-
ology and practice and vice versa. Consequently the
proposal to establish altar and pulpit fellowship with
The American Lutheran Church poses a vital problem
to the theological stance of all congregations in the
Synod. A summary of these problems is listed below.

1. A declaration of pulpit fellowship would preclude
that any congregation in our Synod would be guaran-
teed that any pastor of The ALC would be eligible