LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 68

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68

SYNOD REPORTS

Bishop in 2007, and the official recognition of its name change to
the Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church, also in 2007. The SELC
has about 2,000 parishioners, 22 parishes and mission stations, and
17 clergy, but it covers a geographical area that extends 5,000 miles
from east to west.
Discussions at this meeting centered primarily around how the
LCMS might proceed toward the goal of declaring altar and pulpit
fellowship with the SELC. A document prepared by the CTCR titled
Church Relations in the 21st Century was reviewed and its applicability to SELC/LCMS fellowship talks was discussed at length.
All present supported responsible pursuit of church fellowship based
on agreement in doctrine and practice. The next step in the process
toward formal altar and pulpit fellowship will be an early meeting
arranged by SELC Bishop Lytkin and LCMS President Kieschnick.
4. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

The Executive Director of the CTCR, Dr. Joel D. Lehenbauer,
serves as one of seven representatives from the LCMS that meets
together with representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) as the Committee on Lutheran Cooperation (CLC).
With meetings twice each year, the purpose of the CLC is to share and
discuss matters of mutual interest and concern and to monitor areas
where common work is taking place, such as Lutheran World Relief,
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Lutheran Services in
America, and Lutheran Social Services. An additional day for theological dialogue is added to one of the meetings each year.
The other LCMS representatives on the CLC are Dr. Gerald
Kieschnick, President; Dr. William Diekelman, First Vice-President;
Dr. Raymond Hartwig, Secretary; Dr. Samuel Nafzger, Director of
Church Relations and Assistant to the President; Mr. Ronald Schultz,
Chief Administrative Officer; and Dr. Larry Stoterau, President of the
Pacific Southwest District and chairman of the Council of Presidents.
LCMS President Gerald Kieschnick and Dr. Samuel Nafzger
were invited to attend the ELCA’s 2009 Churchwide Assembly in
Minneapolis. President Kieschnick addressed the assembly toward
the end of its meetings, after it had “voted to open the ministry of
the ELCA to gay and lesbian pastors and other professional workers
living in ‘committed relationships.’ In an earlier action, the assembly approved a resolution that commits the ELCA ‘to finding ways
to allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support,
and hold publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous, same-gender
relationships’” (ELCA Assembly minutes). As part of his remarks,
President Kieschnick stated: “The decisions by this assembly to grant
noncelibate homosexual ministers the privilege of serving as rostered
leaders in the ELCA and the affirmation of same-gender unions as
pleasing to God will undoubtedly cause additional stress and disharmony within the ELCA. It will also negatively affect the relationships
between our two church bodies. The current division between our
churches threatens to become a chasm.”
The commission has received contacts and inquiries from ELCA
individuals, pastors, and congregations regarding LCMS teaching as
well as numerous inquiries and suggestions from LCMS individuals
and congregations as to a future course of action. In January 2010,
President Kieschnick appointed a task force that includes the Director
of Church Relations, two members of the Synod’s Praesidium, both
seminary presidents, and the executive staff of the commission. The
task force has three responsibilities: (1) “To address succinctly the
understanding of confessional Lutheran identity at this time and ‘who
we are’ as a Synod in a transparent, invitational, and appropriate
manner”; (2) “To offer a brief, substantive, readable, understandable identification of and response to theological issues related to

recent ELCA actions”; and (3) “To address theological questions and
issues regarding cooperative work between LCMS and ELCA entities.” Dr. Kieschnick asked for the task force report to be completed
by March 15, 2010.
5. Lutheran World Federation

The LCMS is not a member of the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF), but it is regularly invited to bring greetings to the LWF at
its assemblies. The Eleventh Assembly will be held in Stuttgart,
Germany, July 20–27, 2010. The theme for this assembly will be
“Give Us Today Our Daily Bread.”
B. Lutheran/Roman Catholic Dialogue

In fall 2005, the LCMS was invited to send two representatives
to the eleventh round of the Lutheran/Roman Catholic Dialogues
in the USA. The topic for this round of discussions is “The Hope
of Eternal Life.” President Kieschnick has appointed Dr. Samuel
Nafzger, Director of Church Relations and Assistant to the President,
and Dr. Dean Wenthe, President of Concordia Theological Seminary
in Fort Wayne, to represent the Synod in these continuing dialogues.
Discussions in this round of dialogues have focused on the topics of
purgatory, indulgences, and prayers for the dead. Six meetings have
been held during this past triennium. At the present time, the dialogue
is working on its final report.
C. National Council of Churches

The LCMS is not a member of the National Council of Churches
(NCC). On the recommendation of the CTCR, however, its executive directors have been appointed by the President of Synod to
participate in the NCC’s Faith and Order Commission as a representative from a nonmember church body. At the commission’s April
2009 meeting, the commission recommended that the President of
the Synod appoint its new executive director, Dr. Joel D. Lehenbauer,
to serve as the LCMS representative to the NCC’s Faith and Order
Commission, succeeding Dr. Nafzger. Dr. Lehenbauer accepted Dr.
Kieschnick’s appointment and is currently serving as the LCMS representative to the Faith and Order Commission, which meets twice a
year. Early in 2009, the Faith and Order Commission published via
the Internet a collection of essays on the topic “The Authority of the
Church in the World,” which includes an essay by Dr. Lehenbauer on
the LCMS perspective on this issue (see www.ncccusa.org/faithandorder/indix.html). During the past triennium, the CTCR has received
regular reports from its executive director regarding developments in
the NCC and its Faith and Order Commission, particularly the study
group in which he is participating as it discusses the WCC document
The Nature and Mission of the Church.
III. Religious Organizations and Movements

The CTCR is charged with assisting “congregations and ordained
and commissioned ministers of religion in fulfilling their commitment to witness publicly and privately to the one and only Gospel set
forth in the Holy Scriptures” (Bylaws 3.9.6.3ff., “Fraternal and Other
Organizations,” 2007 Handbook pp. 175–76). These bylaws contain
the Synod’s longstanding provisions for dealing with the lodge issue
as well as other organizations that may be of concern to LCMS members. (Prior to 2001, the LCMS addressed these concerns through the
Commission on Organizations, which was discontinued at the 2001
convention.)
In keeping with its responsibility to provide resources and information to the members of the Synod regarding organizations, philosophies, and religious movements, the CTCR inaugurated a section of

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