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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 431

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

THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
For the sake of our common confession with our partner churches
and in love for the true God and His Word, The LCMS should
exhort its partner churches to leave the fellowship of the LWF.
WHEREAS, The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), has as its
focus women’s ordination, acceptance of the LGBT [Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender] lifestyle and using a higher critical
approach to interpreting Scripture; and
WHEREAS, The LWF “is a global communion of 145 churches in
the Lutheran tradition, representing over 74 million Christians in 98
countries,” and it declares that its member churches “share a vision,
purpose, and values. We work to strengthen our relationships and
build an inclusive, respectful communion. We are on a common
journey of renewal shaped and enriched by the different contexts
within which we live.” (www.lutheranworld.org/content/aboutlwf); and
WHEREAS, Twelve partner churches of the LCMS are members
of the LWF, namely:
• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya
• The Lutheran Church of Nigeria
• India Evangelical Lutheran Church
• Japan Lutheran Church
• Lutheran Church in Korea
• Gutnius Lutheran Church (Papua New Guinea)
• Lutheran Church in the Philippines
• Lanka Lutheran Church (Sri Lanka)
• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia
• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lithuania
• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia
and as partner churches we are in full altar and pulpit fellowship,
therefore be it
Resolved, That in Christian love, and faithfulness to our common
confession of faith, the LCMS exhort the above-named partner
churches to leave the LWF as soon as possible; and be it further
Resolved, That the Commission on Theology and Church
Relations report on the results of this exhortation one year prior to
the opening of the 2022 Synod convention for further continued
action; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Wyoming District submit this overture to the
2019 convention of the LCMS.
Wyoming District
Ov. 5-09

To Embrace Our Ecumenical Duty
WHEREAS, As Lutherans we have been entrusted with the full
riches of God’s gifts, namely, that He gives us security in our
Baptism, speaks to us in His Word and in the Divine Service, and
gives us His flesh and blood in the Sacrament; and
WHEREAS, The body of Christ includes many who may not know
these full riches; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Francis Pieper, speaking in an address to the
Synod in 1908, laid out this very obligation we owe to other
Christians, identified as “our ecumenical duty” by President
Harrison, but one that recognizes this is a pure gift taken with a
humility that readily admits “we are nothing, and that God’s grace

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and God’s Word are everything” (“Contending for the Truth for All
Christianity: The Difficult Task of Missouri”, 1908 Synodical
Address, in Matthew Harrison, ed., At Home In the House of our
Fathers [Lutheran Legacy, 2009], 639–42); and
WHEREAS, Knowledge and study of our Lutheran Confessions
will help us appreciate further what we have been given enabling us
to speak of it to others; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Minnesota South District in convention
encourage individuals and congregations to formally and informally
study our Lutheran symbols with an eye toward our ecumenical
duty toward our Christian brothers and sisters; and be it further
Resolved, That the pastors and laity of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod be encouraged to actively seek formal and informal
dialog with Christians of other beliefs to share the full riches of
God’s grace as revealed in the Lutheran Confessions; and be it
further
Resolved, That the district president and staff develop resources
to facilitate discussions with Christians of other beliefs; and be it
further
Resolved, That the district memorialize the Synod in convention
in 2019 to do similarly using all the resources at its disposal to help
our congregations meet this ecumenical duty; and be it finally
Resolved, That the district memorialize the Synod in convention
in 2019 to task the Commission on Theology and Church Relations
with developing guidelines for ecumenical discussions.
Minnesota South District
Ov. 5-10

To Commend and Support the International
Lutheran Council (ILC)
WHEREAS, The International Lutheran Council (ILC) is a
growing worldwide association of established confessional
Lutheran church bodies, among them The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod (LCMS), which proclaim the Gospel of Jesus
Christ on the basis of an unconditional commitment to the Holy
Scriptures as the inspired and infallible Word of God and to the
Lutheran Confessions contained in the Book of Concord as the true
and faithful exposition of the Word of God; and
WHEREAS, The ILC is not a church body nor does it carry out
churchly functions. It does not intend to prescribe any course of
action for its members, but rather seeks to assist and strengthen
them in their confessional witness and mission. It exists to
encourage, strengthen, and promote confessional Lutheran theology
and practice centering in Jesus Christ, both among member
churches and throughout the world:
• by furthering a united witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
and strengthen its member churches in preaching the Gospel
to the entire world;
• by furthering united diaconic action through intentional acts
and programs of mercy in response to human need and
suffering;
• by furthering theological study and the formation of
qualified, orthodox, Lutheran pastors;
• by furthering peace and unity by mediating member
disputes;
and

2019 Convention Workbook