LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 237

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THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS­­—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH 2
RELATIONS
Theological Considerations and Procedural Guidelines
Regarding
The Recognition of Altar and Pulpit Fellowship
Between
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and Another Church Body 1
Article III of the Constitution of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) lists as the first
objective of the Synod that
•

The Synod, under Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, shall—Conserve and promote
the unity of the true faith (Eph. 4:3-6; 1 Cor. 1:10), work through its official structure
toward fellowship with other Christian church bodies, and provide a united defense
against schism, sectarianism (Rom. 16:17), and heresy.

This document sets forth theological considerations and procedural guidelines for The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod as it responds to a request by another church body for altar and pulpit
fellowship with the LCMS.
I. Delineation of Responsibilities
1. The President of the Synod
The president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is “the chief ecumenical officer
of the Synod.” The LCMS Bylaws state the following in this regard:
a) He shall represent the Synod, in consultation with the appropriate board or
commission, in official contacts with all partner churches by aiding, counseling, and
advising them and strengthening the relations with and among them.
b) He shall develop protocol documents between the Synod and partner church bodies
according to which the Synod and its agencies will work together with its partner
churches in foreign mission fields, which documents are also to be respected by
agencies, auxiliaries, and recognized service organizations. 2
An earlier “Policy for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Declaring Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with Another
Church Body” was adopted by the CTCR in April 2003 in response to a request from the President of the Synod,
then revised in 2014 to reflect 2010 convention action (e.g., 2010 Res. 3-04A) and 2010 and 2013 changes to the
Synod Bylaws. This revised document was approved by the CTCR on September 17, 2020.
2
A protocol document is an official, written agreement between the LCMS and a partner church that is executed by
the respective church leaders and that codifies the recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship while establishing
certain protocols for inter-church relations upon which the two church bodies have mutually agreed. Protocol
agreements are intended and expected to be permanent (unless subsequent revisions are mutually agreed upon by
both church bodies).
1

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c) He or his representative shall represent the Synod in official contacts with other
church bodies. (Bylaw 3.3.1.1.2 a–c)
2. The Commission on Theology and Church Relations
The Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) is “to assist the President of
the Synod in matters of church relationships” (Bylaw 3.9.5). The CTCR is to “assist the
President at his request in discharging his constitutional responsibilities for maintaining
doctrinal integrity as he relates to other church bodies” (Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2).
The Bylaw further explicates the CTCR’s responsibilities as follows:
a) It shall address itself to and evaluate existing fellowship relations for the purpose of
mutual admonition and encouragement.
b) When a church body applies for formal recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship with
the Synod, such recognition shall be proposed at a convention of the Synod only after
the approval of the commission.
c) When a small, formative, emerging confessional Lutheran church body (identified as
such by the President of the Synod as chief ecumenical officer) requests recognition
of altar and pulpit fellowship with the Synod after consultation with the Praesidium
and approval by the commission, such recognition may be declared by the President
of the Synod subject to the endorsement of the subsequent Synod convention.
d) When a mission of the Synod applies for formal recognition as a self-governing
partner church, such recognition shall be proposed at convention of the Synod by the
Board for International Mission with the approval of the commission.
e) When an entity (e.g., a district, mission, group of congregations, etc.) of a selfgoverning partner church is established as an independent church body in altar and
pulpit fellowship with that partner church body, and subsequently requests
recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship with Synod, such recognition may be
declared by the President of Synod, after consultation with the Praesidium and
approval by the commission, subject to the endorsement of the subsequent Synod
convention. (Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2 a–e)
3. The Synod in Convention
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in convention, acting on the basis of a
recommendation of the CTCR, declares recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship with
another church body.
In cases where the president of Synod has declared recognition of altar and pulpit
fellowship with “a small, formative, emerging confessional Lutheran church body” or
with “an entity” (e.g., a district, mission, group of congregations, etc.) “of a selfgoverning partner church” that has been “established as an independent church body in
altar and pulpit fellowship with that partner church body” the subsequent Synod
convention is asked to endorse the declaration. (Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2 c and 3.9.5.2.2 e)
4. Members of the Synod

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Members and officers of the Synod will respect this orderly procedure and shall not move
ahead of the Synod as a whole by engaging in altar and pulpit fellowship before such has
been officially recognized. Members and officers should consult with the president or his
representative and the Office of International Mission (where necessary) before making
contacts with or making overseas trips to church bodies with whom we are not yet in
fellowship (see Bylaw 3.8.3).
So that these provisions may be carried out with consistency and in faithfulness to the
Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions, a relationship of altar and pulpit fellowship
between another autonomous church body and the Synod shall be officially recognized in the
following manner.
II. Basic Considerations
In considering whether the Synod should declare recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship
with another church body, the president of the Synod and the CTCR shall take into
consideration the following criteria.
1. Altar and pulpit fellowship is a relationship that has agreement “in doctrine and in all its
articles” as its basis (FC SD X 31).
“While the church’s internal unity is perfect and known only to God (Eph. 1:4), the limits
of external fellowship are determined by whether the Gospel is preached purely and the
sacraments are administered according to Christ’s institution. The Gospel and the
sacraments are in themselves always pure. In this way they create and preserve the
church in her hidden unity throughout the world. Yet, when church bodies make public
confession of the Gospel and the sacraments, tragically some obscure or explicitly
contradict the teaching of the Gospel and the proper administration of the Sacraments.
For this reason the limits or boundaries of the external fellowship are creeds and
confessions. Churches in altar and pulpit fellowship share the same confession, including
the rejection of errors that contradict this confession. Where churches cannot agree on a
common confession, the basis for church fellowship does not exist” (Lutheran
Understanding of Church Fellowship, p. 5).
2. Altar and pulpit fellowship is a relationship which signifies agreement not only in a
church body’s formal statements but also agreement in the implementation of the formal
confessions of a church body in its actual life and practice.
“Confessional ecumenism recognizes the importance of practice as the application of
doctrine to life. Proper formulations of the meaning of the Gospel on the basis of the
Scriptures, necessary as such formulations are, are no substitute for actually preaching,
teaching, and living the Gospel and using the sacraments. Practice is a fair indication of
fidelity to the Gospel. For example, it does little good to point to an excellent formulation
of the lodge problem in a synodical constitution if in fact that policy is not being followed
in the parishes. It means little to point to a fine statement on the inerrancy of Holy
Scripture in the Brief Statement or the United Testimony of Faith and Life if, in fact, that
position is no longer consistently followed. We need to remember that the Augsburg
Confession (VII) is talking about a Gospel that is actually taught and proclaimed and

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about sacraments that are actually administered. Why? Because it is through the
‘practice’ of the Gospel, if you will, that the Holy Spirit creates and sustains His church.
To be sure, not all items in the area of practice are clearly defined in the Word of God,
and this needs to be recognized. But where they are, or where they clearly relate to the
Gospel, there can be no ecumenical retreat to the safety of written formulations at the
expense of what is actually happening in the church’s parishes as well as its seminaries,
colleges, publishing houses, boards and commissions. Herein lies one of the chief reasons
why The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod holds doctrinal discussions with other
Lutheran groups prior to the establishment of altar and pulpit fellowship” (Ralph
Bohlmann, “Celebration of Concord” in Theologian’s Convocation Formula for
Concord, 1977, pp. 69–70).
3. Altar and pulpit fellowship is an officially-recognized relationship between two selfgoverning church bodies or ecclesiastical entities.
In addition to agreement in confession, factors that may need to be taken into account in
making a recommendation for altar and pulpit fellowship with another church body
include its history, self-understanding, and confessional and organizational stability and
maturity. That is, the process for declaring church fellowship must be realistic with
regard to external circumstances of the two churches. In the case of established church
bodies with significant traditions of theology and practice, a more formal process may be
appropriate. In the case of a small, formative, emerging confessional church body without
extensive structures or organizations a simpler process may be appropriate.
4. Altar and pulpit fellowship is a relationship that affects all those church bodies with
which each of the two newly related church bodies holds church fellowship.
Early on in the process of contemplating the possibility of altar and pulpit fellowship, the
churches with which the Synod is already in church fellowship are to be informed of this
prospect and their input requested. The president of the Synod and the CTCR will
consider the responses of the Synod’s partner churches in reaching its recommendation
regarding the possibility of church fellowship with this church body.
5. Existing LCMS mission work may be a factor in the contemplation of possible altar and
pulpit fellowship with a church body.
6. When the LCMS has current missionary personnel or when it has had missionaries in the
past serving in the country or region where the church body requesting fellowship is
located, the Office of International Mission should be informed of the request and
consulted regarding it.
III. Procedures
A. In the case of considering formal recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship with an
established church body (in distinction from “a small, formative, emerging” church —
see III.B., below), the following procedures are in order:

2023 Convention Workbook