LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 283

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FLOOR COMMITTEES: REPORT AND OVERTURE ASSIGNMENTS

5. Theology and Church Relations
REPORTS
R1–R1.1, R10, R12, R66
OVERTURES
Ov. 5-01

To Recognize Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with the
Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland
Preamble
The Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland (ELMDF; in
Finnish, Suomen evankelisluterilainen lähetyshiippakunta) was
born from within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
(ELCF), which is the national church of Finland. Unlike the ELCF,
however, the ELMDF is unreservedly committed to maintaining
and upholding the orthodox Lutheran faith and practice that had
prevailed in Finland since the 16th century Reformation.
Over time, the ELCF experienced decreasing theological fidelity,
accepting the results of historical critical views of Holy Scripture,
unbiblical practices such as the ordination of women to the ministry,
and an unwillingness to adhere fully and faithfully to the Lutheran
Confessions. In response, the Luther Foundation was established in
1999 by individuals within the Finnish national church. The purpose
of the Luther Foundation was to support confessional Lutheran
pastors and congregations in teaching and practice that remained
faithful to the Scriptures and Confessions.
In 2003, the Mission Province of Sweden was formed. Its purpose
was to support confessional Lutheran pastors and congregations and
to restore the possibility of ordination for future pastors who either
could not be ordained or would not be properly supervised in the
increasingly liberalized and radicalized Nordic national churches.
In 2006, the Mission Province was expanded and renamed the
Mission Province in Sweden and Finland. Eventually, in 2013, the
ELMDF was formed as an independent church body. Formed by
congregations under episcopal oversight, the ELMDF describes its
purpose as follows: “We want to keep the legacy of the Reformation
on display and lead people deeper into the scriptures and the
Lutheran tradition” (www.lhpk.fi).
Thus, the Mission Diocese confesses the prophetic and apostolic
Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired and
infallible Word of God. It subscribes to the entire Book of Concord
as a faithful exposition of the Word of God in all its articles. The
ELMDF thereby holds that all doctrine, practice and life must be
examined, carried out, and directed on the basis of God’s Word and
the Lutheran Confessions.
The aim of the ELMDF is to proclaim the Gospel, to establish new
congregations, to deepen the knowledge of the Christian faith, and
to revitalize and support the devotional life of its members.
The member congregations of the ELMDF are the setting for its
work. Each congregation is individually named and its members are
organized according to a congregational constitution. Each
congregation gathers for liturgical worship around the Word and the
Sacraments, led by an ordained pastor called to serve that
congregation. At the same time, the practical life of congregations
relies heavily on the work of lay volunteers.

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The pastors of the congregations and elected lay delegates together
form a Diocesan Assembly. A Diocesan Council, elected by the
Diocesan Assembly, then plans and executes the administration of
the Diocese and the practical matters of its work.
The ELMDF upholds all the teachings of Scripture without fear or
compromise. It willingly addresses controversial topics and allows
no concession with unbiblical teachings. It has held fast to the
Bible’s understandings of man and woman, marriage, the ordination
of only qualified males to the ministry, and other matters. This
steadfastness has also led the church to publish writings that defend
the Bible’s teachings and encourage faithful conduct and life. The
ELMDF’s willingness to promote biblical teachings about human
sexuality resulted in charges of hate speech against the ELMDF’s
Bishop Juhana Pohjola and Dr. Päivi Räsänen, the author of an
ELMDF pamphlet on sexuality. Although the charges were initially
dropped, threats of legal prosecution remain. Nevertheless, the
ELMDF remains faithful to God’s Word.
The Augsburg Confession (AC), Article VII, defines the Church as
the assembly of all believers among whom the Gospel is purely
preached and the Holy Sacraments are administered according to
the Gospel. By this measure, the ELMDF is a church that stands
firm in the right teaching and administration of the means of grace.
Representatives of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
(LCMS) and ELMDF began formal correspondence and
discussions concerning the possibility of fellowship between our
two church bodies in 2017. In 2018, the ELMDF was accepted into
the International Lutheran Council as a full member. At that same
time, the ELMDF formally requested a recognition of fellowship
with the LCMS.
As required by LCMS Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2, the LCMS Commission on
Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) engaged in careful and
thorough consideration of pertinent theological documents, reports
on face-to-face discussions between LCMS and ELMDF
representatives, correspondence regarding specific theological and
ecclesial issues, and a face-to-face meeting with then-Bishop Risto
Soramies in a February 2020 meeting of the entire commission. As
a result, the CTCR unanimously adopted a motion recommending
the recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship with the ELMDF on
Feb. 21, 2020. Having received that recommendation and after
consulting with the LCMS Praesidium, President Matthew C.
Harrison wrote to Bishop Soramies on Oct. 5, 2020, declaring the
“recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship between our two
churches.”
The ELMDF is a vibrant part of the Nordic and world-wide
community of confessional Lutherans. The ELMDF is in altar and
pulpit fellowship with other biblical and confessional Lutheran
churches such as the Lutheran Church—Canada (LCC), the German
Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK), and the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of England (ELCE). All three of these
church bodies are also in altar and pulpit fellowship with the LCMS.
WHEREAS, The ELMDF is a confessional Lutheran church
consisting of over 40 congregations in Finland; and
WHEREAS, The ELMDF emerged from the ELCF due to
doctrinal disagreements and over ethical questions addressed
clearly in Scripture such as the ordination of women, same-sex
marriage, and the ordination of practicing homosexuals; and
WHEREAS, Pastors of the ELMDF have made public confessions
of faith not only in churches, but also before “kings” (governing
authorities, see Psalm 119:46 and AC Preface), making a defense
2023 Convention Workbook