LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1977, Page 108

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GREETINGS OF THE ALC PRESIDENT 109

warmth and friendship and shared joy of life in Christ.

I hope this illustrates some of our concerns. We
believe them important, and we want to talk with you
about them. We do not, however, intend to tell you that
these matters must be corrected by 1979 or we will close
the door on you. We believe you are our sisters and
brothers in Christ, that we are one in faith and doctrine,
and that our practice varies only in nonessentials.

We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ has called us to
march together in Gospel proclamation, in evangelical
outreach, in devoted service to God and man in areas
that call for justice and mercy. We believe He calls us to

continue our discussions over the minor matters of
difference even as we share the major fellowship of life
in Christ. We hate the thought of watching you march
off to separate yourself from us and almost.all the rest of
God’s Lutheran Christians. We pray God it will not be
so! God will bring us to ever deeper unity as we quit
inspecting each other for fleas and pour our hearts and
lives and prayers and labors into fulfilling His
evangelical mission on earth. We believe that God
means for His U.S. Lutherans to march into the future
together. The ALC pledges its willingness to do just that.
God help us! Amen.
David W. Preus, D.D.

Greetings of the President of the Lutheran Church in America

The first word of greeting is to thank you for the
privilege of being welcomed once again to a convention
of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Even more, I
am grateful for the continuing association with
representatives of your church body in many inter-
Lutheran ogranizations. Preeminently, I think of the
Lutheran councils in the U.S.A. andin Canada. I always
look forward to those occasions when I may meet with
the three officers of your church, Dr. J. A. O. Preus, Dr.
Herbert Mueller and Mr. Milton Carpenter. On the board
of Lutheran World Relief Iam always happy to see Dr.
Melvin Witt, Dr. Leslie Webber, and Mrs. Marie Sump.

At the recent meeting of the Lutheran World
Federation, it would have been gratifying to have the
representatives of the Missouri Synod seated as
delegates, but lacking that, it was rewarding to have Dr.
Karl Barth and Dr. Samuel Nafzger present as fraternal
observers.

There are organizations where I do not represent my
church but others meet with representatives of the
Missouri Synod as well as those from The American
Lutheran Church. At the moment, attention is focused
on the work that four church bodies have done over the
last decade in the Inter-Lutheran Commission on
Worship. It was the Missouri Synod which initiated the
invitation that brought the rest of us together to develop
a Lutheran Book of Worship. The committees charged
with responsibility for reviewing these preparations
have recommended approval in the ALC and LCA.
There is every reason to believe that the Executive
Council of the LCA will give that approval when it meets
in September and the Church Council of the ALC will act
similarly when it meets in August. In fact, President
David Preus has said the enthusiasm in the ALC is so
great that he would expect to go ahead even if it meant
doing so alone. But the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Canada has already approved. So the Missouri Synod
ran be the second in line, and I devoutly hope that may

e SO.

In the Lutheran Church in America we have joined
with the ALC in “Evangelical Outreach.” This
evangelistic emphasis together with the impetus for
merging theological seminaries gives evidence of what
can be done together once unity is established in a

Dr. Robert Marshall, President of the LCA

common witness to the Scriptures as stated in the
Lutheran Confessions of faith. This unity in witness
which we enjoy with the ALC we in the LCA hope may
one day be true with you too. So my second word of
greeting is a word on behalf of continued cooperation
and growth in unity.

My third word is a word of commitment to proclaim
the Gospel of Christ as clearly as possible. I am sure you
have a similar commitment, and that is why I am
pleased to be here.

In the Lutheran Church in America, during the
current biennium, we have an emphasis on “Strength
for Mission.” It is important to make clear what our