LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1981, Page 81

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ebegin this convention and go forward in His work
remembrance of His blessings.

President J. A. O. Preus, Ph.D., D.D.

Appendix A

Resolution of The American
wi Lutheran Church Council

Mesolution Regarding LCMS Fellowship
A lopted by the ALC Church Council—June 24, 1981

merican Lutheran Church people in congrega-
ag. offices, and agencies have rejoiced in the altar
-pulpit fellowship between the ALC and The
theran Church—Missouri Synod. The fellowship has
visibly and positively experienced at many differ-
tlevels, but especially between hundreds of congrega-
s in American communities. This has been
sanecially true in areas where Lutherans are a small
minority of the total population. In these areas the total
Eutheran witness has been strengthened by our willing-
‘ess to treat each other as partners in life and mission.
: Therefore, it is a source of dismay in the ALC that the
LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations
and the LCMS president have recommended to the 1981
vention that the formal fellowship with the ALC be
The president of the LCMS in his statement recom-
mending cessation of altar and pulpit fellowship
plores the lack of progress, from his standpoint, made
‘by the Commission on Fellowship in resolving existing
differences between the two churches. He feels the ALC
uses the problem. The ALC members of the Commis-
gion have been disappointed at the unwillingness ofthe
_LCMS members of the Commission to deal with the
" tnatter the ALC thinks to be the big disagreement. The
ALC believes the Lutheran Confessions are documents
of concord, that they were created for purposes of
inclusiveness and not exclusiveness, that they embody
a Gospel freedom that does not require uniformity in all
matters. The ALC and the LCMS agree that fellowship
should grow out of a common commitment to the
Lutheran Confessions. We have that common commit-
ment. The disagreements come in areas not directly
addressed by the Confessions and which take on the
character of added requirements imposed by LCMS.
The ALC believes fellowship should be so defined by
both of our churches that agreement on matters directly
addressed in the common Confessional documents is
sufficient to support altar and pulpit fellowship. ALC
leadership reports the LCMS representatives have been
unwilling to seriously consider such an approach as
means of resolving the problems between our churches.
It is apparent that the Commission on Fellowship
has been too limited a forum for dealing with fellowship
questions. There are too many fixed positions as a result
of years of dealing with the questions involved. Discus-
sions that determine recommendations on as important
a matter as altar and pulpit fellowship deserve more
direct participation from people in the congregations.

PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS 81

There is only one parish pastor involved among the 12
Commission members, and no laity. It would be tragic if
further distance should be put between the ALC and
LCMS simply on the determination of conversation
between 12 people. God has blessed the ALC and LCMS
with a sufficient unity of faith, doctrine, and practice to
make altar and pulpit fellowship a necessity.
Recommendation: That the ALC Church Council
invite the LCMS to join in encouraging widespread
regional and local consultations regarding the continu-
ance or noncontinuance of altar and pulpit fellowship
between the two churches, such consultations to precede
any action to terminate fellowship between our
churches.

Appendix B

Response of J. A. O. Preus
to David Preus & ALC Church Council

June 19, 1981

Church Council

The American Lutheran Church
422 South Fifth Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415

Dear Brethren:

Doctor David Preus has graciously sent to mea copy
of his recommended resolution for your action at your
June 22—26, 1981, meeting.

In order that your action may be based on additional
information, I am communicating to you the following.

Under LCMS bylaws the President of the Synod
“shall represent the Synod in official contacts with
other churches and Synods.” Since there will be a new
president after our July 3—10 convention, what I am
saying may be countermanded by my successor,
although both he and I must act under the resolutions
and Constitution of the Synod. Further, what I say does
not represent necessarily the thinking of our CTCR but
is my own. This makes the situation somewhat tentative
but I trust you will be understanding at this late date.

At the outset, I want to say that the LCMS has
repeatedly asked for multilevel discussions of doctrine
with the membership of the ALC, and thus Doctor
David Preus’ recommendation is most welcome to us.
Regardless of the action at this convention regarding
fellowship with the ALC, Iam sure that our people at all
levels, including the congregations, will be happy to
take part in such discussions. We welcome the opportun-
ity to discuss church fellowship, its Biblical and confes-
sional basis and the question of the exclusiveness or
inclusiveness of our Lutheran Confessions. We rejoice
in the official Biblical and confessional statements in
the Constitution of the ALC. I deeply regret that the
ALC commissioners have been disappointed at what
they perceive to be an unwillingness on our part to
discuss what “the ALC thinks to be the big disagree-
ment.” We will be happy to discuss at all levels the
question as to whether the confessions “embody a
Gospel freedom that does not require uniformity in all
matters.” Presumably the “all matters” refer to doctrine.