LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 156

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156 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

where profound economic and social problems have presented se-
rious challenges to those committed to proclaiming the saving
Gospel of Jesus Christ; and

Wuereas, Individuals and groups in the LCMS have steadily
offered their support and personal assistance over the years to our
brothers and sisters in Haiti as they carry out Christ's mission; and

WHEREAS, The ELCH has formally requested a partner church
relationship with the LCMS; and

WHEREAS, Formal theological discussions between representa-
tives of the ELCH and the LCMS have revealed that complete
agreement in doctrine and practice exists between our churches;
and

WHEREAS, The President of the LCMS has expressed support
for the ELCH’s request and has asked the CTCR, in keeping with
its constitutional responsibilities, to review the request and make
an appropriate recommendation to the Synod; and

WHEREAS. The CTCR has carried out this assignment and has
recommended that the LCMS formally recognize that altar and pul-
pit fellowship exists between the ELCH and the LCMS; therefore
be it

Resolved. That we give praise to God for the faithful pastors
and members of The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti who in
the midst of poverty and the hardships it brings have retained a
strong desire to remain a strongly confessional Lutheran church;
and be it further

Resolved, That we further give thanks to our gracious Lord for
the genuine agreement in doctrine and practice that exists between
our churches; and be it further

Resolved, That the LCMS formally recognize that altar and pul-
pit fellowship exists between the LCMS and the ELCH; and be it
further

Resolved, That the LCMS formally recognize the ELCH as a
partner church of the LCMS and that the President of the Synod be
responsible for continuing to implement this relationship: and be it
finally

Resolved. That we ask our brothers and sisters in Christ in the
ELCH to join us in the fervent prayer that our Lord will continue to
provide the personal and financial resources needed in Haiti for the
unhindered proclamation of the Gospel and administration of the
sacraments, to His glory and to the building up of His church.

Commission on Theology and Church Relations

3-03
To Declare Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lithuania
Rationale

In May 2000, representatives of The Lutheran Church—Mis-
souri Synod met with representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Lithuania for a full day’s discussion. In July 2000, at the
President of the Synod’s request, officials of the Synod represented
the LCMS at the convention of the Lithuanian church. The con-
vention approved a resolution to enter into church fellowship with
the LCMS. On Sept. 7, 2000, representatives of the LCMS and the
Lithuanian church met in St. Louis for further discussion regard-
ing church fellowship between our churches. A protocol document
has been drawn up and accepted by representatives from each
church body. In keeping with the provision of Bylaw 13.03 and
after reviewing the appropriate documents, the commission at its
February 2001 meeting adopted the following resolution for sub-
mission to the 2001 convention:

Preamble

Predominately Roman Catholic, Lithuania is a small country in
northeastern Europe on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, with
Latvia to the north and Poland to the south. Beginning in the mid-
16th century the Lutheran Reformation spread rapidly throughout
this country as pastors and congregations learned to know and ac-

2001 Convention Workbook

cept Lutheran confessional doctrine. The spread of Reformation
teaching was aided by the translation of Luther’s Small Catechism
into Lithuanian in 1547 and the publication of a Lutheran hymnal
in 1560. By the early part of the 20th century the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Lithuania (ELCL or LELC) had grown to
about 120,000 members.

World War II and Soviet occupation from 1944 to 1991 brought
great hardship upon the people of Lithuania. Many Lutheran
churches were closed and their members deported to Siberia, some
never to be seen again. In spite of the persecution and distress the
members of the ELCL endured, they have remained faithful to
Lutheran confessional teaching. They have begun to rebuild and
have now grown to a size of some 30,000 communicants. with 17
pastors and two deacons serving 53 congregations.

In recent years The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and the
ELCL have had numerous informal contacts revealing a common
doctrinal commitment. In response to a specific request from the
Bishop of the ELCL for official theological discussions between
our churches, a preliminary meeting was held in St. Louis in March
2000. followed by formal theological discussions held in Klaipeda,
Lithuania, in May 2000. LCMS representatives attended the
ELCL’s convention in July 29, 2000. in Taurage. when the ELCL
adopted a resolution calling for closer relationships with the
LCMS. This resolution states:

LELC possesses and strives towards the preservation of the
right and pure preaching and teaching of the apostolic Word of
God and the right administration of the Sacraments as they were
instituted by our Lord Himself. This has been the goal of the
confessors of the Augsburg Confession (AC VID) and of the For-
mula of Concord (FC X, 31). However, we are faced with the
false docirines which endanger the biblical and confessional
identity of our Lutheran Church in Lithuania.

Rejecting these false doctrines, we confess complete au-
thority of the Bible and its teaching, as it is rightly and un-
changingly stated in the Book of Concord. Therefore we can
have full fellowship with those Churches who share with us the
same faith and teaching, and which do not ordain or promote or-
dination of women, do not stand for homosexual behavior, do
not make compromises on the matter of justification, and who
confess that each communicant in the Holy Supper under the
bread and wine is given and receives the true body and blood of
the Lord.

Additional meetings took place between ELCL and LCMS rep-
resentatives in September and November 2000, when additional
steps were taken toward the formal recognition of church fellow-
ship between our churches.

WHEREAS, The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lithuania has
its origin in the spread of the Lutheran Reformation into eastern
Europe in the 16th century; and

WHEREAS, The pastors and congregations of the ELCL have re-
mained faithful to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions in
spite of severe hardship and testing during certain periods of their
history as a Lutheran church; and

WHEREAS, There have been increasing contacts between The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and the ELCL in recent years;
and

Wuereas, Doctrinal discussions between official representa-
tives of the LCMS and ELCL have revealed that complete agree-
ment between our two churches in doctrine and practice exists; and

WHEREAS, The ELCL has in convention resolution indicated its
readiness to enter into altar and pulpit fellowship with the LCMS;
and

WHEREAS, The President of the LCMS has expressed support
for this request and has asked the Commission on Theology and
Church Relations (CTCR) to address it in keeping with Bylaw
13.03; and

WHEREAS, The CTCR has reviewed pertinent information re-
garding the ELCL and has recommended that the LCMS enter into
altar and pulpit fellowship with the ELCL; therefore be it

Resolved, That we give thanks to God for the goodness and
grace that He has shown to our brothers and sisters in Christ in the