LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 162

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162 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

To Demonstrate Oneness Despite Differences

Wuereas. The body of Christ is one body, the Church, as we
confess from Holy Scripture (Eph. 4:4-6; Gal. 3:28); and

WHEREAS, Because this one body of Christ has many members
and a variety of gifts, we are not all the same (1 Cor. 12); and

WuEerEAS, We confess in the Nicene Creed, “We believe in one
holy Christian (catholic) and apostolic Church;” and

WuerEAS, Most importantly, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
prays for the unity of His followers (John 17); and

Wuereas, Because the task of “making disciples of all nations”
commanded by our Lord, by the power of His Holy Spirit, is far
more than we can do alone in The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod, we need our sisters and brothers in Christ in the whole
church to work together to share the Gospel with a dying and un-
believing world; and

WHEREAS, The world sees a divided church, unlike the New
Testament church that was known by the witness “how they love
one another,” as a church that cannot get along with one another
and the source of strife, bitterness, division, and scandal; and

WHEREAS, Our words about the “oneness” of the fellowship of
believers, the body of Christ, the Church, must be matched by our
deeds and expressions of being one; and

WHEREAS, We in Christ's Church have much to share with one
another, all believers in Christ, and our denominational differences
can best be served to enrich, encourage, and enlighten one another
as together we join in prayer. witness, Bible study, education.
works of love, and worship: and

WHEREAS, What we have in common with our fellow Chris-
tians, namely the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ as expressed in the
ecumenical creeds—Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, and Athan-
asian Creed—is greater than those points of doctrine that divide us,
significant as they certainly are; and

WHEREAS, We give a confused witness to the world of the one-
ness of the body of Christ by not celebrating the new life we have
in Christ in common with all believers; therefore be it

Resolved, That we celebrate the oneness of the body of Christ
by joining together with sisters and brothers in Christ, centered in
the Gospel of our Lord, in whatever opportunities the Lord gives us
to express this unique unity in the church, even with our differ-
ences; and be it further

Resolved, That we recommit ourselves to praying and working
together with fellow Christians toward a greater expression of unity
in those areas of Christian doctrine that divide us.

St. John
Portland, OR

3-21

To Shift to Local Focus for Church Unity Activities

WHEREAS, The Lord of the church has created and continues to
create unity among His people that is centered in His suffering,
death, and resurrection (John |7 and Ephesians 4); and

WHEREAS. The forces of darkness within and without continue
to undermine or disregard the oneness of the church; and

Wuereas, Our Synod’s efforts to make more visibic and effec-
tual this unity among Christian churches have been limited to con-
versations and meetings almost exclusively by a few people on the
national and international level; and

WHEREAS, These attempts appear to produce little fruit (e.g., the
Synod has no full communion with any church body in the United
States); and

WHEREAS, The most important representation of the church is
the local congregation; therefore be it

Resolved, That, while the CTCR continues conversations with
other national and international church bodies, the Synod shift its

2001 Convention Workbook

major efforts in these matters to the local and regional activities of
its member congregations and pastors; and be it further

Resolved, That District Presidents and Circuit Counselors en-
courage congregations and pastors to promote the unity of the true
faith with neighboring congregations and pastors through conver-
sations and activities that are faithful to the Holy Scriptures and the
Lutheran Confessions; and be it finally

Resolved, That this resolution be expedited by a joint committee
of the Council of Presidents and the CTCR.

St. Peter
San Leandro, CA

3-22

To Discuss Fellowship Concerns through Study
of Romans 16

WHEREAS, On September 7, 1945, 44 Missouri Synod clergy-
men issued a statement taking to task the Synod’s practice of closed
Communion as not being evangelical; and

Wuereas, The church's teaching on Rom. 16:16~17 was
brought into question by the 44, who suggested that the doctrines
taught by other Lutheran bodies of the time contra those taught by
the Missouri Synod were not divisive but tolerable in the historical
expression of Lutheranism: and

WuerEAS, Politically, through convention and the synodical
presidency, “A Statement” was quietly set aside and not dealt with
in recognized and public debate through acceptance or condemna-
tion; and

WIIEREAS, The continued issuance of resolutions of synodical
conventions supporting close or closed Communion reflects that
within the Synod there is still a division between those who believe
themselves evangelical by communing only those instructed and
approved in the faith through sister churches in keeping with their
interpretation of Rom. 16, and those who consider themselves
evangelical by not applying the separation described in Rom. 16 to
other Lutherans and/or Christians in 21st century America; and

WHEREAS, The CTCR has confused the issue of fellowship with
their introduction of a new view of “levels of fellowship” as op-
posed to the historical teaching of the Una Sancta; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod repent of trying and failing to heal the
breach through political posturing and the use of political organs
and offices created by human arrangement (that is, synodical pres-
idents, church conventions, and doctrinal committees) rather than
the divine Word of God and the divinely instituted Office of the
Keys in our fellowship; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod officially at this convention recognize
the rift that was occasioned by the Statement of the 44 and that has
only widened since: and be it further

Resolved, That each circuit’s pastors be mandated to collec-
tively discuss the applicability of Rom. 16:16-17 to fellowship
practices with other denominations, especially in light of the doc-
trines of justification presently believed. taught, and confessed in
Roman Catholicism, other Lutheran bodies, and the Reformed bod-
ies and in light of the implications of that doctrinal division for the
varicty of teaching and practice of the Sacraments in those bodies,
lo the end that each circuit document conclusions of such discus-
sions, identifying where agreements and disagreements lie and
what biblical and confessional principles either apply to these con-
clusions or are being held in tension. Also, divergent theologies re-
garding Scriptures and the Confessions existing within a circuit
should be honestly evaluated and acknowledged among the
brethren so that schisms in fellowship may be repaired or regret-
tably acknowledged and acted upon. A written summary with con-
clusions signed by the circuit pastors is to be given to the District
Presidents responsible for the respective circuits so that the Presid-
ium may document the process and report it to the synodical Pres-
ident, who will report it to the Synod at its next convention; and be
it finally