LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 75

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REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
• Lutheran musicians could not play the organ or other
musical instruments in non-Lutheran weddings or funerals and some were even excommunicated for doing
so.
• Lutherans were not allowed to dance and were often
chastised and even excommunicated for doing so.
• Lutheran pastors and people were not allowed to pray
with anyone, anytime, anywhere, outside our own
church.
• Women were not allowed to sit in church together with
the men.
• Many congregations were in conflict over whether the
pastor should continue to preach and teach in German
or should begin to do so in English.
Today our Synod views these practices from the past,
staunchly defended on the basis of Holy Scripture at the
time, as matters not specifically commanded or forbidden
in Holy Scripture and thus matters of Christian freedom
about which there is little, if any, current dissension.
However, serious doctrinal controversies—internal and
external—have been instrumental in defining our Synod
over the years. It is helpful to review a few of them to remind ourselves that we have always lived as part of the
church militant.
• As already mentioned, there was doctrinal debate and
controversy before the Synod was even organized. The
Saxons who came to this country wrestled with the
fundamental question, “Are we church or not?” It was
not until the Altenburg Debates that they were able to
answer that question, “Yes!” and move forward.
• In the early 1840s there was sharp disagreement about
the nature and authority of the pastoral office as it relates to the congregation. Significant schisms resulted.
• The Synodical Conference was fractured in 1872 over
the doctrine of election. The Predestinarian Controversy resulted in both the Ohio Synod (1881) and the
Norwegian Synod (1883) severing their relations with
the Synodical Conference.
• In the 1940s the LCMS rejected fellowship with the
American Lutheran Church, exposing differences
within the Missouri Synod itself. The so-called “Statement of the Forty-Four” raised concerns about the necessary basis for church fellowship and the role and
function of extra-confessional doctrinal statements in
the life of the church.
• Certainly the most painful internal controversy in the
Synod’s history focused on the authority of Holy Scripture, polarizing much of the Synod during the 1960s
and 1970s. A group of pastors and congregations left
the Missouri Synod and formed the Association of
Evangelical Lutheran Churches, one of the predecessor bodies of today’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America.
These brief examples from the Synod’s history remind
us that there have been theological and doctrinal disputes
both inside the Synod and between the Synod and other
bodies, generating fervent argument and resulting in bitter divisions and fractured fellowships.

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Yet, our Synod endured in remaining true to our Scriptural and Confessional principles. While most of the issues
mentioned above are no longer in contention, we nevertheless continue to experience in our Synod today difficulty,
disagreement, and even conflict regarding numerous other
issues, mostly regarding the practical application of our
doctrinal principles. A few examples will suffice:
• Close Communion—There is little, if any, disagreement among us on the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper.
But there is disagreement regarding the policies of admission to Holy Communion, namely, who should be
allowed or even encouraged to receive the sacrament
at the altars of our congregations, campus ministries,
and military chaplaincies.
• Church and Ministry—Despite our theological clarity
on the subject, there exists in some corners of our
Synod a lack of agreement regarding the role, responsibility, authority, and accountability of both the office
of pastor and the role of laity in the church.
• Traditional and Contemporary Worship—Disagreement exists on whether certain contemporary worship
expressions employ doctrinally pure resources faithfully and whether certain traditional worship expressions do so meaningfully or effectively.
• The Service of Women in the Church—Since 1969 our
Synod has consistently expressed its collective belief
on the teaching of Holy Scripture, allowing women to
vote and hold certain offices, but not to occupy the pastoral office. Still, some in our Synod would severely restrict the involvement of women in the church at many
levels, while others would favor no restrictions at all.
Perhaps your congregation or one in your Circuit is
wrestling with one or more of these issues, which can become divisive. As indicated throughout this report, the
Synod itself is certainly no stranger to disagreement and
divisiveness. The proliferation of political propaganda that
has filled many of your mailboxes over the months prior to
this convention is indicative of such disagreement.
In times of such difficulties and challenges, it is important to recall the words of Ephesians 4:
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace. There is one body and one
Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you
were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God
and Father of all, who is over all and through all and
in all. (Ephesians 4:3-6)

Maintaining such unity in the Spirit has not been easy
in the history of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod,
nor is it easy today, as other issues continue to arise at various times, on differing subjects.
More recently, the subjects of unionism and syncretism,
participation in services with other Christians, and events
with non-Christians have been a source of concern and
challenge. In the past I have quoted the report of Dr. J. A.
O. Preus to the 1981 Convention of the Synod. I do so
again, in summary format:
I have hoped that during my years in office some
greater clarity could be developed among us as to what
really is unionism and what must be dealt with in a disciplinary way, as over against things that might appear
to some to be a compromise of the Word of God but to

2004 Convention Proceedings