LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 8

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8 ‘SYNODICAL REPORTS

Synod during the convention, I will hopefully have additional in-
formation to report regarding this matter.

Church Relations

The Bylaws of the Synod state, ‘The President shall be the chief
ecumenical officer of the Synod. He or his representative shall rep-
resent the Synod in official contacts with other church bodies”
(Bylaw 3.101 A 5). Much time and energy are spent by the Presi-
dent of the Synod in relating to other church bodies and, under
Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, working “through its offi-
cial structure toward fellowship with other Christian church bod-
ies” (LCMS Constitution Article III).

At the present time, the LCMS enjoys the official relationship
of altar and pulpit fellowship with 28 other Christian church bodies,
all bearing the name “Lutheran,” none of them located in the
United States of America, but in the following countries:

1. Argentina—Evangelical Lutheran Church of Argentina
. Brazil—Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil
. Canada—Lutheran Church—Canada
. Chile—Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Republic of Chile
. Denmark—Evangelical Lutheran Free Church in Denmark
. England—The Evangelical Lutheran Church of England
. France and Belgium—Evangelical Lutheran Church—Synod
of France and Belgium
8. Germany—lIndependent Evangelical-Lutheran Church
9. Ghana—Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana
10. Guatemala—Lutheran Church of Guatemala
11. Haiti—The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti
12. Hong Kong—Lutheran Church—Hong Kong Synod
13. India—India Evangelical Lutheran Church
14. Japan—Japan Lutheran Church
15. Korea—Lutheran Church in Korea
16. Latvia—Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia
17. Lithuania—Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lithuania
18. Mexico—Lutheran Synod of Mexico
19. Nigeria—The Lutheran Church of Nigeria
20. Papua New Guinea—Gutnius Lutheran Church
21. Paraguay—The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Paraguay
22. Philippines—The Lutheran Church in the Philippines
23. Russia—Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia
(formerly part of Finland, now St. Petersburg)
24. South Africa—Lutheran Church in Southern Africa
25. South Africa—Free Evangelical-Lutheran Synod in South

Africa
26. Sri Lanka—Lanka Lutheran Church
27. Taiwan—China Evangelical Lutheran Church
28. Venezuela—Lutheran Church of Venezuela

We are also engaged in dialogue or have had preliminary con-
tacts with the following church bodies:

1. The Christian Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bolivia
2. The American Association of Lutheran Churches

3. Malagasy Lutheran Church (Madagascar)

4. Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church

5. Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sudan

Furthermore, the Commission on Theology and Church Rela-
tions is recommending that this summer’s synodical convention de-
clare the Synod to be in altar and pulpit fellowship with the Evan-
gelical Lutheran Church in Kenya. It should also be noted that we
continue to have many opportunities for contacts with the Lutheran
Church of Australia, especially in the International Lutheran Coun-
cil.

We pray that God will bless all of these relationships as we seek
to strengthen them and deepen confessional unity in doctrine and
practice with other Christian church bodies around the world, in
accordance with our Lord’s will as expressed in His high priestly
prayer in John 17:20—23:

I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message,
that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and 1 am in
You. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that You have
sent Me. I have given them the glory that You gave me, that they may be

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2004 Convention Workbook

one as We are one: | in them and You in me. May they be brought to
complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved
them even as You have loved Me.

Additional Church-Relations Matters

As part of the duties of the office of the President, I was invited
to bring greetings to the 2003 ELCA Assembly in Milwaukee and
the 2003 Assembly of The Lutheran World Federation in Win-
nipeg. The complete texts of my comments to these two bodies are
available at www.Icms.org/president.

Statements from the Office of the President

From time to time, matters of public or ecclesiastical impor-
tance require a public statement from the President of the Synod.
Such statements have been made on a variety of subjects includ-
ing, for example, the support of biblical, traditional marriage and
support of the Federal Marriage Amendment. During the past tri-
ennium, public statements have been issued on 41 occasions, the
complete texts of which are available at www.lcms.org/president.

It is appropriate for me to acknowledge the editorial and ad-
ministrative assistance of the staff of the President’s office and the
Board for Communication Services in the preparation and distribu-
tion of these official statements. Without their cooperation and as-
sistance, this important function of the office of the President
would have been much more arduous and burdensome than it has
proven to be.

2001 Convention Resolutions Assigned to the President

Following is a succinct summary of the 2001 Convention Res-
olutions assigned to the President, together with a report of my ac-
tions in response:

Resolutions Assigned to the LCMS President’s Office
2001 Synodical Convention

1-06A To Utilize Gifts and Talents of All Members
Action Taken

Considered persons from diverse backgrounds when making ap-
pointments; attended conferences of minority groups and encour-
aged engagement of minority members at congregational, District,
and synodical levels.

3-02, 3-03, 3-04, 3-05 Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with Lanka
Lutheran Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti,
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lithuania, Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Latvia

Action Taken

Implemented fellowship relationship according to the protocol
documents.
3-06 To Reach Out Aggressively to Emerging Lutheran
Churches
Action Taken

Engaged in formal and preliminary talks with several church
bodies around the world.

3-10 To Express Appreciation to CTCR, Seminaries, and
President for Statements (Arrange for Discussions with
Roman Catholic Church)

Action Taken
Through the Committee on Lutheran Cooperation, the LCMS

has expressed its desire to rejoin the Lutheran-Roman Catholic di-
alogues that the LCMS participated in from 1965-1992.