LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 168

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168 ; THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

Resolved, That we humbly confess to God that we have not al-
ways allowed the Gospel to motivate all of our activities as a
Synod; and be it further

Resolved, That we implore God’s forgiveness for our failures
to give the Gospel the precedence that it deserves; and be it finally

Resolved, That we seek, with the aid of God’s Holy Spirit, to
renew our commitment to the Gospel as the motivation for all that
we do and look for the good in one another as we honor God’s di-
verse blessings to us in the Body of Christ and seek to work to-
gether to win souls for Christ and His kingdom.

Trinity, Roselle, IL; Circuit 6, Northern Illinois District

3-

To Addresses Divisions in Synod by Study of 1 John

Wuereas, The first objective in the Constitution of The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is to “conserve and promote
the unity of the true faith (Eph. 4:3-6; 1 Cor. 1:10)” (Art. IIE 1);
and

WHEREAS, Considerable division has arisen among the congre-
gations, pastors, and other commissioned ministers in a variety of
issues, including worship practices and church fellowship with
Christians and non-Christians; and

WHEREAS, These divisions have led to a “party spirit” among
the members of the Synod, resulting in a lack of Christian love and
understanding for those with whom there is disagreement; and

WHEREAS, St. Paul, in the above-referenced Scripture passage,
states, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through
the bond of peace”; and

WHEREAS, St. Paul writes in 2 Tim. 3:16: “All Scripture is
God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thor-
oughly equipped for every good work”; and

WHEREAS, These same Scriptures, in | John, clearly spell out
how to regain a spirit of unity; therefore be it

Resolved, That all congregations, pastors, and commissioned
ministers carefully study 1 John during the year of our Lord 2004;
and be it further

Resolved, That in these studies close attention be paid to both
St. John’s unflinching defense of the truths of the Gospel as well as
his repeated emphasis on love for one another; and be it finally

Resolved, That all congregations, pastors, and commissioned
ministers freely repent of their sins in this matter and throw them-
selves on the throne of grace, where sits the One “who is faithful
and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrigh-
teousness”—that is Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Peace
va Hewitt, TX

3-35

To Promote New Approach to Unity

WHEREAS, The 2003 convention of The Pacific Southwest Dis-
trict of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod adopted R-THEO-
05, which reads as follows:

Rationale

It is characteristic of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod to cite its disagreements with other Christians rather than
its agreements. One example is the charge leveled against the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) during the
2001 Synodical Convention: ‘‘we cannot consider them to be
an orthodox Lutheran church body.” Another illustration of this
tendency is the Synod’s response to the agreement on “justifi-
cation” reached between the Vatican and the Lutheran World
Federation. The Synod issued a document, Betrayal of the
Gospel: A Statement Regarding the Signing of the Joint Decla-
ration on the Doctrine of Justification on Oct. 31, 1999, in
Augsburg, Germany (St. Louis, October 15, 1999).

But it is in the Synod’s critique of the Joint Declaration that
President A.L. Barry wrote: “We thank God for the grace He
gives to all believers in Jesus Christ throughout world Christen-
dom. We rejoice in what we have in common with the Roman
Church. And indeed, that is much.” This insightful comment
points to a new approach to unity, that is, to “rejoice in what we
have in common” with other Christians.

Resolved, That the Pacific Southwest District encourage the
Synod’s Commission on Theology and Church Relations to
identify and report on what The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod has in common with the Roman Catholic Church and the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, drawing upon the
nine Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue reports, from 1965
through 1995; and be it further

Resolved, That the Pacific Southwest District convention en-
courage members of the Committee on Lutheran Cooperation
(LCMS and ELCA) to continue to “pursue discussions of issues
that divide the two church bodies,” as pledged at Missouri
Synod headquarters on November 12, 2002, affirming what we
have in common and striving toward a declaration of altar and
pulpit fellowship; and be it further

Resolved, That the “model theological conference” that was
experienced among divided Missouri Synod Lutherans in
Scottsdale, Arizona, in the summer of 2002, be held and sup-
ported throughout the Synod, with the goal not only to identify
opposing perspectives on fellowship issues, but to also affirm
that unifying faith in Jesus Christ is deeper than our divisions
and to “rejoice in what we have in common”; and be it further

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod,
gathered in this 2004 convention, direct the Synod’s Commis-
sion on Theology and Church Relations to identify and report
what The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has in common
with the Roman Catholic Church and the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America, drawing upon the nine Lutheran-Roman
Catholic reports, from 1965 through 1995; and be it finally

Resolved, That we continue to affirm that unifying faith in
Jesus Christ is deeper than our divisions and to “rejoice in what
we have in common.”

Resurrection
Coronado, CA

3-36

To Continue Discussions to Resolve Differences

WHEREAS, The 2001 national convention of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod passed Res. 1-02, “To Be Passionate for
Great Commission” (2001 Proceedings, pp. 119-20); and

WHEREAS, Res. 1-02 stated, “Resolved, That we seek to resolve
the differences in doctrine and practice which cause dissension and
division among us by honest and prayerful discussion, so that we
are able to live in genuine and God-pleasing harmony as God’s
people and not allow dissension among us to become destructive
of the unity that should characterize us as God’s people”; and

WuereAS, The Model Theological Convocation held in Arizona
in August 2002 began the process of prayerful discussion of issues
causing dissension and division; therefore be it

Resolved, That the 2004 LCMS national convention commend
continued and regular discussions of issues at the congregational,
District, and national levels, with substantial participation of both
clergy and laity, in an effort to resolve differences which cause dis-
sension and division among us. a

St. John
Hattiesburg, MS

3-37

To Develop Guidelines and Procedures
to Develop Mutual Respect

WHEREAS, The terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, brought much
heartache to our nation and church; and