LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 63

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REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
2004 Convention Resolutions Assigned
to the President of the Synod
Following is a succinct summary of the 2004 Convention
resolutions directly assigned to the President of the Synod,
together with a report of my actions in response:
Action on Resolutions Assigned
to the LCMS President’s Office
2004 Synodical Convention
3-07 To Continue Discussions with the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America
Resolved:
“Encourage the President of the Synod and our representatives on the Committee on Lutheran Cooperation (CLC) to
pursue substantive conversations between representatives of
the ELCA and the LCMS, in a continuing effort to bear witness to the truth of the Scriptures and the Confessions in the
hope that agreement can be reached in those areas where we
disagree” and “report to the next synodical convention any
recommendations concerning changes in joint activity with
the ELCA.”
Action Taken:
Continuing conversations on numerous substantive issues
between the ELCA and LCMS have been held semiannually.
Participating with the President in these discussions were
our representatives on the Committee on Lutheran Cooperation (CLC), namely First Vice-President William Diekelman,
COP Chairman William Hoesman, Secretary Raymond
Hartwig, Chief Administrative Officer Ronald Schultz, and
CTCR Executive Director Samuel Nafzger. Also participating
in the specifically theological discussions were Rev. Ralph
Blomenberg, and Professor Walter A. Maier III. At one such
substantive theological discussion, LCMS President Emeritus Ralph Bohlmann also was an invited participant.
Some discussions have utilized the 1978 document prepared and distributed by the Division of Theological Studies,
Lutheran Council in the USA, titled, “The Function of Doctrine and Theology in Light of the Unity of the Church
(FODT).” This report, prepared in the 1970s by official representatives of the LCMS and predecessor bodies of the ELCA,
continues to represent a responsible description of the principal theological differences between the LCMS and the ELCA.
These differences include the authority and interpretation of
Scripture, the nature of confessional subscription, and the nature and basis of church fellowship. The FODT document
therefore provides a helpful basis for ongoing theological discussions (also involving representatives of the seminaries of
both church bodies) to assess the current situation and the
prospects for continuing working relationships in the future.
On March 30, 2005, the President and LCMS representatives on the CLC shared with the ELCA representatives a
statement offering “An LCMS Response” to the January 15,
2005, report of the ELCA’s Task Force on Sexuality. I directly
addressed this and other issues and concerns in my August
12, 2005, address to the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Orlando. The text of this address is included in this workbook

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as an addendum to my report. (See President’s Report Part
I, Addendum A.)
In addition, during the past triennium, the Praesidium
has monitored and discussed “current concerns and potential
directions of the ELCA (2004 Res. 3-07), including the ELCA’s
response to the Task Force Report on Sexuality and the
ELCA’s adoption (on August 11, 2005) of a proposal for “Interim Eucharistic Sharing” between the ELCA and the
United Methodist Church.
In view of these developments, the Praesidium believes
that the President of the LCMS and the Praesidium need to
“continue to assess pastoral working relationships with the
ELCA” (2004 Res. 3-07) during the next triennium. Resultantly, continued conversations are being planned. At this
time there are no recommendations for convention consideration regarding any changes in joint activity with the ELCA.
However, before leaving this topic, I believe it is important
for me to state my ongoing impression that, at many levels,
the ELCA continues to demonstrate a vastly different understanding of the authority of Holy Scripture and interpretation of the Lutheran Confessions than does The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod. The primary reason for continuation of “substantive [theological] discussions” with the ELCA
is, as articulated in Resolution 3-07, a “continuing effort to
bear witness to the truth of the Scriptures and the Confessions in the hope that agreement can be reached in those
areas where we disagree.”
In addition and in conclusion, I believe the words of one
portion of 2001 convention Resolution 3-21A “To Address Cooperative Pastoral Working Arrangements with Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America” provide another valid reason
to continue our discussions with the ELCA:
“Resolved, That we of the LCMS recognize that many of
our brothers and sisters of the ELCA remain faithful to the
Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and we resolve to reach out to
them in love and support …”
4-07 To Establish Blue Ribbon Task Force for Funding
the Mission
Resolved:
“The Synod President appoint a Blue Ribbon Task Force
(with representation from the board of Directors, Council of
Presidents, and other such representatives as deemed appropriate by the President) on Funding the Mission that would
report its recommendations to the 2007 convention one year
prior to the convention.”
Action Taken:
In 2004, I appointed the Blue Ribbon Task Force for Funding the Mission (BRTFFM) with representation in accord
with 2004 Resolution 4-07. The BRTFFM completed its work
with recommendations in a July 2006 report that was subsequently distributed in hard copy to all boards and commissions of the Synod, to all district boards of directors, and to
all circuit counselors of the Synod. In addition, the availability
of the report was communicated in an official periodical of the
Synod and was made available to the Synod through its Web
site. A copy of this report will be included in the Convention
Workbook.
2007 Convention Proceedings