LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 67

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REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
As Lutheran Christians, we cherish this great jewel that
adorns us and marks us with the Cross of Christ. Likewise,
we treasure the holy, precious Word of God that reveals
the perfect law of God and the merciful Gospel of Christ—
the light for the path of the Christian Church. With the
confessors, “we believe, teach, and confess that the
prophetic and apostolic writings of the Old and New Testament are the only rule and norm according to which all doctrines and teachers alike must be appraised and judged”
(FC, Epitome, 1, Tappert).
Having received the treasure of God’s Word, as fallible
human beings we are challenged with being true to this Word
in the midst of a “dark and perverse generation.” Especially in
this post-modern era, we are called upon to heed the Scripture that warns of days when people will listen only to what
their itching ears want to hear. Meanwhile, the Word of God
teaches that there is only one voice to be heard and followed,
the voice of Jesus (John 10:4). It is imperative that we always
strive faithfully to adhere to the Word of God in all aspects of
faith and life, also in times of discord and discontent.
To that end, we in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
sincerely desire to be faithful to the Word of God in our life
and work, both internally and externally. This includes our
working relationships with the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America. We will continue to strive to be faithful, by the
grace of God and under the authority of God’s Word as the
rule and norm of the Christian faith and life. We encourage
you and we pray for you in your efforts to do the same.
We in the The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod are sensitive to the struggles experienced within the ELCA, including the strongly held, opposing positions in your church on issues acted upon by this assembly this very day. We ourselves
are no strangers to internal struggles.
In the Constitutions of each of our national church bodies,
we pledge allegiance to the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran

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Confessions. However, it is clear that our two churches do not
always share the same understanding of what is meant by
such allegiance. All too often we do not come to the same conclusions regarding what we understand the Scriptures and
Confessions to say. It is clear that we have reached different
conclusions in a number of areas of faith and life, church and
ministry, internal and external relationships. Decisions made
by LCMS national conventions and decisions made by ELCA
churchwide assemblies are apparently reflective of different
exegetical principles and hermeneutical conclusions at work
in our respective church bodies.
We humbly and respectfully pray that we will be able to
come to harmonious conclusions regarding the authority and
interpretation of the Word of God, so that the distance between us will not be widened, but will be bridged. I pray for
both of our church bodies a special measure of wisdom, humility, understanding, and faithfulness to God’s holy revelation for our faith and His holy will for our lives.
Martin Luther writes regarding Baptism, “Therefore let
everybody regard his Baptism as the daily garment which he
is to wear all the time. Every day he should be found in faith
and amid its fruits, every day he should be suppressing the
old man and growing up in the new. If we wish to be Christians, we must practice the work that makes us Christians”
(LC, Baptism, 84–85, Tappert).
Marked with the Cross of Christ in Baptism, may God
help us in the fulfillment of our calling as the baptized children of God that we may “be found in faith and amid its fruits
. . . [and] practice the work that makes us Christians.”
Please be assured that all of you are in my prayers and
in the prayers of the pastors and people of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod. God’s grace, mercy, and peace be
with you all!
Gerald B. Kieschnick, President

2007 Convention Proceedings