LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 119

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3. Theology and Church Relations
To Declare Altar and Pulpit Fellowship
with the American Association
of Lutheran Churches
RESOLUTION 3-01
Overture 3-01 (CW, p. 147), Appendix III (CW, pp.
416–419)
Preamble
The American Association of Lutheran Churches
(AALC) was established on November 6, 1987. It was organized by pastors and congregations, primarily from the
American Lutheran Church, who were concerned over certain doctrinal positions adopted by the Commission for a
New Lutheran Church (CNLC). The CNLC had been given
the responsibility to bring into being a merger of three
churches: the American Lutheran Church (ALC), the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC), and the
Lutheran Church in America (LCA). Of particular concern
to the pastors and congregations that organized the AALC
was the position the CNLC had taken on the doctrine of the
authority of Scripture. (As a result of the CNLC’s work,
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America came into
being on January 1, 1988.) As of February 15, 2007, the
membership of the AALC is as follows: 79 congregations,
107 pastors (not including emeriti), 11,771 communicant
members, and 14,137 baptized members.
Representatives from the AALC and the LCMS began
meeting together in 1988. Between 1988 and 1998 five
meetings were held for the purpose of sharing background
information and exploring areas of agreement in official
documents. The assistance of the LCMS was requested by
the AALC in seminary training, military chaplaincies, and
the area of social ministry. It was during this time that the
AALC established a Builders for Christ organization, which
was modeled after the LCMS’s Laborers for Christ.
In March 2005, after a lapse of six years during which
the AALC further clarified its doctrinal position and practice, representatives from both churches began meeting together once again. Both church bodies expressed interest
at this time in holding doctrinal discussions for the purpose
of moving toward altar and pulpit fellowship. In this and
three subsequent meetings held in 2005 and 2006 the following topics were discussed in depth: the doctrine of Holy
Scripture, the meaning of Communion, inter-Christian relationships, the role of women in the church, and piety versus pietism. Later the issue of lodge membership was addressed. During the course of these discussions the AALC
in June 2005 decided, upon the invitation of the LCMS, to
move its seminary on to the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a relationship that
was effected in September 2006 as the AALC began preparing men for the ministry at the LCMS seminary.
Representing the LCMS in these discussions were: President Gerald Kieschnick; Dr. Charles Arand, Chairman of
the Department of Systematic Theology of Concordia Sem-

Committee 3 Chairman Gerhard Michael

inary, Saint Louis and a member of the CTCR; Dr. William
Diekelman, LCMS First Vice-President; Dr. Raymond
Hartwig, Secretary of the LCMS; and Dr. Samuel Nafzger,
Executive Director of the CTCR.
On the basis of these long-term discussions, the LCMS
representatives have concluded, and reported to the President of the Synod, that doctrinal agreement exists between
the AALC and the LCMS and that there is nothing that
would prohibit the churches from entering into altar and
pulpit fellowship with one another. In accordance with the
procedures established by the Synod and set forth in its Bylaws (3.9.6.2.2 [b], 2004 Handbook, p. 176), the Commission
on Theology and Church Relations adopted unanimously a
resolution at its February 15–16, 2007 meeting recommending that the LCMS enter into altar and pulpit fellowship with The American Association of Lutheran Churches.
WHEREAS, The American Association of Lutheran
Churches was founded upon and has maintained a strong
commitment to the Scriptures as the authoritative, inspired, and inerrant Word of God; and
WHEREAS, The AALC has from its inception sought discussions with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to
explore ways in which the two church bodies might work
with one another; and
WHEREAS, Five exploratory meetings were held between
the AALC and the LCMS between 1988 and 1998; and
WHEREAS, Article III of the Synod’s Constitution states
that a first objective of the Synod is to “work through its official structure toward fellowship with other Christian
church bodies”; and
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2007 Convention Proceedings