LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 417

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OTHER PERTINENT DOCUMENTS 417

lay ministry, and church and ministry would be discussed at the first
such meeting on the basis of papers presented by representatives from
both church bodies. The topics of close(d) communion, inter-Christian
relationships, the role of women in the church, and piety vs. pietism
would be similarly presented and discussed at a second meeting. It was
also agreed that the meetings would be publicized to alert both church
bodies to the discussions taking place. Prior to the close of the meeting,
the ELCA task force report addressing issues of sexuality was dis-
cussed, with concern expressed that it be made clear to the public that
the ELCA does not speak for all Lutherans. Initial plans were made for
the development of a public statement to be used in major newspapers
across the country if deemed necessary after the upcoming ELCA
Churchwide Assembly.

This sixth meeting signaled the beginning of a new level of dis-
cussions, with the subsequent three meetings, as planned, inten-
tionally addressing the theological issues recognized to be most im-
portant for determining whether doctrinal agreement, the basis for
altar and pulpit fellowship, existed between the AALC and the
LCMS. Representing the AALC for the three final meetings were
Presiding Pastor Thomas Aadland; Administrative Assistant Gre-
gory Gerendas; Secretary Harold Johnson; ALTS Seminary Presi-
dent Frank Hays; and Commission on Doctrine and Church Rela-
tions member Darrel Deuel. Representing the LCMS were
President Gerald Kieschnick; First Vice-President William Diekel-
man; Secretary Raymond Hartwig; Commission on Theology and
Church Relations Executive Director Samuel Nafzger; and Con-
cordia Seminary Professor Charles Arand.

7. Albuquerque, October 6-7, 2005:

Charles Arand provided the LCMS presentation on “Church and Min-
istry,” emphasizing that the believer lives in two distinct but inseparable
relationships—with God (coram Deo) and with the world (coram
mundi), applying this distinction to church and ministry. His presenta-
tion was followed by discussions of ordination and lay ministry, during
which the LCMS positions on the pastoral office and ordination were
defined and differentiated from the view of ministry held by the Wis-
consin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

In response, Thomas Aadland presented a paper, “Church and Ministry
Viewed by the American Association of Lutheran Churches with Ref-
erence also to Lay Ministry,” also distributing the documents: “Ros-
tered Licensed Lay Pastor Approval Process,” “Unrostered Licensed
Lay Minister Approval Process,” “Blue Ribbon Committee Report to
the 1995 General Convention,” “Declaration of Faith and Policy and
Position Statements,” “A Past to Cherish...A Future to Claim, The
AALC, 1987-1992,” and “AALC Constitution/Bylaws.” The presenta-
tion included a review of the AALC’s understanding of church and min-
istry as conditioned by its history and self-understanding and called par-
ticular attention to articles III to V of the AALC Constitution describing
the purpose, nature, and powers of the church. It also called attention
to the documents describing the rationale and approval processes for li-
censed lay pastors and lay ministers and, noting the factiousness that
existed in the AALC in the mid-1990’s, called particular attention to
the report of the blue ribbon committee that was accepted and approved
by the 1995 General Convention, which reaffirms the confessional iden-
tity and evangelical purpose of the church body.

Addressing the subject “Charismatic Concerns,” Frank Hays presented
a paper on behalf of the AALC, underscoring that the Holy Spirit comes
into the lives of men and women through the proper administration of
the means of grace, noting that persons most filled with the Spirit are
least conscious of it, differentiating between being filled with the Spirit
and feeling filled with the Spirit. Regarding the gifts of the Spirit, he
identified transformation, not ecstasy, as the proper end of evangelism
and that the ultimate task of the Holy Spirit is to plant the confession
“Jesus is Lord” at the center of every individual life and being. Belief in
Jesus Christ is in itself evidence of being Spirit-filled, and Christians
who show loving concern for their neighbors are acting in the Spirit.
“A Statement Concerning the Holy Spirit and His Gifts,” adopted by
the Third General Convention of the AALC in 1990 and amended by
the 2005 convention, was also distributed and discussed.

Samuel Nafzger reviewed a variety of printed materials to detail the po-
sition of the LCMS relative to charismatic concerns: 1972 CTCR re-
port “Charismatic Movement and Lutheran Theology”, 1977 CTCR re-
port “The Lutheran Church and the Charismatic Movement”; 1979
LCMS convention Resolution 3-10A, “To Clarify the Synod’s Position
Regarding Charismatic Teaching”; and 1998 LCMS convention Reso-
lution 3-12, “To Work toward Renewing Discussion with RIM and to
Bring to Conclusion.” He noted that most discussions relative to this
subject have involved Renewal In Missouri, a charismatic movement

in the LCMS, which led to the “Revised ‘Concluding Affirmations and
Rejections” document of September 28, 2000.

At the conclusion of the meeting, ali participants affirmed that the
AALC and the LCMS share similar positions regarding church and min-
istry, lay ministry, and charismatic issues, neither group noting signifi-
cant differences in doctrine or practice.

8._St. Louis, March 7-8, 2006:

Charles Arand provided an oral presentation, “LCMS on Inter-Christian
Relationships,” also supplying copies of related CTCR studies. In his
presentation he again distinguished between “Coram Deo: Spiritual
Unity of the Church,” a gift and work of the Holy Spirit through the
Word and therefore a hidden unity of faith, and “Coram Mundo: Exter-
nal Unity of the Church,” a concordia expressed through altar and pul-
pit fellowship based upon agreement in confession of the Word.

Gregory Gerendas responded with “Relations with Other Christians,”
highlighting a section from “Declaration of Faith and Policy and Posi-
tion Statements of The American Association of Lutheran Churches,”
“Inter-Church Cooperation,” describing the AALC’s relationships with
L.C.U.S.A., other Lutheran denominations, the National Council of
Churches, the World Council of Churches, and Lutheran independent
ministries. He underscored that while its formal statements are limited,
the AALC has retained a strong stance on Holy Scripture and the
Lutheran Confessions and continues to affirm a position similar to the
familiar “Galesburg Rule” when relating to other Christians. While the
AALC allows for “the witness of others in our pulpits” on a less than
regular basis, it intentionally pursues cooperative opportunities other
than worship activities. Discussion following the presentation addressed
specific statements from the founding documents, the extent that AALC
congregations share pulpits (especially when vacancies exist), the
AALC’s declaration of fellowship with the Canadian Association of
Lutheran Churches, the AALC’s use of the terms “incarnational” and
“missional,” a letter of concern from an LCMS district president re-
garding local AALC communion practice, the ecclesiastical supervision
and discipline practices of both church bodies, and plans for providing
guidelines for AALC pastors to provide guidance regarding worship
services with other Christians.

To address the topic “AALC on Close(d) Communion,” Frank Hays
presented the paper “Responsible Administration of Communion,” un-
derscoring the position of the AALC that the words associated with the
Lord’s Supper in the Scriptures are to be received and confessed in their
plain, literal sense. The paper reviewed the primary teachings of the
Sacrament, including its proclamation of Christ’s death, its strengthen-
ing of personal faith, its proclamation of union in Christ and a common
confession, and its real presence of Christ’s body and blood. The paper
also underscored the proper administration of the Sacrament by the pas-
tor, referred to as “responsible communion.” Discussion followed re-
garding the use of grape juice, the use of leavened or unleavened bread,
the extent of agreement in sound doctrine that is required, and the ex-
amination through colloquy of all pastors entering ministry in the
AALC, which includes consideration of their understanding and prac-
tice of Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. It was also noted that the
AALC often refers to LCMS CTCR documents for authoritative refer-
ence.

Raymond Hartwig presented on the topic “LCMS on Close(d) Commu-
nion” by providing copies of three LCMS convention resolutions es-
tablishing the Synod’s position regarding communion practice: “To
Maintain Practice of Close Communion” (1986 Res. 3-08); ““To Reaf-
firm the Practice of Close[d] Communion” (1995 Res. 3-08); and “To
Reaffirm Our Practice of Admission to the Lord’s Supper” (1998 Res.
3-05), calling attention to the paragraphs most descriptive of the
Synod’s official practice. Discussion followed regarding the use of the
Synod’s convention-adopted communion card statement, background
and use of the terms “close” and “closed,” the distinction between
“worthily” and confessional agreement, differences in local practice of
close(d) communion in the LCMS, plans to address the need for con-
sistency in communion practice in the AALC, the importance of uni-
form practice versus terminology, allowances for pastoral care, and the
importance of instruction regarding the proper reception of the Sacra-
ment.

William Diekelman presented orally on the topic “LCMS on Piety vs.
Pietism,” speaking of how doctrine takes flesh, how our practice is what
we believe, and how it becomes the behavior and automatic reaction of
people within the church. He reviewed the process required for a con-
gregation to become a member congregation of the LCMS and spoke
of the LCMS as a voluntary and not lock-step association that provides
ecclesiastical supervision by its President, district presidents, and cir-
cuit counselors while respecting the right of self-governance of every
congregation. He spoke of the covenants of love that govern associa-
tion with the Synod and the latitude that exists in the life of the Synod
except when God’s Word speaks clearly, as demonstrated in the variety

2007 Convention Workbook