LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 163

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

4. THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
4-01

To Endorse Altar and Pulpit Fellowship
with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liberia
Preamble
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liberia (ELCL) was begun
by mission efforts of the LCMS, with the first missionaries entering
Liberia in 1978. Though these initial efforts were disrupted by the
Liberian civil war in the late I980s and through the 1990s, mission
efforts were continued by LCMS missionaries with Liberian refugees
who had relocated to Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, and Sierra Leone. These
refugees returned after the conflict deescalated. Other Liberian individuals established LCMS ties through Orphan Grain Train, Lutheran
Bible Translators, and LCMS congregations that gave assistance to
Liberian refugees in the United States.
Although there have been no LCMS missionaries living in Liberia
for the last fifteen years or so, there are now 137 congregations with
over six thousand baptized and confirmed members and twelve
Lutheran schools. These congregations came together in May 2009
to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liberia (ELCL) as a
result of a merger of four semi-independent Lutheran groups. The
ELCL is led by Rev. President/Bishop Amos Bolay, who graduated
from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, in 2004 with a master of theology degree. Its current ordained personnel, consisting of thirteen
pastors, have received their training at LCMS partner seminaries in
Nigeria and South Africa.
In October of 2011, President/Bishop Bolay traveled to St. Louis
to attend the LCMS International Disaster Conference and to request
formal discussions toward the goal of formalizing altar and pulpit fellowship with the LCMS. In December of 2011, the LCMS responded
by sending Drs. Albert Collver, David Erber, Joel Lehenbauer, and
Michael Rodewald to Liberia for church fellowship discussions
with Bishop Bolay and the ELCL’s executive committee and church
council. The ELCL representatives pointed out that they have seen
themselves as an LCMS mission church despite the disruption in
relationships caused by the Liberian civil war and strongly desired to
formalize their relationship with the LCMS. President Bolay emphasized the strong commitment of the ELCL to be and remain faithful
to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions in doctrine and practice,
and stated their desire for assistance in preparing orthodox Lutheran
pastors to strengthen their witness.
Whereas, The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liberia (ELCL)
traces its origin to the efforts of LCMS missionaries; and
Whereas, Despite the turmoil of a civil war, the ELCL has been
established as a strong, growing Lutheran church; and
Whereas, The ELCL seeks in every way to be and remain a scripturally faithful, confessional Lutheran church body; and
Whereas, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, in obedience
to God’s Word and the Lutheran Confessions, endeavors to seek out
other Lutheran churches that believe, teach, and confess the same
true faith; and
Whereas, The LCMS already enjoys church fellowship with
many other Lutheran churches throughout the world; and
Whereas, The ELCL was established as an independent Lutheran
church in 2009; and
Whereas, The ELCL formally requested church fellowship discussions with the LCMS; and
Whereas, Representatives of the LCMS conducted a formal visit
to the ELCL in 2011, finding that there is full agreement in doctrine
163

and practice between the LCMS and the ELCL and that no obstacles
to altar and pulpit fellowship exist; and
Whereas, At its 2010 convention, the Synod adopted Res. 3-04A
“To Amend Bylaw 3.9.6.2.2 re Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with
Small, Formative, or Emerging Confessional Churches,” which recognizes that in certain cases a streamlined approach to altar and pulpit
fellowship with such emerging churches would be beneficial; and
Whereas, The 2010 Handbook (Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2[c]) now provides that “When a small, formative, emerging confessional Lutheran
church body (identified as such by the President of the Synod as
chief ecumenical officer) requests recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship with the Synod, after consultation with the Praesidium and
approval by the commission, such recognition may be declared by
the President of the Synod subject to the endorsement of the subsequent Synod convention”; and
Whereas, At its April 2012 meeting, on the basis of a report
from Drs. Collver and Lehenbauer, the CTCR formally recommended
church fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Liberia
(ELCL) to the Synod President; and
Whereas, President Harrison declared fellowship that same
month after consultation with the Praesidium; and
Whereas, Appropriate protocol documents guiding interactions
between the LCMS and ELCL have been developed; therefore be it
Resolved, That we acknowledge with gratitude the unity of confession that has been given to our churches under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit; and be it further
Resolved, That we give thanks that despite political turmoil, war,
and economic deprivation, God, by His grace, has equipped and
prepared the members of the ELCL to give a faithful, confessional
Lutheran witness in Liberia; and be it further
Resolved, That we give thanks to God that doctrinal discussions
between official representatives of the LCMS and the ELCL have
revealed that complete agreement exists between our two churches
in doctrine and practice; and be it further
Resolved, That this convention endorse the Synod President’s
declaration of altar and pulpit fellowship between The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of
Liberia; and be it further
Resolved, That we pray for God’s blessings in the coming years
on this agreement in the confession of the Gospel that we enjoy as
partner churches; and be it finally
Resolved, That in celebration and thanksgiving of this partnership
in the Gospel, the convention assembly signify its approval by rising
and singing the Doxology.
Commission on Theology and Church Relations
4-02

To Endorse Altar and Pulpit Fellowship
with the Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church
Preamble
Before the Russian Revolution of 1917, there were millions of
Lutherans in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltics, and other territories that
would eventually comprise the Soviet Union. Some have estimated
that there were 1.2 million Lutherans within Russia and Siberia
proper, and another 2–3 million in the other territories. Yet, by 1937,
every Lutheran congregation had been liquidated and their pastors
arrested, exiled, or executed. The Communists were quite effective
in nearly destroying Lutheranism in Russian lands.
2013 Convention Workbook