LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 157

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To Affirm and Encourage Work
of the International Lutheran Council

Whereas, The ILC is the primary forum for interchurch relations among The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and
her partners; and

RESOLUTION 5-07

Whereas, The LCMS, in obedience to God’s Word and the
Lutheran Confessions, desires to engage other confessional
Lutheran church bodies around the world as an equal partner; and

Report R1.3 (CW, p. 52)
Preamble
The International Lutheran Council (ILC) is a worldwide association of established confessional Lutheran church bodies that
proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the basis of an unconditional
commitment to the Holy Scriptures as the inspired and infallible
Word of God and to the Lutheran Confessions contained in the
Book of Concord as the true and faithful exposition of the Word
of God.
The origins of the ILC can be traced to a meeting of leaders of
confessional Lutheran churches in Uelzen, Germany, in July 1952.
A second meeting was held in 1959 in Oakland, California, to discuss the topic “The Fellowship between Our Churches.” This was
followed in 1963 by a third meeting in Cambridge, England, where
the name “International Lutheran Theological Conference” was
chosen for these informal international gatherings. During the
next three decades, eleven more informal gatherings of the heads
of confessional Lutheran churches took place. The ILC as a council
of church bodies officially came into existence in 1993 in Antigua,
Guatemala, with the adoption of a constitution by representatives
from Lutheran church bodies from all six continents.
Serving as officers of the ILC are a chairman, a vice-chairman,
and a secretary. An executive committee made up of the officers
and one representative from each of its five world areas (Africa,
Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America) is responsible
for implementing the objectives of the ILC. An executive secretary,
working under the general supervision of the executive committee, is responsible for implementing the objectives of the ILC (see
http://ilc-online.org/about-us/). Member church bodies contribute, on an annual basis, financial support (based on their baptized
membership and the GNP of the country in which it exists) for the
costs of operating the ILC. The council has 35 participating church
bodies. Meetings of the ILC take place on the basis of a three-year
cycle—in year one, regional meetings take place; in year two, the
entire council meets in conference; and in year three, a conference
of representatives from each of the ILC seminaries is held.
The ILC is proving to be a popular refuge for confessional
Lutheran churches worldwide that seek to maintain their biblical
and confessional identity, teaching, and practice within the context of a global Lutheran community that has few such forums. In
addition to its existing 35 members, more than twenty additional
church bodies have emerged in the last few years to express an interest in ILC membership.
Whereas, The majority of growing Lutheran churches are
found in the “Global South” (e.g., Ethiopia and Madagascar), and
the era of ethnocentric and paternalistic missions having passed,
the ILC provides great opportunity for mutual encouragement for
the sake of the Gospel; and

“5. Theology and Church Relations”

Whereas, The ILC is a growing forum for the equal participation of Lutheran partners around the world; and
Whereas, God’s Word would have us “be united in the same
mind and the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10); and
Whereas, “Unity should be nourished by mutual offices” (Ap
V 3); therefore be it
Resolved, That the LCMS give thanks for the many blessings
that the ILC is bringing to the confessional Lutheran world for the
sake of the Gospel and urge the members of the LCMS to support
the ILC with their prayers; and be it further
Resolved, That we urge all organs of the Synod, especially the
Office of the President and the Commission on Theology and
Church Relations, to continue and increase their support of the
ILC; and be it finally
Resolved, That we give thanks to God for the anticipated additional growth in the membership of the ILC and urge the Synod
and its entities to extend all possible aid and support in order to
facilitate the ongoing development of the ILC to meet the opportunities presented by its growing membership for the sake of the
Gospel throughout the world.
Action: Adopted (3)
(Without discussion, Res. 5-07 was adopted by a standing vote.)

To Commend and Encourage Informal
Conversations with Wisconsin Evangelical
Lutheran Synod and
Evangelical Lutheran Synod
RESOLUTION 5-08
Report R11 (CW, pp. 66–73)
Whereas, The first objective of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod (LCMS), under Scripture and the Lutheran
Confessions, is to “conserve and promote the unity of the true
faith (Eph. 4:3–6; 1 Cor. 1:10), work through its official structure
toward fellowship with other Christian church bodies, and provide a united defense against schism, sectarianism (Rom. 16:17),
and heresy”; and
Whereas, Beginning in 2012, LCMS leaders have met yearly
with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) and the
Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) to discuss such topics as the doctrine of church and ministry, the doctrine of church fellowship, and
hermeneutics (biblical interpretation); and
U P O N T H I S R O C K • Resolutions

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