LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 142

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5. THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
Rev. Joseph Ochola Omolo, Archbishop of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Kenya.
WHEREAS, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in South
Sudan and Sudan (ELCSS/S) was established in 1993 as a
confessional Lutheran Church with significant assistance
from the LHF, a recognized service organization; and
WHEREAS, Despite the challenges of civil war and great
turmoil, the Holy Spirit enabled the ELCSS/S to evangelize
effectively in South Sudan and Sudan, beginning some 150
congregations with over 150,000 members, establishing a
seminary and training school, ordaining 60 pastors, and
preparing over 100 evangelists and other church workers—all
in less than a decade under the leadership of the Rev. Andrew
Mbugo Elisa; and
WHEREAS, Despite the untimely death of Bishop Elisa,
internal dissension, and other challenges, the ELCSS/S
weathered another decade of difficulties and emerged with a
continuing firm commitment to the theology and practice of
scriptural and confessional Lutheranism; and
WHEREAS, Throughout the history of the ELCSS/S, the
LCMS in its various entities has continued to support, enable,
and encourage the ELCSS/S to be and remain committed to
theology and practice that is faithful to the Word of God and
the Lutheran Confessions; and
WHEREAS, The ELCSS/S accepts all the canonical books of
the sacred Scriptures of the Old and of the New Testaments as
the inerrant, revealed Word of God; and
WHEREAS, The ELCSS/S accepts the symbolic books of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church, compiled in the Book of
Concord of 1580, as a correct exposition of the sacred
Scriptures; and
WHEREAS, On October 25, 2018, Bishop Peter Anibati Abia,
on behalf of the ELCSS/S, renewed a long-standing request for
the LCMS to recognize fellowship between our churches; and
WHEREAS, Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2 (c) says, “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 [CTCR], such
recognition may be declared by the President of the Synod
subject to the endorsement of the subsequent Synod
convention”; and
WHEREAS, The CTCR has examined the pertinent
documents of the ELCSS/S and found them to be faithful to
Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions; and
WHEREAS, President Matthew C. Harrison declared the
recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship between our two
church bodies in a letter to Bishop Abia on Aug. 28, 2022; and
WHEREAS, The fellowship between our church bodies was
publicly announced and celebrated in a joint service held on
Sept. 18, 2022, in Kisumu, Kenya; therefore be it

142 | PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2023 (68TH) LCMS CONVENTION

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 violence, civil
war, significant cultural and ecclesial challenges, God, by His
grace, has equipped and prepared the ELCSS/S to give a
faithful, confessional Lutheran witness in South Sudan and
Sudan; and be it further
Resolved, That we give thanks to God that doctrinal
discussions between official representatives of the LCMS and
the ELCSS/S have resulted in recognition of complete concord
and agreement; and be it further
Resolved, That this convention endorse the President of
the Synod’s declaration of altar and pulpit fellowship between
the LCMS and the ELCSS/S; and be it further
Resolved, That we encourage and walk with the ELCSS/S
as they proclaim the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ in East
Africa; and be it further
Resolved, That we pray for God’s blessings in the coming
years on our agreement in the confession of the Gospel that we
enjoy as partner churches, and for the blessing of the Lord
upon the members and leaders of the ELCSS/S; and be it finally
Resolved, That in thanksgiving for this partnership in the
Gospel, the convention assembly celebrate its approval by
rising and singing the common doxology.
Action: Adopted (2)

A delegate having requested that the vote be taken by the
convention’s saying, “yea, yea, it shall be so,” the resolution was
so adopted, unanimously, and the common doxology was sung.
The Rev. Peter Anibati Abia addressed the assembly, with his
remarks included in Today’s Business 3.

To Recognize Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with
the Evangelical Lutheran
Mission Diocese of Finland
RESOLUTION 5-02
Report R12 (CW, 57–58); Overture 5-01 (CW, 283–84)
Preamble
The Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland
(ELMDF;
in
Finnish, Suomen
evankelisluterilainen
lähetyshiippakunta) was born from within the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF), which is the national
church of Finland. Unlike the ELCF, however, the ELMDF is
unreservedly committed to maintaining and upholding the
orthodox Lutheran faith and practice that had prevailed in
Finland since the sixteenth-century Reformation.
Over time, the ELCF experienced decreasing theological
fidelity, accepting the results of historical critical views of
Holy Scripture, unbiblical practices such as the ordination of
women to the ministry, and an unwillingness to adhere fully
Resolutions