LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — November 11–13, 2011, Page 19

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

Second, the Constitution and Bylaws’ use of the word “fellowship” (and other words such as “common,”
“unity,” “association,” “walk together” and “agree” that are synonymous with or define and describe
“fellowship”) is helpful to the self-understanding of the fellowship with one another in the Synod:
•

2010 Constitution, Article III 1: “Conserve and promote the unity [i.e., ‘oneness’; cf. unus (‘one’), unites
(‘one, common’)] 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” [emphasis added; amended in 1979, effective 1980].

•

1847 Constitution: “The preservation and furthering of the unity [Einheit (‘oneness’)] of pure confession
(Eph. 4: 3–6; 1 Cor. 1:10) and to provide common [gemeinsame (‘common, held jointly, mutual’)] defense
against separatism and sectarianism (Rom. 16:17).”

•

1854 Constitution: “The conservation and promotion of the unity [Einheit (‘oneness’)] of the pure
confession (Eph. 4: 3–6; 1 Cor. 1:10) and the common [gemeinsame (‘common, held jointly, mutual’)]
defense against schism and sectarianism (Rom. 16:17).”

•

2010 Handbook: “…confessional unity” (Article III 6); “…common profession of faith” (Article III 7);
“…common confession and mission, congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod join with
one another in the Synod to support one another and to work together in carrying out their commonly
adopted objectives…in association with other member congregations through the Synod…” (Bylaw 1.1.1);
“Synod…Refers collectively to the association of self-governing Lutheran congregations…” (Bylaw 1.2.1
[v]); “… the bond of Christian fellowship” (Bylaw 4.4.4 [e]); “…to strengthen the spirit of unity among
circuit congregations to effect mission and ministry and shall seek to strengthen and support the spirit of
fellowship…” (Bylaw 5.2.3.1[b]); “…network of congregations that ‘walks together’…” (Bylaw 5.1.1)
[emphasis added].

Third, resolutions of the Synod provide the Synod’s self-understanding of “fellowship.” The 1965
convention of the Synod adopted Theology of Fellowship as a Synod document for reference and
guidance (Res. 2-13). It therefore serves the Synod’s understanding of “fellowship” or koinonia. The
following excerpts from this Synod-adopted document prove helpful:
Being in fellowship with the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church entitled the layman to participate in the
sacraments; it enabled one cleric to officiate in the parish of another, with proper permission. But above all
things, church fellowship was altar fellowship. This understanding is still preserved centuries later by the
prince of Lutheran dogmaticians, John Gerhard, when he says in his Loci:
“So there is a threefold koinonia (fellowship) laid down by the apostle: (1) the sacramental participation in
Christ’s body and blood, which takes place by way of the bread and wine that has been blessed, 1 Cor. 10:16;
(2) the spiritual apprehension of the entire Christ and all His benefits, which takes place by true faith, 1 Cor.
11:26; (3) the fellowship of the church as a body (communio corporis ecclesiae), 1 Cor. 10:17: ‘We many are
one bread, one body, for we all partake of the one bread.’ The first fellowship (koinonia) is the foundation of
the others, because the spiritual participation in Christ and His benefits is confirmed and sealed in the believers
through the sacramental fellowship (koinonia). The fellowship of the church as a body can, for the sake of
teaching, be designated as twofold: namely, as external and as internal; the external fellowship exists among all
who embrace the same doctrine and make use of the same sacraments; the internal fellowship exists among
those only who truly believe, who have the Spirit of Christ. The external fellowship of the church as a body
arises from the sacramental fellowship (koinonia); the internal, however, arises from the spiritual fellowship
(koinonia)” (Volume V, Locus XXI, Cap. XI, ed. Preuss, p. 98).

The 1981 convention of the Synod commended The Nature and Implications of the Concept of
Fellowship study of the CTCR along with its previously adopted Theology of Fellowship to the members
213