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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 335

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

FLOOR COMMITTEES: REPORT AND OVERTURE ASSIGNMENTS

5. Theology and Church Relations
REPORTS
R1–R1.1, R10, R12, R62–R62.13
OVERTURES
Ov. 5-01

To Recognize Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with
Evangelical Lutheran Christian Church of Bolivia
Preamble
Iglesia Cristiana Evangelica Luterana, the Evangelical Lutheran
Christian Church (ICEL) has its roots in the work of the Norwegian
Lutheran Mission (NLM) that began in the 1970’s, primarily in
rural, Quechua-speaking areas of southern Bolivia. NLM built an
infrastructure for its missionaries and mission work in Bolivia,
including a retreat center and office in Cochabamba and a training
center and radio station in Sucre. Internal migration from the rural
areas to the large cities spurred development of congregations in
several of the major cities. The congregations affiliated with NLM
formed an independent church body (ICEL) in 1997. Its first
president was a layman, Mario Delgado.
Mr. Delgado received the first visit of the Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod (LCMS) from then area secretary Rev. Douglas
Rutt. Rev. Rutt connected ICEL with the Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Brazil (IELB) which invited a delegation of ICEL to visit
a conference on mission in Brazil in 2000 in São Paulo. This
represented ICEL’s first contact with a confessional Lutheran
church body in Latin America, and eventually led to IELB President
Carlos Winterle signing an agreement of altar and pulpit fellowship
with the ICEL in 2002. At this time, ICEL also began participating
as an observer in regional meetings of the International Lutheran
Council (ILC). There was also contact with and support from
LCMS sister churches in Chile and Argentina.
NLM had established a training school in Sucre, Bolivia called
CLET Centro Luterano de Estudios Teológicos, Lutheran Center of
Theological Studies (CLET) as well as a more advanced seminary
in Arequipa, Peru called Seminario Teológico Luterano
Latinoamericano, Latin American Lutheran Theological Seminary
(SETELA). When the NLM closed the program at CLET (for
financial reasons), ICEL began to seek other possibilities for
theological education of future pastors. While ICEL remains
thankful for the mission endeavors of NLM in Bolivia, ICEL no
longer has a formal relationship with NLM.
The LCMS Office of International Mission (OIM) began working
indirectly with ICEL in 2012 when 20 scholarships were awarded
to Seminario Concordia of Buenos Aires, Argentina for the purpose
of forming pastors for the Argentine Evangelical Lutheran Church
(IELA), partner churches and others—including four Bolivian
pastors. At the same time, Luther Academy began to offer two
courses a year in Bolivia, taught by professors such as Rev. Cristian
Rautenberg and Rev. Omar Kinas of Chile and Rev. Mark Braden
of the LCMS. When Concordia El Reformador Seminary (CMSCR)
opened in 2017 in Santiago, Dominican Republic, three Bolivian
students transferred to that institution. Presidents of ICEL have
regularly attended all annual CMSCR symposia.

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In September 2018, a delegation of OIM pastors attended the
ordination of Rev. Osmel Soliz, one of the first Bolivian graduates
of the seminary scholarship program. The liturgy followed the
historic ordo and the ordination rite included a quia subscription to
the Lutheran Confessions. The delegation, including Rev. Ted
Krey, Rev. Dr. Arthur Just, and Rev. James Sharp, also engaged in
informal discussions with members of the ministerium and the
national council of ICEL about issues such as the Sacraments, the
office of the Holy Ministry, and worship. In 2019, Bolivia was
included as one of the countries under Rev. Sharp’s responsibility
in order to facilitate continued communication between ICEL and
OIM.
In May 2020, ICEL presented a document on the office of the Holy
Ministry signed by the entire Bolivian ministerium to Rev. Krey and
Rev. Joel Fritsche. This document affirmed the scriptural and
confessional doctrine of the pastoral office and represented ICEL’s
firm commitment to move away from its pietistic theological roots.
CMSCR began monthly zoom lectures with ICEL leaders/pastors
which included Scriptural and confessional teaching on the office
of the Holy Ministry and other topics. At a 2021 meeting of the ILC
in Mexico City, the ICEL asked the IELB to ordain the (previously
un-ordained) ministerium of ICEL, since the two church bodies had
already been in altar and pulpit fellowship since 2002. As part of
their ordination oaths, each ICEL pastor confessed the Old and New
Testament Scriptures to be the inspired and inerrant Word of God,
the only rule for all faith and life, and a quia subscription to the
Lutheran Confessions as a true and faithful exposition of the Holy
Scripture.
LCMS observers, including the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Shaw, LCMS
Director of Church Relations, were present for this and related
events. During the first-ever LCMS FORO with ICEL held March
23–24, 2022, in Sucre, Rev. Dr. Shaw presented copies of Luther’s
Small Catechism in Quechua, a first for ICEL. During and after the
March 25–26, 2022, ICEL National Convention, Rev. Dr. Shaw met
with the Rev. Limberth Fernández, ICEL President, and the ICEL
Executive Committee for ICEL-LCMS exploratory fellowship
discussions, which included discussion of the basis for church
fellowship, i.e., agreement in the Gospel in all its articles founded
on the authority of Holy Scripture and the testimony of the Lutheran
Confessions. In June 2022, President Fernández wrote to President
Matthew Harrison requesting formal fellowship discussions with
the LCMS.
A Bolivia dialogue team was appointed by President Harrison
consisting of LCMS representatives Rev. Dr. Shaw, Rev. Dr. Joel
Lehenbauer, Rev. Mark Braden, Rev. Michael Frese, and Rev.
James Sharp. The first round of official fellowship talks with ICEL
was held in St. Louis in April 2023, followed by an initial
familiarization overview and discussion with the CTCR on April
13. A second round of official fellowship discussions was held in
Cochabamba, Bolivia, in April 2024. These dialogues exhibited a
remarkable unity in doctrine and practice. By this time, the ICEL
Constitution and Religious Canon had been revised to reflect a
confessional Lutheran understanding of church and ministry, a
commitment to the entirety of the Book of Concord as a true and
faithful exposition of the Holy Scripture, and clear processes for
ICEL to walk and work together as a church body in witness,
service, and fellowship.
A third round of official fellowship discussions took place in
February 2025, with President Fernández meeting with the CTCR

2026 Convention Workbook