Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1954, Page 13

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Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America, 1954 13

a call to all Lutheran synods acknowledging the Augsburg Con-
fession to participate in organizing a new body “on a truly Lu-
theran basis,” hopes for a victory of conservative Lutheranism rose
to new heights. Said President Buenger in his presidential address
to the Western District of the Missouri Synod in 1867: “What
a blessed movement has been inaugurated in just recent days
within the Lutheran Church at almost all places and in almost all
synods, again to rally around the one and true confession as the
true standard of the Lutheran Church. Indeed, ‘this is the Lord’s
doing, it is marvelous in our eyes.”

When the doctrinal platform, and particularly the practice of
the new organization known as the General Council, proved dis-
appointing to some who had joined it and to others who could not
join, it was but natural that they who advocated a pure Lu-
theranism both in doctrine and in practice would gravitate toward
one another, find themselves as brethren, and unite for the purpose
of encouraging and strengthening one another in faith and con-
fession, of furthering unity of doctrine and practice, and of remov-
ing whatever might threaten to disturb this unity.

Indeed, this union was not of man, but of God. Wrote Walther
some six months before the official organization: “It was not
a question of first establishing unity, much less a matter of bringing
about a semblance of unity by various forced resolutions, but rather
a public declaration of the unity already existing. Joyfully those
present realized that it was not the ingenuity of man, not church
politics, but true unity of faith and confession that united them,
that the inner unity might manifest itself through the bond of peace.
Up to now the opponents ‘of loyalty to the Lutheran Confession in
doctrine and practice seemed to be justified in their sneering con~
tention that such loyalty could cause only divisions, but God, who
demands nothing more of His stewards than that they be found
faithful, has helped up to the present, that everybody must
acknowledge that loyalty toward the holy Word of God does not
separate, but in reality unites. In no wise do we cover up the fact
that in the various synods favoring the Synodical Conference some
weaknesses may still be found which are a threat to true unity,
nevertheless, by the grace of God, all these synods are on the right
path, striving toward the one right goal, just as little ashamed to
confess their shortcomings as they are to acknowledge the goal they
should strive to attain.”

Fourscore and two years have passed since the Synodical Con-
ference was organized. Not all charter members are still within
our fellowship. Some have severed their relations with us, others
have merged with existing synods. In the meantime other synods
associated themselves with us. It has been a wholesome federation.
‘Who can measure the contributions by this group toward con-
fessional Lutheranism in America and in the world? Eternity alone
will show the blessings of mutual reproof, exhortation, and encour-
agement given and received during the past years. Heaven alone
will reveal the host of blood-bought souls won through our efforts.
Thousands upon thousands of our brethren of a darker color in
the United States and in Africa will rise on Judgment Day and
point to the Synodical Conference as the agency which by the grace
of God brought to them the knowledge of salvation in Jesus.

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