Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1954, Page 96

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96 Proceedings of the Forty-Third Convention,

Wisconsin Tract 8, “Co-operation in Externals,” p.5, under the
paragraph heading “Inevitable Consequences,” speaks of the “Asso-
ciated Lutheran Welfare” in the State of Washington, made of |
Lutherans of all kinds with the single exception of Wisconsin
Synod congregations. As an inevitable consequence it adds: “Soon
‘retreats’ with spiritual programs in which the pastors of all synods
were to take part were arranged.”

Upon inquiry I am informed by the Executive Secretary of
Associated Lutheran Charities that there are no retreats of any
kind connected with that organization. About the time the Asso-
ciated Lutheran Charities was organized the now defunct “Lutheran
Council of Washington” was also organized. This council at one
time promoted one or two local meetings which were called retreats.
The Executive Secretary states that this Council was not a part
of Associated Charities, that the retreats were free conferences
with abundant doctrinal discussion. Be that as it may, both the
Council and those retreats are a thing of the past. They have been
discontinued, just as according to my informant the Wisconsin
Synod pastors in Tacoma once participated in the Lutheran Welfare
Society, an organization of the National Lutheran Council and
Wisconsin Synod churches. One of their pastors was a member of
the Mission Committee, which was partly responsible for the work
of the institutional missionary of that society. For obvious reasons
our Missouri Synod congregations did not participate in that
organization. It seems that the Wisconsin Synod congregations have
withdrawn from that organization since then. So both of these
incidents are in the past. The thing we want to emphasize is that
the Associated Lutheran Welfare is not responsible for either of
these incidents and did not foster retreats then, nor does it today.
So that particular charge of unionism should be dropped, too.

Lutheran Service Centers

Exception has been taken to our “Service Center” agreement
with the N. L. C., which in essence provides for one Lutheran Cen-
ter at any given place instead of two, the one center to be shared
by Missouri and N. Ll. C. Each is to respect the confessional position
of the other. The spiritual welfare work of each of its members
is done by their own pastor, Missouri men served by Missouri
pastors, N.L.C. men served by N.L.C. pastors.

Although there is no joint use of the means of grace and no
compromising of the confessional position of our Synod, yet one
writer of the Wisconsin Synod ends his attack on this agreement
with these questions: “What are the limits of coordination? And
if coordination is feasible with errorists bearing the Lutheran name,
why not with others?” We only ask: What is the difference
between this Lutheran Service Center agreement and the “real
external” listed in the Wisconsin Synod Tract 8, p.3 where a con-
gregation of the Wisconsin Synod and a congregation of the
American Lutheran Church could own a burial lot jointly and
share the responsibility for its upkeep? The Gospel will be used
by both groups on this cemetery, but not jointly. In all sincerity,
hadn’t we better strike the “Service Centers” off our list as a proof
for “persistent adherence to unionistic practices” on the part of the
Missouri Synod?