Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1954, Page 99

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Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America, 1954 99

Lutheran One-Day Seminars, 1953

One of our Wisconsin Synod brethren made an issue of these
seminars in his paper delivered in January, 1954. These conferences
were started by the A.L.C. conference and were officially spon-
sored by it. The U.L.C. and other Lutheran groups have partici-
pated, and a number of clergymen from our Synod have taken part.
Our Synod as such has never officially joined in these seminars.
Its position was that we favor free conferences for discussion of
doctrine in the manner already explained. Through our College
of Presidents as early as April, 1948, the following guidelines were
offered, indicating principles and policies for the A. L. C. Seminars:
“Our pastors who believe they should when requested serve as
speakers on A. L. C. Seminar programs, can rightfully be expected:

To make this invitation an opportunity firmly and in love to
witness to the Scriptural truths held and confessed by them jointly
with their brethren in Synod; particularly also those truths con-
cerning which there is controversy in the Lutheran Church to-
day; and

On their part to avoid everything that would create the im-
pression that differences in doctrine and practice no longer exist
between Synod and National Lutheran Council church groups or
that these differences that do exist can be a matter of indifference
to us.”

To my knowledge no pastor in the Synodical Conference has
ever protested that these guidelines are not Scripturally correct.
Speakers at these seminars have been reminded of these principles
and policies regularly, and none have said that they would not
abide by them. I have attended some of these seminars, and I have
come away with the conviction that they are contributing little
to the solution of the fellowship question between Lutherans in
America, because they too often avoided coming to grips with that
question on the basis of the Word of Him who is the Head of
the church.

The second charge mentioned by our Wisconsin Synod brethren
as an example of “persistent adherence to unionistic practice” is

Communion Agreement with National Lutheran Council (2)

Tract 8, “Co-operation in Externals,” published by the Wis-
consin Synod, says on p. 5 under the paragraph heading “Inevitable
Consequences”: “Joint operation of service centers and close asso-
ciation in chaplaincy programs created a favorable climate for a
‘Communion Agreement’ between Missouri Synod and the National
Lutheran Council, according to which Lutheran service men and
women of both groups could under ‘exceptional’ conditions receive
Communion at each others’ altars.” Let me just make a few
points here:

1. Point 4 of the Agreement covenants that all shall “respect
the confessional position” of our church and the National Lutheran
Council. That doesn’t sound like unionism, does it?

2. Point 6 sets up the “rule” that the “normal procedure shall
be that members of each group attend the Communion services
of the representatives of that particular group.” This is a recog-
nition we have been contending for. It is now official. No unionism
there, but an agreement that our men and women in the Armed