LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 84

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84 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

Resolved, That any future fellowship be declared only on
full doctrinal agreement according to the literal Word of
God as declared by the Confessions and A Brief Statement.

TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH
Slayton, Minn.

Milton Schroeder, Chairman
G. Pundt, Pastor

Similar:
2-126B

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Houston, Tex., C. B. Tomek,
President; Elmo E. Miertschin, Pastor.

2-127

To Suspend Denver Fellowship Resolution

Wuereas, It is the experience and conviction of many
pastors and congregations that there are many serious dif-
ferences in doctrine (e.g., the inerrant Word, Creation, the
invisible church, etc.) and in practice (e.g., lodgism, ecu-
menism, close Communion) between pastors and congrega-
tions of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod and those
of the American Lutheran Church; and

WuereaS, Research and surveys by non-Lutherans as
well as Lutherans have repeatedly and consistently demon-
strated much weaker Biblical convictions and _ practices
among ALC pastors than among those of the LCMS, for
example:

“What Do Pastors Believe?" — Milwaukee Journal, Feb-

ruary, March, April, 1966
‘Divided They Merge” — Christianity Today, Oct. 13, 1967
“Ecumenism’s Roots” — Lutheran Layman, Sept. 1967
“Protest Paradox” — Jeffrey K. Hadden, 1967
“Will Ethics Be the Death of Christianity?” — Glock and
Stark Research, 1967

“Iowa Lutheran Ecumenism” — Wm. P. Thalacker, ALC
Pastor, 1967

“The Lutheran Ethic” — Dr. Lawrence Kersten, 1969;

and

“WHEREAS, Fellowship with the ALC has drawn us into
communion with a weaker Lutheran body, which fellow-
ship has watered down the confessional steadfastness, Bib-
lical loyalty, and spiritual strength of the LCMS:; and

WHEREAS, The ALC has offered the left hand of fellow-
ship to the ultra-liberal LCA only months after the right
hand of fellowship was offered to the LCMS, the acceptance
of which has obviously involved the LCMS in pan-Lutheran
fellowship to which we must take the strongest possible ex-
ception according to 1 Cor.1:10 and Rom. 16:17; and

Wuereas. The ALC (as well as the LCA) has formally
approved the ordination of women to the ministry, thereby
laying aside the clear teachings of God's Word in this
matter in 1 Cor.11; 14: and 1 Tim. 2, thereby vitiating in yet
another way the unwarranted LCMS-ALC fellowship, and

Wuereas, The ALC is a member of the Lutheran World
Federation and the World Council of Churches (with the
prospect of identification with the National Council of
Churches not far removed), and fellowship with the ALC
directly and with the LCA through the ALC does recreate a
fellowship of sorts with the LWF, the WCC, and the NCC,
with which the LCMS has officially and repeatedly declined
to identify itself as recently as 1971; and

WHEREAS, Many pastors and congregations have found
themselves in conscience bound to withdraw from the LCMS
or are practicing selective fellowship and selective stew-
ardship now that altar and pulpit fellowship between the
two synods has been declared; therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
suspend the pulpit and altar fellowship agreement with the
American Lutheran Church until essential Scriptural unity
of confession and practice between the two synods has been
established.

Messiau Ev. LUTHERAN CHURCH
Sterling, I].

Harold Nelson. Secretary
Eldor Mueller, Pastor

2-128
To Suspend Fellowship with ALC

Wuereas, The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod in
convention at Denver 1969, adopted Res. 3-15, declaring itself
to be in Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with the American Lu-
theran Church: and

Wuereas, This fellowship has been extremely divisive
among the membership of Synod because it was declared in
spite of many protests and memorials which gave evidence
of the fact that there was not in actual fact a basis for
doctrinal fellowship; and

Wuereas, There is no true unity of doctrine and practice
between the two synods today after 4 years of fellowship;
and

Whereas, The fellowship issue continues to seriously
polarize and fragment the membership of the LCMS; and

WHEREAS, Synod and its members find themselves in fel-
lowship which many cannot in good conscience accept for
Scriptural reasons while being questioned by those who do
practice fellowship: and

WHEREAS, Synod and its members, by virtue of fellowship
with the ALC, which in turn is in fellowship with the LCA
and holds membership in the LWF and the WCC, find them-
selves indirectly in fellowship with synods and religious
groups which foster doctrines and practices of even greater
variance than does the ALC: and

Wuereas, The more liberal practices and doctrinal teach-
ings of the ALC have had an influence on the teachings
and practices of many in Synod, thus bringing into question
the historical Lutheran and confessional interpretation of
many Scriptural teachings: and

Wuereas, The ALC ordains women to the pastoral office
in spite of the fact that the Word of God forbids the ordina-
tion of women: and

Wuereas, The ALC has by its official convention action
refused to consider the request of our Synod to reconsider
its practice of ordaining women to the ministry, thus giv-
ing evidence of its disregard for our Synod's doctrinal posi-
tion: therefore be it

Resolved, That Triumphant King Lutheran Church, Lake
Oswego, Oreg., petition The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod to suspend fellowship with the American Lutheran
Church until the time when there is a basic unity of doc-
trine and practice and it has been determined without ques-
tion that the American Lutheran Church has adopted a
Scriptural and Lutheran position on the Scriptures, fellow-
ship and unionism, ordination of women, abortion, and other
basic doctrinal standards.

TRIUMPHANT KING LUTHERAN CHURCH
Lake Oswego, Oreg.

Paul Z. Meranda. Chairman

Marvin Wagner, Secretary

2-129A
To Suspend Fellowship with ALC

Wuereas, In our Lutheran Confessions consensus in doc-
trine and concord in the church means a unanimous consen-
sus and concord (Intro. to Book of Concord, T., p. 3, Rule
Norm SD); and

WHEREAS, Only a bare majority at the Denver convention
of our Synod believed that there was such consensus with
the American Lutheran Church; and

Wuereas, The congregations of our Synod are also in-
volved in the recognition of such consensus, but were in no
way consulted prior to the declaration of fellowship (con-
cord) with the ALC; and

Wuereas, The recognition of consensus by representatives
of a Synod or by a bare majority of delegates to a Synod
cannot in itself be recognized as a true consensus accord-
ing to catholic and Lutheran principles; and

WuHerREAS, Those differences in doctrine which made a true
consensus with the ALC impossible have not been resolved