LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 88

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

88 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

2-138

To Regretfully Terminate Altar and Pulpit
Fellowship with American Lutheran Church

Wuereas, Nearly 4 years of altar and pulpit fellowship
with the American Lutheran Church has produced nothing
of the joy hoped for and predicted by those who spoke for
such fellowship before and during the 1969 synodical con-
vention in Denver; and

Wuereas, The net “gain” of the 1969 declaration of fellow-
ship with the ALC has been nothing but the virtually unani-
mous refusal of the ALC to reconsider or discuss their 1970
action which approved the ordination of women into the
pastoral ministry; and

Wuereas, Our Synod’s 1971 convention lovingly followed
the path laid out by our Lord in Luke 13:6-9 in respect to
fellowship with the ALC, but apparently to no avail; there-
fore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
:n convention assembled express its deepest regret that it
has now become necessary to terminate altar and pulpit
fellowship with the American Lutheran Church; and be it
further

Resolved, That the Synod instruct its President to make
an official announcement of the termination of such fellow-
ship before Sept. 1, 1973; and be it finally

Resolved, That the President of Synod be instructed to
request all congregations of The Lutheran Church — Mis-
souri Synod to pray that the doctrinal difficulties which have
troubled this fellowship between the two church bodies
should, by the mercies of Christ Jesus, be overcome, so that
it may still be possible to return to genuine and joyful fel-
lowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Ameri-
can Lutheran Church.

St. Paut LurHeran Cuurcu
Bremen, Ind.
Raymond Mueller, Pastor

2-139
To Suspend ALC Fellowship

Wuereas, The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod en-
tered into fellowship with the American Lutheran Church
at its Denver Convention in 1969 and continued this fellow-
ship at Milwaukee in 1971; and

Wuereas, This fellowship was declared on the basis of a
false understanding of Article VII of the Augsburg Confes-
sion; and

Wuereas, A proper understanding of this article would
have noted other (interpreting) sections of the Book of
Concord (Tappert, 174:31, 33—34; 616:31: 632:95), the Brief
Statement (28, 29), the Constitution of Synod (Art. VI 2) and
the Scriptures themselves (1 Cor. 1:10, Rom. 16:17, 2 Tim.
1:13. etc.) which require agreement “in doctrine and all its
articles” before fellowship is possible: and

Wuereas, The ALC in 1970 declared in favor of the ordi-
nation of women into the pastoral ministry; and

Wuereas, The 1971 convention of the LCMS (Res. 3:21,
Proceedings. p. 136) requested the ALC to reconsider and
not implement this resolution; and

Wuergas, The ALC in 1971 in convention assembled de-
clined to do this, with only one dissenting vote; and

Wuereas, The LCMS, following the clear voice of God's
Word. has reaffirmed its position (Res. 2: 04, 1971 Proceedings,
pp. 114—115) that the ordination of women is contrary to
Scripture; and

WuerEas. Differences between the ALC and the LCMS
continue to exist on several other matters, such as member-
ship in the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran
World Federation, the doctrine of the Word, and lodge mem-
bership; and

Wuereas. The ALC is taking steps to merge with the
Lutheran Church in America, thus involving us in fellow-
ship with that body; and

WuerEas, ALC fellowship has disrupted our own in-

ternal fellowship, leading some congregations and pastors
to leave Synod and contributing to the current tensions
within our Synod; and

Whereas, The Lutheran Confessors declared that they
had “no intention ... to yield anything of the eternal and
unchangeable truth of God for the sake of temporal peace,
tranquility, and outward harmony” (Tappert, 632:93); and

Wuereas, This fellowship has made our Synod a unionistic
body by its own definition (Brief Statement, 28: “We re-
pudiate unionism, that is, church fellowship with the ad-
herents of false doctrine, as disobedience to God’s com-
mand, as causing divisions in the church (Rom. 16:17; 2 John
9-10), as involving the constant danger of losing the Word
of God entirely (2 Tim. 2:17-21), thus involving the Synod
in an unscriptural and sinful practice; therefore be it

Resolved. That St.John’s Lutheran Church of Roselle,
I11., petition Synod to repeal Denver Resolution 3-15 and sus-
pend fellowship with the American Lutheran Church im-
mediately: and be it further

Resolved, That Synod, in the spirit of Gal.6:1ff., en-
courage the ALC to rescind its resolution on woman's ordina-
tion, withdraw from the WCC and the LWF., and restore
discipline on the doctrine of the Word and lodge practice
within its congregations and institutions of higher learning
so that a God-pleasing unity may be established on the

Gospel and all its articles. St. Joun'’s Lutueran Cuurcu

Roselle, Ill.
James Johnson, Secretary

2-140

To Rescind Our F ellowship with American
Lutheran Church

_Wuereas, The action at Denver in 1969 to join into fellow-
ship with the American Lutheran Church was based on trial
and mutual agreement and trust; and

Wuereas, LCMS and ALC have grown further apart in
doctrinal stance: and

WuerEas, The ALC has created agitation in the LCMS by
poor-taste press releases: and

Wuereas, There seems to be no real desire to work out
fellowship on the part of ALC; therefore be it

Resolved, That we rescind fellowship with the American
Lutheran Church,
St. MattHew Lutueran Cuyurcu
St. Louis, Mo.
Andrew T. Pickens, President
Herbert W. Schollmeyer, Secretary
William H. B. Fehl, Jr., Pastor

2-141

To Reaffirm Our Position on Ordination
of Women and to Break F ellowship
with ALC

Wuereas, Our synod has correctly interpreted the follow-
ing passages of Scripture on the place of women in the
church,

The women should keep silence in the churches, For they
are not permitted to speak. but should be subordinate, as even
the Law says {1 Cor. 14:34 RSV];

and

i permit not woman to teach or to have authority over men,
she is to keep silent {1 Tim. 2:12},

stating at the 1969 Denver convention that “women ought
not to hold the pastoral office” (Res. 2-17) and again at the
1971 Milwaukee convention that “the Word of God does not
permit women to hold the pastoral office” (Res. 2-04); and

WuereEas, Some in our Synod are still contending for
a false position similar to that held by the American Lu-
theran Church and the Lutheran Church in America, both
of which have already ordained several women to the pas-
toral office; and

Wuereas, Nothing can be plainer than the subsequent