Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1973 · 50th Convention › Page 96
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 96

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

NN: ISEC'SS— i Om T ZEEE Na

96 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

Wuereas, Scripture insists that fellow believers are broth-
ers and sisters in the body of Christ (John 13:34; 15:12;
Eph. 2:11-22; Ram. 12; 1 Cor. 12 ete.); therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod
approach and encourage joint study and discussions with
other Christian bodies with:

1) Much prayer

2) Ina spirit of Christian love

3) With confidence and in good conscience

4) Ina spirit of joy and thanksgiving

9) With a spirit of patience

6) Respect for the integrity of others; and be it further,

Resolved, That our synodical President take the lead in
such an_ undertaking by proclaiming his willingness to
powerfully enact this type of evangelistic, brotherly “inter-
leavening” of the lump,

FaitH LuTHEeRaAN CHURCH
Inglewood, Calif.
Herbert Hohenstein, Pastor

2-170

To Interpret Article VI 2 b Re Worship
Fellowship

Whereas, Opportunities for witness and worship and fel-
lowship with believers in Christ of other denominations in
religious civic and community services and celebrations are
increasing in the more ecumenical climate of Christendom;
and

Wuerras, It is becoming increasingly clear that the Bible
passages traditionally used in our circles to forbid prayer
and worship fellowship with other Christians cannot with
scholarly integrity be applied to believers in Christ of other
denominations; therefore be it

Resolved, That Synod in convention assembled in New
Orleans in 1973 declare that Article VI, Section 2, para-
graph b does not apply to participation with other churches
in community services such as baccalaureate, Thanksgiving,
historic anniversaries, national or state or local holidays, and
the like.

St. Jonn’s LurHeran Cyurcy
La Grange, IIl.

Elroy Schmitt, President
Roberta Burke, Secretary
Theo. Gerken, Pastor
Donald Miller, Pastor

2-171

To Stress “Publica Doctrina”’ in Future
Fellowship Efforts

Wuereas, There is a constant desire expressed in our
Synod by individuals to have fellowship with all Lutherans;
and

Wuereas, This unity is to be based on the “Scriptures and
the Confessions”: and

Wuereas, There is much lip service to the Scriptures and
the Confessions current in some Lutheran circles; and

WHEREAS, The Theology of Fellowship states, Part Two,
C, 2c, “. . . that subscription to the Confessions must be
supplemented by corresponding public teaching (publica
doctrina) in pulpit, instruction room, seminary, and in the
church’s publications . . . ;’ therefore be it

Resolved, That in any future efforts at establishing fellow-
ship with Lutheran bodies this guiding principle be followed
and not disregarded because of the present day emotionalism
for ecumenicity.

Grace LurHeran CuurcH
Bakersfield, Calif,

L. W. Faulstick, Pastor

Cc. F, Billingsley, Secretary

2-172

To Abolish Unconfessional Fellowship
Practice in Our Mission Fields

Wuereas, Latitude has been granted to The Lutheran
Church — Missouri Synod missionaries to participate in
preaching, teaching, and other unionistic practices with
churches not in fellowship with us (see Convention Work-
book, 1971, p. 109, Res. 109; see also memorial 1-108 in reso-
lution to the Denver convention, 1969, as well as the denial
of this memorial in the convention Proceedings of that year);
and

WHEREAS, Such unionistic practices are contrary to the
stated Confessions of our church, Formula of Concord, Ar-
ticle XII; also 1943 edition of Catechism authorized by The
Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod, page 137, question 186,
D. substantiated by Scripture, especially Rom. 16:17; and

Wuereas, Such practices destroy the initiative of mission
giving on the part of those congregations and individuals
which desire to adhere to our Synod’s stated avoidance of
unionism in keeping with the Holy Scripture; therefore be it

Resolved, That the convention be asked to instruct the
Board of Missions to phase out all such unwarranted prac-
tices of fellowship in our domestic and foreign mission fields.

Sr. Paut LurHeran Cuurcy
Rochelle, Ill.

Mark Junge, Secretary
Theodore A. Weiss, Pastor

2-173

To Repent of Sin of Unionism

Wuereas, The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod has
entered into fellowship with the ALC without first arriving
at doctrinal agreement; and

Whereas, The LCMS has joined LCUSA in spite of the
fact that this involves us in unionistic endeavors: and

Wuereas, The Synod’s youth boards (both District and
synodical) have promoted and continue to promote partici-
pation in pan-Lutheran youth rallies; and

Wuereas, Synodical involvement in the “Key 73” move-
ment has at least accidentally been the occasion for numer-
ous examples of joint church work and religious fellowship,
without prior doctrinal agreement, on an unprecedented
scale; and

WHEREAS, Synod has permitted some of its sister churches
and mission personnel to join the LWF or to cooperate
with it: and

Wuerras, The pan-Lutheran missionary training and
“seconding” procedures on our foreign mission fields clearly
involve unionism by the definition of the Brief Statement,
paragraphs 28 and 29; and

Whereas, Other examples of unionistic joint services and
united church work with Lutherans with whom we are not
in fellowship could be mentioned in the chaplaincy, the
campus ministry, and in local parishes, but which are too
numerous for this resolution: and

WuereEas, The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod has
several times reaffirmed, and has never repudiated the Brief
Statement paragraph on Church Fellowship, which says in
part, “All Christians are required by God to discriminate
between orthodox and heterodox church-bodies, Matt. 7:15,
to have church fellowship only with orthodox church-bodies,
and in case they have strayed into heterodox church-bodies,
to leave them, Rom. 16:17.” The paragraph goes on to as-
sert that “We repudiate unionism, that is, church-fellowship
with the adherents of false doctrine, as disobedience to
God’s command, as causing divisions in the Church, Rom.
16:17: 2 John 9, 10, and as involving the constant danger
of losing the Word of God entirely, 2 Tim. 2:17-21." There-
fore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod,
in convention assembled, repent of these sins of unionism
and call upon the entire Synod to do likewise, for the above