LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 93

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3. THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

To Seek Unity
RESOLUTION 3-01

Report 3-01 (CW, p. 46 ff.); Overtures 3-11—3-26,
3-30—3-31K, 3-34—3-38I, 3-40—3-44, 3-49A—E,
3-132, 3-165, 3-251 (CW, pp. 66—78, 102, 112, 139)

Wuereas, There is a hunger and longing for peace
and unity among all members of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod; and

Wuereas, The Scriptures call upon us to be of one
faith “eager to maintain the’ unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3-5); and

Wuereas, One of the Synod’s stated objectives is “the
conservation and promotion of the unity of the true faith
and a united defense against schism and sectarianism”
(Handbook, Constitution, Art. III, 1); and

Wuereas, The mission of the church can be pursued
with added joy and effectiveness when members of the
Synod share a sense of unity and purpose; and

Wuereas, This unity must not be superficial, but
rather a concord, and that “the primary requirement for
basic and permanent concord within the church is a
summary formula and pattern, unanimously approved,
in which the summarized doctrine commonly confessed
by the churches of the pure Christian religion is drawn
together out of the Word of God” (F.C., S.D., Summary
Formulation, 1); and

Wuereas, The confessions also instruct us that “In
order to preserve the pure doctrine and to maintain a
thorough, lasting, and God-pleasing concord within the
church, it is essential not only to present the true and
wholesome doctrine correctly, but also to accuse the
adversaries who teach otherwise (1 Tim. 3:9; Titus 1:9; 2
Tim. 2:24; 3:16)” (F.C., S.D., Summary Formulation, 14);
and

Wuereas, In carrying out these directives we must
always remember St. Paul’s instructions to the Colos-
sians when he told them- to act in love, be willing to
forgive one another, be patient, and to let the Word of
Christ dwell in them richly (Col. 3:12-16); and

WuHeERrEAS, Concord can come only as we study God’s
Word and pray under the guidance of the Holy Spirit;
therefore be it

Resolved, That we recognize that we are all sinners in
the eyes of God, and therefore as sinners should evaluate
our own lives to see whether we have in some way
contributed to the problems that beset our Synod, that as
sinners we should bow humbly and in true repentance
before our God, asking for His forgiveness and then be
willing to forgive one another as Christ has taught us to
do; and be it further

Resolved, That we call upon the members of the
Synod honestly and forthrightly to express points of
disagreement and openly confront differences and that
this be done among ourselves rather than before the eyes

of the world where it can be only an offense (1 Cor. 6:1-
6); and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod resist efforts to cause divi-
sion, but instead pray that the Holy Spirit, through the
power of the Word, bring about concord; and be it further

Resolved, That we call upon all members of the Synod
to walk together in wholehearted support of the objec-
tives of the Synod and its worldwide mission of proclaim-
ing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; and be it further

Resolved, That in the interest of furthering concord
the Synod undertake the following:

1. That we encourage the President of the Synod to
convene either regional conferences or a national confer-
ence of circuit counselors and circuit lay representatives
within the next biennium for the purpose of discussing
both theology and the mission of the church, and that in
so doing he take into consideration the recommendations
of the planning committee of the Theological Convoca-
tion;

2. That the Commission on Theology and Church
Relations be encouraged to continue to carry out its
responsibilities as outlined in the synodical Handbook,
Bylaw 2.109, b, 1, ee, namely, that of “fostering and
providing for ongoing theological education through in-
stitutes, seminars, and other means,” and that the Board
of Directors be encouraged to authorize the expenditures
of the necessary funds;

3. That the CTCR shall coordinate the preparation of
a series of Bible class studies, taking into account such
materials as those presented and discussed at the Theo-
logical Convocation of April 14—18, 1975; and be it
finally

Resolved, That we implore the blessing of Almighty
God upon our efforts to achieve true and lasting peace
and concord.