LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 39

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

3. THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
(Internal and External)

3-01

Report of Commission on Theology
and Church Relations

Until January 1974 the officers of the commission were
Dr. Theodore Nickel, chairman: Dr. Henry Eggold. vice-chair-
man: Rev. Norbert H. Mueller. secretary. Because Dr. Nickel's
and Rev. Mueller’s terms of service had expired, the commis-
sion in January 1974 elected Rev. Karl Barth as chairman and
Mr. Richard Korthals as secretary.

The commission divided itself into three study committees:
I—Church Relations: II—Biblical and Theological Studies:
II—Church and Society. The chairmen of these committees
were respectively Rev. Roland Hopmann, Rev. Harry Huth.
and Dr. Howard Tepker: the secretaries were Dr. Erwin
Sagehorn, Mr. Philip Tanger, and Mr. Lyle Saeger.

The officers of the commission and the chairmen of its three
committees served as the executive committee. Dr. J. A. O.
Preus and Dr. Ralph Bohlmann were members ev officio as was
Rev. Samuel! Nafzger after his appointment as Assistant Execu-
tive Secretary in December 1973.

Until May 1974 Dr. Ralph Bohlmann continued to serve the
commission as its Executive Secretary while on a extended
leave of absence from the faculty of Concordia Seminary.
St. Louis. At that time the commission granted him a leave of
absence to become the acting president of Concordia Seminary.
St. Louis. Since May 1974 Rev. Nafzger has borne with great
distinction all the staff work of the commission. From time to
time Rev. Harry Huth served as staff assistant.

The present membership of the commission, in addition to
the officers and committeemen named above, is: pastors — Paul
Bretscher, Lloyd Goetz, Paul Jacobs, H. Armin Moellering:
professors—John Johnson, Erich Kiehl, Robert Preus, Wilbert
Rosin: laymen—John Gergely, Joseph Schradie. Clarence
Stuckwisch, Norman Troyke. (Two positions remain vacant.)

During the past biennium changes in the membership of
the commission occurred several times. The term of Mr. John
Jass expired in July 1973. In November 1973 Drs. Richard
Bardolph, Fred Kramer, and Theodore Nickel. all of whom had
served faithfully for 11 years, left the commission. The term
of Dr. Frede Mortensen expired at the end of 1973. Dr. H. Armin
Moellering and Mr. Philip Tanger joined the commission in July
1973; Rev. Karl Barth, Dr. John Gergely, Dr. Lloyd Goetz.
Dr. Paul Jacobs, Dr. John Johnson, Dr. Robert Preus, and
Dr. Joseph Schradie joined the commission in January 1974:
Dr. Wilbert Rosin joined in September 1974. The representation
of the faculty of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. changed several
times in the past 2 years. In the 2-year period covered by this
report the commission met in 10 plenary sessions averaging 3
days each. There were also several sessions of its various
committees.

Throughout the 13 years of its existence the commission has
provided study documents, statements, and opinions on a num-
ber of significant theological issues. It has also been the Synod's
primary agency for carrying out its ecumenical responsibilities
with other Christians. This report will note the commission's
activities during the biennium in its two major areas of respon-
sibility: theology and church relations.

1. THEOLOGY
A. Reports Produced and Published
Guiding Principles

Because concern was expressed that by adopting A State-
ment of Scriptural and Confessional Principles the Synod had
thereby elevated it to the status of a confession and that it would
now be used as a standard of orthodoxy in addition to the Holy
Scriptures and the Lutheran Symbols, the commission in
November 1973 prepared and distributed a report titled “Guid-
ing Principles for the Use of A Statement of Scriptural and

39

Confessional Principles with Special Reference to the Expres-
sion of Dissent.” (For the text of this report see the Appendix
of this Workbook.) The commission recommends:

1. That the Sunod commend the report titled “Guiding Prin-
ciples” to its members for reference and cuidance.

The Mission of the Christian Church in the World

In 1965 at its convention in Detroit the LCMS adopted the
Mission Affirmations. At several subsequent conventions memo-
rials were received that expressed concerns about improper
interpretation of the Mission Affirmations and about ambiguities
in several of its statements. The Milwaukee convention (1971)
referred Resolution 2-23. which sought to clarify certain parts
of the Mission Affirmations. to the Board of Directors for study
and report to the next convention. Acting for the Board of
Directors, the President of the Synod requested the CTCR to
make a thorough study of the Mission Affirmations with a two-
fold objective: (1) to clarify parts that appeared to be ambiguous:
(2) to supplement the document where needed in view of recent
developments in Christendom pertaining to the understanding
of the mission of the church. The CTCR undertook this assign-
ment and in September 1974 adopted a report bearing the title
“The Mission of the Christian Church in the World.” (For the
text of this report see the Appendix of this Workbook.) The
commission recommends:

2. That the Synod commend the report titled “The Mission of
the Christian Church in the World” to its members for study and
guidance.

Report on Dissent

Bylaw 1.09 e of the Handbook provides that dissent from
synodically adopted doctrinal resolutions “is to be expressed
first within the fellowship of peers, then brought to the atten-
tion of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations
before finding expression as an overture to the convention
calling for revision or recision.”’ In accordance with this provi-
sion the commission received over 575 communications of dis-
sent, chiefly pertaining to the adoption of “A Statement of
Scriptural and Confessional Principles’ by Resolution 3-01 of
the New Orleans convention in 1973. The commission noted and
evaluated dissent of a theological nature and in September 1974
adopted a ‘Report on Dissent.’ which has been distributed to
all pastors, teachers, and congregations of the Synod. Copies of
this report were also sent to lay people who had filed communi-
cations of dissent with the commission. (For the text of this
report see the Appendix of this Workbook.) The commission
recommends:

3. That the Synod commend the document titled “Report on

Dissent” to its members for study and guidance.

4. That the Synod carefully consider the four recommenda-
tions that the CTCR offers in its “Report on Dissent” in the
interest of clarifying certain points in “A Statement of Scrip-

tural and Confessional Principles.”
A Lutheran Stance Toward Ecumenism

As early as May 1972 the President of the Synod in his report
to the CTCR stressed the need for guidelines relative to the
Synod's ecumenical involvements. In May 1973 the President
again reminded the commission that there is no more critical
area in the church today than that of interchurch and intra-
church relations, and he urged the commission to give high
priority to the preparation of a document on the stance of The
Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod on ecumenism. Once more
in September 1973 the President emphasized the importance
of producing a study that would set forth basic Lutheran prin-
ciples for the Synod’s participation in ecumenical endeavors.

In response to these requests of the President the appro-
priate study committee of the CTCR began its work on this proj-
ect in May 1972. The document has been in various stages of
preparation from that time until November 1974, when it was
finally completed and adopted by the commission. The study