LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 66

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66 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

3-05
Report of LCMS Representatives to
ALC—LCMS Commission on Fellowship

Following the declaration of pulpit and altar fellowship by
The American Lutheran Church and The Lutheran Church —
Missouri Synod, representatives of the two church bodies have
met numerous times each year since 1969 to “assist the church
bodies in the proper understanding and practice of fellowship.”
Known as the ALC_LCMS Commission on Fellowship, this
group has met during the past biennium at the following times
and places: Sept. 12, 1973, Chicago, Ill.: Jan. 2-3, 1974, St. Louis,
Mo.: April 3~—4, 1974, Minneapolis, Minn.: Noy. 25, 1974,
St. Louis, Mo.; June 11, 1975, St. Louis, Mo. The LCMS rep-
resentatives on the commission are President J. A. O. Preus,
Dr. Ralph Bohlmann, Dr. Theodore Nickel, President Karl
L. Barth, Dean Roland Hopmann, and Prof. Richard Warneck.
President Barth was appointed to replace Dr. Richard Schultz.
Dean Hopmann replaces Dr. Harry W. Krieger, who was called
to his eternal home in spring 1974.

The ALC commissioners were both interested and concerned
over internal matters in the Missouri Synod since the New
Orleans convention. The LCMS members of the commission
responded by sharing information and meeting concerns in an
evangelical spirit. In turn our commission members voiced
sensitivities over public ALC overtures of support for those
in the LCMS whose theological stance had come under scrutiny
at the last synodical convention. This was true of public state-
ments originating from seminary faculties of The American
Lutheran Church. The LCMS commissioners also responded to
the open letter addressed to The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod by Dr. David Preus on March 29, 1974. Appreciative of
Dr. Preus's concern over the present controversy in the Missouri
Synod, the LCMS commissioners responded to apprehension
on the part of the ALC that A Statement had become a new
confessional standard for Missouri. The LCMS commissioners
assured their ALC counterparts that neither A Statement nor
any other doctrinal resolutions or statements had been elevated
to the status of new confessions: such statements are rather
the Synod’s way of directing the theology of the Scriptures and
the Lutheran Confessions to particular issues of the day.

Primarily concerned with the theological issues which con-
tinued to surface in commission meetings, concentrated atten-
tion was focused on the following: the ordination of women to
the pastoral ministry, the authority of Scripture, the basis of
fellowship, and the meaning of subscription to the Lutheran
Confessions. Exploring these issues, the commission heard and
discussed the following papers: Dr. Duane Priebe of the ALC
delivered two papers, “Biblical Interpretation — The Historical-
Critical Method and the Method of the Lutheran Confessions,”
and ‘“‘Some Observations on Unity in the New Testament with
Special Reference to the Question of Diversity and of Inter-
pretive Method”: Dr. Robert Preus of the LCMS delivered a
paper, “The Hermeneutics of the Lutheran Confessions and the
Historical-Critical Method”: Dr. William Lazareth of the Lu-
theran Church in America presented ‘A Report on the ‘Theo-
logical Affirmations’ Study of the LCA.” The latter Paper was
received as a way of keeping informed about theological matters
in the LCA.

Meetings of the commission were candid but always cordial.
All members of the commission are grateful to God for the
brotherly spirit that has marked the meetings of this past
biennium. We prayerfully wait upon the Holy Spirit to lead us
to resolve our differences, so that we can enjoy deeper ties of
fellowship between our two church bodies.

Richard H. Warneck, Secretary
3-06

Report of Board of Doctrinal Review

The Board of Doctrinal Review meets at the call of the
President of the Synod. There was no necessity for such a
meeting during the past 2 years.

Regarding Resolution 2-21, presented at New Orleans to the
Board of Directors under the omnibus referral resolution, it
would undoubtedly be a prudent procedure to ask the doc-
trinal committee at Anaheim to consider Resolution 2-21.

Richard Klann, Chairman

UNITY

3-11

To Seek God's Forgiveness in Christ

WHEREAS. Lutheran laymen are demanding “that a way be
found to harmonize the differences that exist in the Synod."
crying: “It is their [the laymen’s] church, not the church of
bickering theologians . . . who will not yield to the harmonizing
of their differences": and

WHEREAS. Both sides in this controversy have apparently
contributed to the present unrest in the Synod: therefore be it

Resolved. That the Florida-Georgia District in every possible
way give witness to the entire Synod that all of us, lay and
clergy alike, need to be at the throne of grace seeking God's
forgiveness, for Jesus’ sake. for what we personally have con-
tributed to the division in the church and pleading for the
reconciling guidance of His Holy Spirit. who alone calls into exis-
tence and sustains His one holy Christian church.

Florida-Georgia District
Theodore W. Eisold. Secretary

3-12A

To Declare the Synod in a State of
Penitence

WHEREAS. The conflict surrounding Concordia Seminary.
St. Louis, and the conflict surrounding our synodical Mission
board and staff have deeply hurt our Lord Jesus Christ: and

WHEREAS, We are members of His body and when we fail to
love one another and instead hurt one another we thereby hurt
Jesus Christ Himself: and

WHEREAS, All of us no matter where we stand theologically
still at times follow our sinful nature: thus we have a way of
letting ourselves be deceived into believing, “We are always
right and they are always wrong", and thus in the name of
“being right” even in the name of Jesus Christ we seek to hurt
and at times destroy fellow members of His body: therefore be it

Resolved. That we declare our Synod to be in a state of peni-
tence for the harm we have brought to the body and the mission
of Jesus Christ in our world: and be it further

Resolved. That we ask the President of our Synod to declare
a Sunday in the near future to be a Synodwide day of prayer
and penitence for the harm we have done to Jesus Christ by our
conduct as a Synod.

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
Belton. Tex.

Charles E. Baird, President
Dorothy M. Baird. Secretary
Larry Heimsoth, Pastor

Identical or similar:

3-12B

St. Paul's, Grover, Mo. Richard Bolin

3-13

To Resort to Humiliation, Prayer.
and Fasting

WHEREAS. We do have problems on issues and with per-
sonalities: and

WHEREAS. There is much-needed healing only where there
is personal confession and forgiveness: and

WHEREAS, All human solutions have failed or fallen short of
total solution: and

WHEREAS, We all sense the urgency to get on with the real
mission of the church: and

WHEREAS. Only the Holy Spirit can bring about true unity
as fellow Christians and unity in mission: therefore be it