Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1975 · 51st Convention › Page 71
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 71

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

THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 71

Resolved. That the Synod announce as a goal of high priority
the pursuit of peace and harmony among all the members of the
Synod; and be it further

Resolved. That the Synod instruct the members of the Com-
mission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) and Ad-
visory Commission on Doctrine and Conciliation (ACDC) to
identify precisely the doctrinal questions which still need
resolution; and be it further

Resolved. That additional theological convocations be held
as necessary to work toward a God-pleasing consensus con-
sistent with Scriptural and Confessional commitment on the
doctrinal questions identified by the CTCR and ACDC: and be
it further

Resolved. That the papers and responses of such confer-
ences be supplied to all congregations. together with usable
study guides; and be it finally

Resolved. That the Synod recognize that reconciliation can
only be given by God, not men, and that we implore Him to
grant us His gift of peace and harmony through His Word.

St. John Lutheran Church
Seward, Nebr.
Paul Grabarkewitz, Chairman

3-27A

To Publish Certain Votes of District
President Meetings

WHEREAS, In a time of doctrinal controversy Christians have
a right to know where their leaders stand on controverted
issues; and

WHEREAS, District Presidents are called upon to vote on
issues from time to time in Council of Presidents meetings
which have doctrinal and confessional implications; and

WHEREAS, These District Presidents represent not only
themselves but also the pastors. congregations, and lay people
in their Districts; and

WHEREAS, Their votes on these controversial matters should
be open to inspection by those who elected them: and

WHEREAS, Christians should be glad to confess their faith
openly (1 Peter 3:15); and

WHEREAS, Members of the Senate and Congress of the
United States do not vote secretly but openly, with their voting
records published so that those who elect them may examine
their record for approval or disapproval; and

WHEREAS. Our District Presidents ought to be at least as open
as congressmen: therefore be it

Resolved. That the votes of District Presidents on issues of
doctrinal or controversial nature be published in The Lutheran
Witness following meetings of the Council of Presidents so that
members of the Districts of the Synod may have a basis by
which to judge the doctrinal stance of their chief officers.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
John Harden, Secretary
Curtis A. Peterson, Pastor

Identical or similar:
3-27B and 3-27C

St. Andrew, Rockton, I.
St. John’s, Kildare, Okla.

Lyle Baker
Theo. Knepper

3-28A

To Publish Minutes and Voting Record
of Council of Presidents Meetings

WHEREAS, Each District within the Synod elects its own
District President, and each District President is an elected
representative of each congregation within the District: and

WHEREAS, The Council of Presidents, being elected repre-
sentatives of the congregations within the Synod, are respon-
sible to these congregations: therefore be it

Resolved. That the minutes of each Council of Presidents
meeting. along with voting actions of the Council of Presidents.
be placed in the next monthly issue of The Lutheran Witness
after the Council of Presidents meeting.

Zion Lutheran Church
Ocheyedan, Iowa

Allen Schmidt. President
Dennis Bremer. Secretary

Identical or similar:

3-28B
Emmanuel. Kingfisher. Okla.

3-29

To Make Voting Record of Council of
Presidents Known to Synod's Members

WuHerEas. District presidents are elected by the people in
their Districts and thus represent not only themselves at the
Council of Presidents’ meetings but their Districts as well: and

WHEREAS. Their votes often reflect a confessional stance.
sometimes divergent from that of those who have elected them:
and

V.H. Mickow

WHEREAS. Their constituency has a right to know how they
are represented: and

WHEREAS. Those who are affected by their actions on the
Council of Presidents should be informed of their positions on
the issues: therefore be it

Resolved. That the Synod act to authorize printing in our
official publications the recorded votes of our District presi-
dents. so that those who have elected them might know whether
they have kept the trust granted them and that those whom
they help govern by their position on the Council of Presidents
might know whether they function according to the Constitu-
tion of the Synod and the clear Word of God.

Redeemer Lutheran Church
Warsaw. Ind.
Roger Bower, President

3-30

To Convene Church Council of Two
Assemblies to Bring About
Reconciliation
Introduction

The Missouri Synod has for years been the mother church of
young and old; families and individuals: men. women, and chil-
dren: Bible scholars and those who know only that Jesus is their
friend—people of God who witnessed their faith in words and
deeds.

Yet during 1973 and into 1974 these same people have
watched their Synod being torn apart by a controversy that
need not have developed. Many are now sure that a split is
inevitable. that our Missouri Synod is going to be broken like
a piece of glass that is dropped on the ground. Districts, circuits.
congregations, and even families may part with hard and bitter
feelings.

For this reason action should and must be taken by our
Synod in convention to bring about reconciliation.

WHEREAS. The members of our church hunger for reconcilia-
tion, even as they are called by the Holy Spirit to be reconciled
to one another: and

WHEREAS. The present instruments for communication and
instruction which were meant to effect such reconciliation are
not working: and

WHEREAS. Through past councils the church experienced the
gift of concord, giving us reason to hope for the same; therefore
be it

Resolved. That our Synod in convention instruct the Presi-
dent of the Synod to convene a Church Council of Theologians
and Laity: and be it further