LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 75

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THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 75

WHEREAS, The resulting controversy, including uncharitable
attacks on many individuals, has caused serious offense both
within and without the church; and

WHEREAS, Both sides represent God-fearing Christian people
who love their Savior and claim adherence to the Scriptures and
Confessions and sincerely believe they are right: and

WHEREAS, This controversy has distorted our witness to a
dying world and has kept us from fulfilling in greater measure
our glorious work of making disciples of all nations; and

WHEREAS, Many on either side who are disturbed hesitate
to sever their relations with our church for fear of being schis-
matic; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention assembled approve
a peaceful division of our church body; and be it further

Resolved, That each congregation express itself by ballot
on its confessional stand, declaring itself on the theology es-
poused by the President of our Synod in A Statement of Scrip-
tural and Confessional Principles. whether it considers this as
truly Scriptural and Lutheran or “un-Scriptural’” and ‘“‘un-
Lutheran”; and be it further

Resolved. That the properties and assets of our church body
be divided according to the result of the vote; and be it further

Resolved. That the balloting be accomplished within 6 months
of the final day of this convention and that the division of the
Synod be accomplished within 1 year of the same; and be it
further

Resolved. That the implementation of the division and other
attendant matters be handled by five representatives selected
by each side, in consultation with the Synod’s Board of Directors
and its legal counsel; and be it further

Resolved. That a legal structure be established that would
continue uninterrupted the Concordia Pension and Welfare
benefits for the constituents of both groups; and be it finally

Resolved. That the name The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod be retained by that group representing the majority of
the church body.

Messiah Ev. Lutheran Church
Sterling, III.

Harold Nelson, Secretary
Eldor Mueller, Pastor

3-42A

To Divide into Two Synods

WHEREAS, The Synod was memorialized by a number of
congregations prior to the 1973 convention (Overtures 4-12 to
4-16) to set up a structure whereby the Synod, Districts, and
individual congregations could in an amicable and loving way
acknowledge the theological differences that do exist in the
Synod and make a mockery of the very meaning of the word
“synod” —a “walking together”; and

WHEREAS, Since the New Orleans convention this ‘split’
has been clearly delineated by the forming of a “synod within
the Synod,” identified as an organization known as “ELIM”; and

WHEREAS, The observation of our President, Dr. J. A. O.
Preus, in his ‘‘Report to the Church —Jan. 1975,” that ‘the pro-
test movements within our Synod have now been heard” (p. 10,
par. 5) is not only true, but polarization and identification have
occurred, and individuals and congregations know where they
stand in relationship to these issues; and

WHEREAS. These positions have been taken as a matter of
conviction and conscience by sincere believers on both sides —
and a compromise of conviction and conscience is, as Father
Luther himself said, ‘neither safe nor right”; and

WHEREAS, It is highly improbable that this serious split in
the Synod will be resolved by the proposed ‘‘Convocation” to
be held April 14—18, but that this will further serve to demon-
strate the divergence of theologicai thought in the Synod; and

WHEREAS, There are also innumerable persons and congre-
gations in other Lutheran communions who are desirous of
finding an end to their own search for a truly Scripturally sound
and confessionally conservative Lutheran Synod with whom
they might enter into fellowship and thus be done with the

struggle against the incursion of neo-liberal theology within
their own church; therefore be it

Resolved. That The Lutheran Church ~ Missouri Synod meet-
ing in convention at Anaheim, Calif., in this year of our Lord
1975 take the needful steps toward forming a new Scripturally
sound and confessionally conservative Lutheran Synod by
following in general the steps outlined in Overture 4-15 to the
convention in New Orleans in 1973 toward the dissolution of The
Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod and the formation of two
new Synods, neither of which would be privileged to use the
name “Missouri Synod.”

One of the ‘new synods” would consist of those who choose
to follow the new theology embraced by the so-called ‘faculty
majority’ and supposedly espoused by the group identified as
“ELIM.”

The other ‘new synod” would consist of those who desire
to adhere to the theology of ‘told Missouri” as this has been
summarized in the synodically approved A Statement of Scrip-
tural and Confessional Principles. where all those who seek a
Scripturally sound and confessionally conservative Lutheran
Church might find fellowship and freedom to be about the work
of the Lord without dissipating their time and energy any
further in endless theological squabbling.

The paragraphs of 1973 Overtures 4-15 and 4-12 we think
would be helpful in implementing the above are as follows:

Resolved. That the convention of the LCMS establish a legal
committee made up of the current Board of Directors of the Synod
and its legal counsel with the power to oversee the property and
assets of the Synod and to make all legal decisions necessary for the
division of said property and assets. as well as the implementation
of the division of Synod itself; and be it further

Resolved. That this legal committee conduct a referendum of the
congregations of their confessional stands, so that they might declare
themselves publicly on the theology espoused in the synodically
approved A Statement of Scriptural and Confessional Principles or
whether they consider it to be un-Scriptural and un-Lutheran: and
be it further

Resolved. That the legal committee call two constituting conven-
tions for the purpose of establishing two new synods within one year
of the final day of this convention and attended respectively by one
lay delegate and one pastoral delegate from each eight congrega-
tions depending on their vote in the referendum:

Also, New Orleans Overture 4-12, Resolve 3:
Resolved. That the real property and tangible assets of the Synod
and its Districts, and where necessary. of individual congregations,
be equitably distributed on the basis of communicant membership
involved in such division, and this division to be effected by synodical
and District boards of adjudication appointed by the Synod’s praesid-
ium to obviate any and all appeal to civil courts. All communicant
members shall have one year from the time of this convention to file
claims for their proportionate assets to be transferred to a Lutheran
synod of their choice:
and be it further

Resolved. That all boards, faculties, and officers of the in-
stitutions, Districts, and missions of the Synod retain their
offices under the direction of the legal committee until the con-
stituting conventions of the new synods are completed; and be
it further

Resolved. That a legal structure be established which would
continue uninterrupted the Concordia Pension and Welfare
benefits for the constituents of both new Synods.

Mt. Greenwood Lutheran Church

Chicago, Ill.

Carl Uminger, Chairman

Ruth Peterson, Secretary

John F. Bollmann, Pastor
Identical or similar:

3-42B

Our Savior, Pinole, Calif. Conrad Coyner

3-43
To Provide for Amicable Division of
Synod

PREAMBLE. The sole and sufficient confessional standard
of The Lutheran Church -— Missouri Synod is stated in Article II