LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1979, Page 70

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70 PRESIDENT’S REPORT

New Lutheran Churches

I should report that during the past biennium two
new Lutheran churches have come into being, the
Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Lat-
vian Evangelical Lutheran Church. Since a small num-
ber of our congregations have asked to be released from
our membership in order to join these church bodies,
which are basically ethnic in character, I believe we
ought to wish these people Godspeed and to establish as
close a relationship with the new church bodies as
possible. I hope that in the case of the congregations
which have left us in order to join these groups, we will
continue to welcome their pastors to our conferences,
since many of these pastors were members of our
church, and to give them the kind of support and help
which we can give to groups who have suffered so much
through being driven out of their home countries, living
as refugees, losing everything they had, seeing their
countries taken over by the Russians, and enduring so
many problems. These people deserve our love and our
friendship. Especially at the grassroots level, dialog
and discussions ought to take place with them.

Other Interchurch Activities

Ialso had the pleasure of attending a meeting of the
International Lutheran Conference, meeting with the
partner-church presidents in Papua New Guinea, in
August of 1978. The meeting was positive and helpful.

I am happy to report that the action of the Dallas
convention, in establishing fellowship with the Selb-
staendige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Ger-
many, was personally reported by me to these brethren
in October of 1978, when I had occasion to visit with
representatives of all of the churches in Europe affil-
iated with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. I
believe the brethren are most appreciative of this action,
and I must report that relations between our respective
churches are very good.

I also had occasion to journey into East Germany
(the DDR), where the churches have not yet united into
one body, but I was also very pleased to report to these
brethren, living and working under such difficult cir-
cumstances, that Missouri loves them and has not
forgotten them. The meetings were very faith-
strengthening, and I came away with new appreciations
for the difficulties under which they work and with new
appreciation for their faith and their conviction.

During the past biennium the Hong Kong Mission
became The Lutheran Church—Hong Kong Synod, a
partner church. This was carried out in consultation
with the Board for Missions and the Board of Directors,
and I’m happy to report that virtually all of the diffi-
culties which had existed in Hong Kong over such a
long period have now been satisfactorily settled.

Support of Study of Fellowship

Finally I ask the support of every delegate, every
District, pastor, and congregation for the forthcoming
program of the Commission on Theology and Church
Relations (which will begin this fall) dealing with the

study of church fellowship. This grows out of our
relationship with The American Lutheran Church but
is much broader. We really need to look at this subject,
study the Scriptures, the Confessions, and the history of
our Synod, and then ask some very hard questions. We
need the input of every pastor and congregation. We
need to look at the world in which we live today and try
to determine how we as an orthodox and confessional
church relate to other churches. We need to determine at
every level what kind of a church, doctrinally and
theologically speaking, we shall be as we move into the
’80s and beyond. The questions are not simple. Neither
are the answers.

Problems

We have some problems and they deserve attention.
We have a continuing problem with some 70—80 uncert-
ified Seminex graduates who are serving in congre-
gations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, but
again, our District Presidents are dealing with the
matter, as they are with a very small number of dual-
membership congregations. Little by little an
increasing number of Seminex students are enrolling in
the colloquy program. I believe that patience and
evangelical treatment will ultimately solve this problem
and the congregational problem also.

One of the perhaps unnoticed casualties of the
controversy has been a gradual and almost impercep-
tible downgrading of the pastoral office in our Synod. I
believe that now is the time to speak out on this matter
and to say that, as President of the Synod, I support
every one of our pastors in carrying out his ministry
wherever he may be. Many of our men are suffering
from lack of understanding and respect on the part of
either their own people or others, and a constant
harassment of some of them has been undertaken.

I would earnestly urge all of our lay people to deal
with their pastors and with synodical and District
officials in love and in compassion. Some very tragic
stories could be told of events in the past several years
where ministries have been destroyed, where pastors
have been improperly dealt with. We have procedures,
we have District Presidents and Circuit Counselors,
and we have the Scriptural admonitions for dealing
with problems between pastor and people. Let us use the
procedures which God and the Synod have given us and
not resort to unkindness, to public vilification, and to
actions which ill befit Christian people. God has estab-
lished the office of the ministry in order that Christ’s
people may be properly nurtured in faith, and this office
is to be held in honor and high repute. I hope that the
respect for the pastor can return to its former high state.

This is not to say that this is a general problem, but it
is of sufficient importance to make it necessary for me to
make these remarks. I hope that out of the controversy
can come a better understanding between pastor and
people as to their respective roles in the church in the
light of the fact that all of us are forgiven through the
blood of Christ and all of us are given His commission to
be His witnesses.

I could also add a few words regarding our hard-

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