LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1979, Page 192

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192 LATE REPORTS AND OVERTURES

News Bureau

In 1977, 67 news services incorporating a total of 280
stories and in 1978, 55 services with 264 stories were
prepared and distributed to more than 500 newspapers,
magazines, and other communication outlets. Added to
the services last year were short items in a section called
“More,” plus commentaries on pertinent topics. Sum-
maries of the stories were sent out semimonthly pri-
marily to Lutheran leaders, and a growing number were
adapted for the electronic media.

Press and broadcast assistance was provided for the
1977 convention of the LCMS and the 1978 conventions
of the AELC, LCA, and ALC.

Early this year facsimile equipment was installed in
the News Bureau in New York City and the LCMS and
ALC communication offices in St. Louis and Minne
apolis, respectively. This makes possible the trans-
mission of the text of stories via the telephone. The hope
is to add the LCA and AELC to the network.

Publications

A book-sized volume, Mandate for Mission, was
among the many brochures, reports, directories, and
posters edited, designed, and printed during the past
two years. It contains addresses on mission in the U.S.
given at a September 1977 conference of mission spe-
cialists and national and regional leaders of the LCMS,
ALC, and LCA. A folder containing the report on a
major council study, “The Function of Doctrine and
Theology in Light of the Unity of the Church,” was
prepared for mailing to all LCMS pastors.

The newest addition to the council’s newsletter
“family,” SPC, received a grand award for “overall
excellence, appropriate design, typography, photo-
graphic quality and printing quality” at the annual
conference of the Newsletter Association of America in
May 1978. Thisis the fourth such award won by council
newsletters since 1974.

George F. Harkins, General Secretary

Ap. 3-01B
Section A, 3
(Addendum)
Addendum to
Report of LCMS Representatives
on the LCMS-ALC Fellowship
Commission, Workbook, pp. 82—84

(In the printing process the last page of the report
containing observations 3—8 was lost. We are therefore

printing it here and reprinting also Observations 1 and
2).

Concluding Observations

1. The ALC’s adoption of the Statement on Com-
munion Practices appears to abandon the historic
Lutheran acceptance of the “Galesburg Rule.” This has
profound implications for the understanding of the
nature and basis of fellowship.

2. Future discussions with The American Lutheran
Church will need to deal very carefully with the ques-
tion of how the ALC views the limits of diversity within
a confessional church body.

3. Because of logistical and other problems, it ap-
pears unlikely that the ALC and the LCMS will find it
feasible to carry on multilevel discussions on the doc-
trinal differences existing between the church bodies.

4. Although the ALC has failed to declare an unam-
biguous official position on abortion, it nevertheless
appears that many members of the ALC hold to an
essentially pro-life position.

5. Discussions within the commission and be-
tween the faculty representatives of the two church
bodies during the past biennium have continued to
reflect considerable difference between the two church
bodies, not only on such particular points as Biblical
authority, confessional identity, the ordination of wo-
men, and the basis of fellowship, but also on the very
possibility of formulating doctrinal statements with
finality.

6. Discussions between the two church bodies have
remained cordial and helpful in clarifying various
points of view. However, little if any progress has been
made in reaching doctrinal agreement on the contro-
verted issues.

7. There is considerable unclarity on the meaning of
fellowship within Lutheranism in America. This can be
resolved only through in-depth study and discussion.

8. We are grateful for the areas of agreement that
exist between the ALC and the LCMS, and we welcome
the opportunity to confront, under Holy Scripture and
the Lutheran Confessions, the doctrinal differences
that strain and threaten the relationship between our
two church bodies.

LCMS Representatives to the Commission
on Fellowship

J.A.O. Preus, Chairman

Karl Barth

Lloyd Behnken

Ralph Bohlmann

Kurt Marquart

Samuel Nafzger