To Recognize Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland

Preamble The Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland (ELMDF; in Finnish, Suomen evan kelis lute rila inen lähetyshiippakunta) was born from within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF), which is the national church of Finland. Unlike the ELCF, however, the ELMDF is unreservedly committed to maintaining and upholding the orthodox Lutheran faith and practice that had prevailed in Finland since the 16th century Reformation. Over time, the ELCF experienced decreasing theological fidelity, accepting the results of historical critical views of Holy Scripture, un biblical practices such as the ordination of women to the ministry, and an unwillingness to adhere fully and faithfully to the Lutheran Confessions. In response, the Luther Foundation was established in 1999byindividualswithintheFinnishnationalchurch.The purpose of the Luther Foundation was to support confessional Lutheran pastors and congregations in teaching and practice that remained faithful to the Scriptures and Confessions. In 2003, the Mission Province of Sweden was formed. Its purpose wasto support confessional Lutheran pastors and congregations and to restore the possibility of ordination for future pastors who either could not be ordained or would not be properly supervised in the increasingly liberalized and radicalized Nordic national churches. In 2006, the Mission Province was expanded and renamed the Mission Province in Sweden and Finland. Eventually, in 2013, the ELMDF was formed as an independent church body. Formed by congregations under episcopal oversight, the ELMDF describes its purpose as follows: “Wewant tokeep the legacy ofthe Reformation on display and lead people deeper into the scriptures and the Lutheran tradition” (www.lhpk.fi). Thus, the Mission Diocese confesses the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired and infallible Word of God. It subscribes to the entire Book of Concord as a faithful exposition of the Word of God in all its articles. The ELMDF there by holds that all doctrine, practice and life must be examined, carried out, and directed on the basis of God’s Word and the Lutheran Confessions. The aim of the ELMDF is to proclaim the Gospel, to establish new congregations, to deepen the knowledge of the Christian faith, and to revitalize and support the devotional life of its members. The member congregations of the ELMDF are the setting for its work. Each congregation is individually named and its members are organized according to a congregational constitution. Each congregation gathers for liturgical worship around the Word and the Sacraments, led by an ordained pastor called to serve that congregation. At the same time, the practical life of congregations relies heavily on the work of lay volunteers. The pastors of the congregations and elected lay delegates together form a Diocesan Assembly. A Diocesan Council, elected by the Diocesan Assembly, then plans and executes the administration of the Diocese and the practical matters of its work. The ELMDF upholds all the teachings of Scripture without fear or compromise. It willingly addresses controversial topics and allows no concession with un biblical teachings. It has held fast to the Bible’sunderstandingsofman and woman,marriage, the ordination of only qualified males to the ministry, and other matters. This steadfastness has also led the church to publish writings that defend the Bible’s teachings and encourage faithful conduct and life. The ELMDF’s willingness to promote biblical teachings about human sexuality resulted in charges of hate speech against the ELMDF’s Bishop Juhana Pohjola and Dr. Päivi Räsänen, the author of an ELMDF pamphlet on sexuality. Although the charges were initially dropped, threats of legal prosecution remain. Nevertheless, the ELMDF remains faithful to God’s Word. The Augsburg Confession (AC), Article VII, defines the Church as the assembly of all believers among whom the Gospel is purely preached and the Holy Sacraments are administered according to the Gospel. By this measure, the ELMDF is a church that stands firm in the right teaching and administration of the means of grace. Representatives of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and ELMDF began formal correspondence and discussions concerning the possibility of fellowship between our two church bodies in 2017. In 2018, the ELMDF was accepted into the International Lutheran Council as a full member. At that same time, the ELMDF formally requested a recognition of fellowship with the LCMS. As required by LCMS Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2, the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) engaged in careful and thorough consideration of pertinent theological documents, reports on face-to-face discussions between LCMS and ELMDF representatives, correspondence regarding specific theological and ecclesial issues, and a face-to-face meeting with then-Bishop Risto Soramies in a February 2020 meeting of the entire commission. As a result, the CTCR unanimously adopted a motion recommending the recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship with the ELMDF on Feb. 21, 2020. Having received that recommendation and after consulting with the LCMS Praesidium, President Matthew C. Harrison wrote to Bishop Soramies on Oct. 5, 2020, declaring the “recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship between our two churches.” The ELMDF is a vibrant part of the Nordic and world-wide community of confessional Lutherans. The ELMDF is in altar and pulpit fellowship with other biblical and confessional Lutheran churches such asthe Lutheran Church—Canada(LCC), the German Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK), and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England (ELCE). All three of these church bodies are also in altar and pulpit fellowship with the LCMS.

WHEREAS, The ELMDF is a confessional Lutheran church consisting of over 40 congregations in Finland; and

WHEREAS, The ELMDF emerged from the ELCF due to doctrinal disagreements and over ethical questions addressed clearly in Scripture such as the ordination of women, same-sex marriage, and the ordination of practicing homosexuals; and

WHEREAS, Pastors of the ELMDF have made public confessions of faith not only in churches, but also before “kings” (governing authorities, see Psalm 119:46 and AC Preface), making a defense for their position on the Holy Scriptures and the Book of Concord; and

WHEREAS, Many of these confessors of the faith were def rocked because of their faithful witness to Christ and His Word; and

WHEREAS, The ELMDF bears witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a country where about 2 percent of the population attends church on a weekly basis; and

WHEREAS, The ELMDF accepts all the canonical books of the Sacred Scriptures of the Old and of the New Testaments as the infallible, revealed Word of God and the symbolic books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, compiled in the Book of Concord of 1580, as a correct exposition of Holy Scripture; and

WHEREAS, The ELMDF is in altar and pulpit fellowship with several partner churches of the LCMS in Europe and Canada; and

WHEREAS, The ELMDFhasrequested altar and pulpit fellowship with the LCMS; and

WHEREAS, Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2 (c) says: When a small, formative, emerging confessional Lutheran church body (identified as such by the President of the Synod as chief ecumenical officer) requests recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship with the Synod, after consultation with the Praesidium and approval by the commission, such recognition may be declared by the President of the Synod subject to the endorsement of the subsequent Synod convention; and

WHEREAS, The CTCR has recommended the recognition of fellowship with the ELMDF as a faithful Lutheran church body, after having carefully and thoroughly considered this matter by means of extensive correspondence, meetings with ELMDF representatives, and the examination of pertinent documents that describe the doctrine and practice of the ELMDF; and

WHEREAS, President Matthew C. Harrison, by virtue of the authority vested in him according to Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2 (c), wrote to then-Bishop Risto Soramies on Oct. 5, 2020, stating: “I am able to declare recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship between our two churches. Praise God!”; therefore be it

Resolved, That we acknowledge with gratitude the unity of confession that has been given to our church bodies under the guidance of the Holy Spirit; and be it further

Resolved, That this convention formally endorse the recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship between the ELMDF and the LCMS;

and be it further

Resolved, That we give thanks to God for the faithful and courageous Lutheran witness the ELMDF provides within its own country, to the Nordic world, and beyond; and be it further

Resolved, That we encourage and walk with the ELMDF as they proclaim the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world; and be it further

Resolved, That we pray for God’s blessings in the coming years on this agreement in the confession of the Gospel that we enjoy as partner church bodies; and be it finally

Resolved, That in celebration and thanksgiving of this partnership in the Gospel, the convention assembly signify its approval by rising and singing the Doxology.