To Support and Encourage Recognition of Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with Lutheran Mission—Australia

Preamble By itsown acknowledgement, the Lutheran Churchof Australia and New Zealand (LCANZ; hereafter LCA) has struggled with deep theological divisions for decades. One of the most public areas of disagreement has been the question of what the Scriptures teach regarding the ordination of women to the pastoral office. In a document published in July 2024 the LCA stated: “Despite more than three decades of theological study and debate within the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand (LCANZ), we remain divided on whether or not the Scriptures permit the ordination of women”(Lutheran Churchof Australia,Way Forward Detailed Framework, 2024, 3). As this statement illustrates, the longstanding division in the LCA over women’s ordination has been rooted in fundamentally differing understandings of the authority and interpretation of Scripture itself. Lutheran Mission-Australia (LM—A) President Matthew Anker has stated: “The key issue that led to the establishment of LM—A was the undermining of the authority of the Word of God in the LCA’s theology and life together. Even before women’sordination was introduced, weno longer shared the same confession and needed to be un yoked from heterodoxy, which constantly demands sacrifice through compromise.” In addition to the question of the ordination of women, other troubling theological developments evident in the LCA (as articulated by LM—A leaders) include the ambiguous commitment of many LCA leaders and pastors to the Lutheran Confessions, Gospel reductionism, anti no miani sm, the un scriptural theology of many of those teaching church workers, the devolving theological agenda and trajectory of the LCA college and seminary, a lack of faithful adherence to clear and orthodox LCA public statements such as its own constitution and the LCA’s Theses of Agreement (including the Theses of Agreement’s teaching on church fellowship), lack of church discipline, etc. For many years, pastors and laity in the LCA fully committed to the authority of Scripture and to the truth of the Lutheran Confessions remained in the LCA, hopeful of a return to its foundational confession and commitments. Those hopes were severely undermined at the LCA’s 2021 convention, when then-Bishop John Henderson publicly stated: “We are not going to solve this issue [women’s ordination] with further truth claims, even about Scripture.” (“Agenda 3.1”, lca.app.box.com/s/disizprdt6mrps427dqw5yfyrkte1twv, accessed March 19, 2026) Soon thereafter, in early 2022, several LCA pastors met to form a group called “Lutherans Confessing Christ,” anticipating the likelihood that the LCA would soon formally endorse women’s ordination, which would make it necessary for some pastors, laity, and congregations to leave the LCA for reasons of conscience. Anticipating this eventuality, LM—A was established as a legal entity in May 2024. In June 2024, Rev. Anker was called to serve as LM—A President. At the LCA’s October 2024 convention, the LCA officially changed its position to allow for the ordination of women to the pastoral office. The next month, LM—A was officially launched and President Anker was officially installed as its President by Rev. Antonio Reyes of the Lutheran Church in the Philippines (an LCMS sister church). From July 2024 to the present, over 70 informational sessions have been held around Australia to inform interested individuals and congregations of the existence, purpose, and mission of the LM— A. The first LM—A congregation was established on Dec. 1, 2024. Currently, thereare19 LM—Acongregations, together with around a dozen congregations pursuing or contemplating membership. The LM—A currently has18 ordained pastors, with several others in the process of colloquizing into the LM—A. During the past triennium, both before and after the legal formation of the LM—A, current LM—Aleadersmet formally and informally with Synod leaders, including President Matthew Harrison, Director of Church Relations—Assistant to the President the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Shaw, Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) Executive Director the Rev. Dr. Joel Lehen bauer, both Synod seminary presidents, and others. These meetings confirmed that, as is clearly stated in its Constitution and Confessional Statement, the LM—A accepts “without reservation the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as a whole and in all their parts, as the divinely inspired, written and in errant Word of God, and as the only infallible source and norm for all matters of faith, doctrine and life,” and that it “rejoices in the clear, biblical and evangelical teachings of the Lutheran Confessions” because (quia) they are in full agreement with the Word of God. In December 2025, LM—A President Anker met with the CTCR and, after thorough discussion and consideration, the CTCR unanimously recommended recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship with LM—A pursuant to Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2 (b)(2).

WHEREAS, The LM—A is a small but growing confessional Lutheran church in Australia consisting of around 1,000 baptized members in 19 congregations served by 18 ordained pastors; and

WHEREAS, LM—A leaders, pastors and congregations are to be strongly commended and encouraged for their faithful and courageous confession of the truth of God’s Word in response to heterodox positions taken by the LCA dueto erroneous views of the authority and in err an cy of Holy Scripture; and

WHEREAS,Formal and informal discussions directed toward altar and pulpit fellowship with LM—A leaders began in 2022 and concluded in December 2025, when the CTCR unanimously recommended recognition of fellowship with LM—A; and

WHEREAS, The LM—A accepts all the canonical books of the Sacred Scriptures of the Old and of the New Testaments as the written Word of God and the only rule and norm of faith and practice and the confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, compiled in the Book of Concord of 1580, as a correct exposition of Holy Scripture; and

WHEREAS, The LM—A is actively pursuing altar and pulpit fellowship with the Synod’s sister churches in Canada (LCC), Finland (ELMDF), and the Philippines (LCP); and

WHEREAS, The LM—A has been a full, voting member of the International Lutheran Council since September 2025; and

WHEREAS, LM—A leadership has expressed a hope for altar and pulpit fellowship with the Synod; and

WHEREAS, At its December 2025 meeting the CTCR unanimously recommended recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship with LM—A pursuant to Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2 (b)(2), which says: “Formal recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship between the Synod and a small, formative, emerging confessional Lutheran church body (identified as such by the President of the Synod as chief ecumenical officer) may be declared by the Synod President only after the approval of the commission and consultation with the Praesidium. Such recognition shall be subject to the endorsement of the subsequent Synod convention”; and

WHEREAS, The LM—A will hold its first churchwide convention in August 2026, at which time it hopes to recognize altar and pulpit fellowship with the LCMS; and

WHEREAS, President Matthew Harrison has expressed strong support for recognition of fellowship with LM—A, and has indicated his hope to be able to recognize fellowship at or after the LM—A’s first convention; 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 commend and support the CTCR’s recommendation to recognize altar and pulpit fellowship with the LM—A and President Harrison’s hope to do the same at the appropriate time; and be it further

Resolved, That we give thanks to God for the faithful Lutheran witness the LM—A provides within its own country and beyond;

and be it further

Resolved, That we encourage and support the LM—A as they proclaim the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world; and be it finally

Resolved, That as a sign of encouragement and support of the LM—A’s confession and witness and in joyful anticipation of our mutual recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship in the near future, the convention assembly rise and sing the common doxology.