Res. 5-04 — To Address Concerns with Partner Churches

WHEREAS, The psalmist writes, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore” (Psalm 133); and

WHEREAS, We give thanks to God through His Son, Jesus Christ, for our 43 Synod partner churches united with us in Christ, in confession, in worship, and in the church working together through mission, mercy, vocation, and stewardship; and

WHEREAS, Many of our partner churches and their leaders have often contended for the truth of God’s Word in adverse circumstances; and

WHEREAS, The Holy Scriptures enjoin us to maintain the unity of the faith in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3, 13); and

WHEREAS, The Formula of Concord (FC), in line with this biblical truth, confesses that external fellowship in the church is to be based upon agreement “in the doctrine and all its articles,” as well as “in the right use of the holy Sacraments” (FC SD X 31); and

WHEREAS, The first objective of the Synod is to “conserve and promote the unity of the true faith (Eph. 4:3–6; 1 Cor. 1:10), work through its official structure toward fellowship with other Christian church bodies, and provide a united defense against schism, sectarianism (Rom. 16:17), and heresy” (Const. Art. III 1); and

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church —Missouri Synod (LCMS) has confessed that “all Christians are required by God … to have church-fellowship only with orthodox church-bodies,” ( A Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod [adopted 1932], 28) in accordance with the divine command to avoid those who “cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught” (Rom. 16:17); and

WHEREAS, In recent years, a number of concerning teachings, practices, and internal theological disputes have arisen or persisted among a small number of partner churches, including:

• the practice of fellowship between church bodies without agreement in the doctrine of the Gospel in all its articles;

• the consideration of the ordination of women and the service of women in roles that cause confusion with the pastoral office;

• the advocacy of apostolic succession and the necessity of episcopal ordination;

• unionistic and syncretistic practices in relationships with heterodox church bodies;

• membership in the Lutheran World Federation;

• inappropriate conduct inconsistent with their own constitutions and bylaws and unbecoming of Christian brothers;

• unwelcome involvement in the ministry of other LCMS partner churches; and

• violation of protocol and operating agreements with the Synod on matters of discipline and the rostering of pastors removed from the Synod with cause; and

WHEREAS, The President of the Synod, as the chief ecumenical officer of the Synod (Bylaw 3.3.1.1.2), is charged with preserving the doctrinal integrity of the Synod and representing the Synod in its relationships with other church bodies; and

WHEREAS, The President of the Synod, in his role as chief ecumenical officer, has sought to address many of these issues through his church relations staff, by annual International Church Relations Conferences, visitation, theological education, regional International Church Relations Fora, and publications such as The Lutheran World Federation Today: Missio Dei, Imago Dei and the Ongoing Reformation (2024), Women’s Ordination through the Lens of the Apostles’ Creed: A Fraternal Theological Dialogue of the Lutheran Church in Korea and The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod, rev. ed. (2024), Church Body Fellowship: A Collection of Theological Essays, ICRC 2025 (2026), and others; and

WHEREAS, The Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) has, in consultation with the President of the Synod, addressed many of these concerns in recent documents, including Lutheran World Federation: An Introduction and Evaluation from the Theological Perspective of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod (2022); Response to the Lutheran Church of Australia’s Way Forward Proposal (2024); and Apostolic Succession in Lutheran Theology (2026);

therefore be it

Resolved, That the President of the Synod, his church relations staff, and the CTCR be commended for their efforts to date in addressing concerns with partner churches, and that the noted CTCR resources be commended to members of the Synod and LCMS partner churches and their leaders, that they might be informed about these concerns and our theological responses to them; and be it further

Resolved, That we give thanks to God for the progress already made in these important conversations and for the willingness of many partner churches to listen to and respond to our concerns, and that the President of the Synod be urged to continue his efforts in this regard, making use of his church relations staff and others as he deems appropriate; and be it further

Resolved, That the CTCR, in accordance with Synod bylaws, be urged to assist the President of the Synod by studying controversial theological matters in partner church relations in order to “provide guidance to the Synod in matters of theology and church relations” (Bylaw 3.9.5.2.1) and “bring matters of theology and church relations through special studies and documents to the membership of the Synod and to conferences” (Bylaw 3.9.5.2.1 [a]); and be it finally

Resolved, That the President of the Synod continue to address these matters directly and urgently in the coming triennium and report to the next convention concerning his progress.