Church Fellowship a Bible study course for adults

1
Church Fellowshipa Bible study course for adults

• By Professor John F. Brug
• PowerPoint Angi Kinsley, Pastor Mark A. Cordes
• New Life Evangelical Lutheran Church
• Shoreview, Minnesota

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The History of Fellowship

• WELS and CLC Relations
• The CELC
• Church Fellowship, pp. 87-102

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Goals

1. To understand the break in fellowship between the
   Wisconsin Synod and CLC.
2. To understand the differences that still separate
   the WELS from the Church of the Lutheran
   Confession today.
3. To understand the process that led to the
   formation of the CELC.

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Opening Prayer

• Lord, we sorrow over every division in the church
  and rejoice whenever true unity is established.
  Teach us to understand the recent history of the
  Wisconsin Synod that divided us from some
  Lutherans and united us with others. Help us
  heal the divisions of the church by working for
  true agreement based on your Word. Amen.

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Scriptural Principles

• Romans 1617
• Separate from false teachers (persistent
  errorists)
• Galatians 61f
• Help Christians who are trapped in sin.
• Watch out for our own temptations.
• 2 Thessalonians 314f
• Do not associate with him. (not listening)
• Warn him as a brother.

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What is the CLC?

• The Church of the Lutheran Confession is a small
  church body of mostly former WELS, ELS who say
• The Wisconsin Synod failed to break fellowship
  with Missouri Synod soon enough.
• Due to false doctrine of church fellowship by the
  Wisconsin Synod.

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WELS and CLC

• What difference of opinion existed in WI Synod
  concerning termination of fellowship with MO
  Synod?
• Some thought WELS too slow in breaking fellowship
  with LCMS.
• Others wanted more time to admonish LCMS.

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Why did WELS have hard time deciding to break
LCMS?

• LCMS had strong reputation for orthodoxy, fine
  confessional documents, i.e., Brief Statement.
• Many zigzags in Missouris course.
• Many internal divisions in LCMS
• ? much confusion re. LCMS position.

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Hard time for WELS vs. LCMS?

1. Varying degrees of knowledge, understanding among
   members and delegates of Wisconsin Synod.
2. Seems Missouri Synod representatives strung WELS
   along, holding out hope with no intention of
   changing.
3. Dealing with large group more difficult than with
   individual, esp. with only rare meetings.

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WELS Convention History

• First WELS convention to seriously consider break
  of fellowship with Missouri Synod?
• Serious resolution to break 1953.
• WELS convention which finally broke fellowship
  with Missouri Synod?
• 1961

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WELS Convention History

• Basic reason for this delay?
• WELS repeatedly persuaded that LCMS had not
  rejected admonition, might still solve problem.
• In retrospect this hope was naïve or overly
  optimistic.
• Good faith effort to do everything possible to
  preserve fellowship.

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False Hopes Delayed Break

• 1953 WELS convention hoped that the 1954 meeting
  of the Synodical Conference could solve the
  problem.
• Hoped protesting fellowship would be a strong
  warning to the Missouri Synod.

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False Hopes Delayed Break

• 1955 WELS convention delayed because LCMS was
  triennial.
• LCMS had not convened since our 1953 protest.
• LCMS could not have acted on WELS warning.

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False Hopes Delayed Break

• 1956 WELS convention won over by overtures from
  Missouri
• WELS placed hope in continued mediation by
  overseas sister churches.
• 1957 WELS allowed more time for these efforts.

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CLC Condemns WELS because

• WELS approved a preamble which condemned
  Missouris error.
• CLC says WELS thus identified the MO Synod as
  persistent errorists.
• Thus CLC says WELS sinfully remained in
  fellowship with LCMS.

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Another interpretation of WELS?

• WELS 1955 convention delayed vote on preamble.
• Had not yet identified Missouri Synod as
  persistent errorists.
• Majority of WELS delegates believed Missouri
  Synod had not yet rejected our admonition.

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Interpretation of WELS delay?

• WELS still hoped further admonition would help
  Missouri Synod turn away from their error.
• WELS conventions accepted principle that we must
  break from persistent errorists, but majority
  were not yet convinced LCMS fell into that
  category (Brug, pp. 89f).

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WELS judgment of early leavers?

• We do not condemn them for opinion that Wisconsin
  Synod was too slow in breaking with the Missouri
  Synod.
• Nor do we condemn following their consciences,
  not to keep fellowship with MO Synod longer (Brug
  p. 91).

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Why not reunite WELS CLC?

• CLC believed WELS failure to break with LCMS in
  1955 and following years was not just faulty
  judgment, but erroneous doctrine of fellowship
  allowing fellowship with persistent errorists.

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WELS sees weakness in CLC

• Many statements from CLC members on this doctrine
  do not seem to allow time for patient admonition
  of those who have fallen into error.
• (Brug, pp. 91f).

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Doctrinal Difference?

• Why does the Wisconsin Synod say there is no
  doctrinal difference between WELS and CLC?
• WELS-CLC meetings have produced agreement on need
  for admonition and for separation from persistent
  errorists. (Brug, p. 92f)

22
1987-1990 Reconciliation Failed?

• Seemed agreement on doctrinal principle had been
  reached
• CLC reps insisted on preamble speaking of
  doctrinal difference.
• WELS never received clear CLC statement about
  this difference.
• CLC broke off discussions (Brug, pp. 94-96).

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What main principle was WELS trying to uphold
with CLC?

• Need for patient admonition before we break
  fellowship with brothers and sisters who have
  fallen into error.
• WELS fully supports corresponding principle that
  we are not to continue fellowship with persistent
  errorists.

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What is the CELC?

• Organization of WELS, ELS, and world wide sister
  churches to preserve and strengthen our
  fellowship.
• The CELC replaced the former Synodical Conference
  LCMS, WELS, ELS, and others (meeting of
  synods).
• Synodical Conference dissolved 1963.

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WELS preserves and expands fellowship after 1961
break.

• Meet regularly with ELS in Confessional Forum.
• Holds free conferences to reach out to other
  confessional Lutherans.

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WELS preserves, expands fellowship after 1961
break.

• Established fellowship with Federation for
  Authentic Lutheranism and Lutheran Confessional
  Church of Sweden and Norway.
• Meetings to preserve fellowship with sister
  churches in former Synodical Conference.

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WELS problem after 1961 break with Missouri?

• Churches that had been in fellowship with both
  WELS and LCMS could no longer remain in
  fellowship with both since there was no longer
  doctrinal agreement between these churches.
• Such a triangular fellowship cannot hold with two
  contradictory doctrinal positions.

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WELS attempts to solve this problem

• by patient efforts to explain our doctrinal
  position to overseas churches.
• Result All sister churches except the ELFC of
  Germany chose to keep Missouri fellowship.
• (Brug, pp. 101f)

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THE CELC

• Locate member churches of the CELC on world map.

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(No Transcript)
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Summary

• Some congregation late 1950s separated from WI
  Synod for not breaking with MO Synod soon enough.
  Saw error in WELS interpretation / application
  of Romans 1617.
• Church of the Lutheran Confession.
• Restoration efforts have failed.

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Summary

• A worldwide organization, the CELC, has recently
  been formed to extend fellowship among
  confessional Lutherans.
• Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference

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Closing Prayer

• Lord, we rejoice in our fellowship with sister
  churches in the CELC. Watch over these small
  churches struggling in a very hostile
  environment. Create in us the desire and ability
  to support and encourage them. Bless our
  fellowship together. Heal Lutheran divisions by
  bringing us to true agreement in the teachings of
  your Word. Amen.