Lutheran Ecumenism

Dear Pastor Harris,

Thank you again for your reply to my last question. It was excellent. Anyhow, I have one other question that is specific to the Luther Church Missorri Synod.  Is the Lutheran Church MS involved in the Ecumenical Movement?  I support cooperating with other Christians, or anyone of good will for that matter, on just causes that we all can share. Anyhow, I also was turned off by the mindless drive for ecumenism that characterized the Episcopal Church and other liberal denominations. They seemed to be way out of touch with reality and was pulling us toward a unity that stood for nothing since differences were glossed over by vague words that can be interpreted to mean anything.  Anyhow, where does LCMS generally stand on this?  Thank you!


I don't feel qualified to give an "official" answer of the LCMS position but I can provide a good link and give my summary observations.

http://www.lcms.org/graphics/assets/media/CTCR/ecumenism.pdf

The basic idea is that the LCMS is involved in ecumenical discussions, but not exactly part of the "movement" that you characterized as "a unity that stood for nothing since differences were glossed over by vague words that can be interpreted to mean anything."

Instead, the goal is to come to very clear unambiguous agreements precisely in accord with the word of God. The document states, "The confessing fathers of Lutheranism sought for and achieved an agreement in doctrine that was no mere pretense, but one that would “help matters fundamentally” in a strife-torn church. Accordingly, they did not ignore controversial issues and simply agree to disagree. “They saw clearly that there was no better way to counteract . . . religious controversies . . . than, on the basis of God’s Word, carefully and accurately to explain and decide the differences that had arisen with reference to all the articles in controversy, to expose and to reject false doctrine, and clearly to confess the divine truth.”

In everyday practice, most conservative Lutherans will work together with other denominations (Roman Catholic, Baptist and so forth) in left-hand kingdom, or purely temporal affairs, such as passing out food after a natural disaster or building houses for the poor.

LCMS folks will also work with religious charity groups such as the Boy Scouts and the military chaplaincy. Joint prayers with other Christians are considered ok as long as they don't "share airtime" with non-Christian or anti-Christian prayers. (WELS tends to be against such things altogether.)

However, joint "ecumenical" worship services are strongly discouraged. When it comes to public preaching and teaching, we only maintain "altar and pulpit fellowship" with those who agree on all articles of Doctrine. So, in an LCMS church, the guy preaching the sermon and officiating the Sacrament of the Altar will, ideally, be an ordained man in full doctrinal fellowship with the LCMS.