General Pastoral Conference of the Northern Illinois District Passes Watered Down Motion on Cooperation with the ELCA

Brother of John the Steadfast Pastor Ben Ball of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Brookfield, Illinois passed this on to us this morning. It is a motion to limit cooperation  with the ELCA in matters that involve word and sacrament.   The original motion called for the cessation of all cooperation with the ELCA, a position that the Brothers would agree with, but during debate the motion was watered down to just include cooperation that involves word and sacrament ministry. The watered down motion does bring something important to the table.  The LCMS in convention (2001) affirmed  that the  ELCA is a   heterodox  church but did so by quoting an assertion of  former LCMS president  Dr. Alvin  Barry.   This motion, though watered down, would at least have the synod in convention itself identifying the ELCA as heterodox and not just affirming something its president asserted. Be sure to let us know what you think in the  comment section that follows.

Resolution Passed by the 2010 General Pastoral Conference of the Northern Illinois District of the LCMS

To Declare the ELCA a Heterodox Church and End all Joint Work With the ELCA

 Whereas,

Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.   You will know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?   Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:15-17) and

Whereas,

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at its 2009 Churchwide Assembly passed resolutions on Ministry Policies stating that “The ELCA commit[s] itself to finding ways to allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support and hold publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships… the ELCA commit itself to finding a way for people in such publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as rostered leaders of this church”, and eliminated the prohibition of rostered service by members in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationships; and

Whereas,

Homosexual acts are sinful, contrary to God’s will and design and an abomination before the true and living Lord God; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, (Leviticus 18:22, Matthew 19:4-6, Romans 1:18-32); and

Whereas,

The ELCA does not confess the truth of God’s Word, but as a church body is in rejection of it, let it be

Resolved,

That The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) confess the truth of God’s Word concerning homosexual acts that they are sinful, contrary to God’s will and design and an abomination before the true and living Lord God; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, (Leviticus 18:22, Matthew 19:4-6, Romans 1:18-32); and be it further

Resolved,

That the LCMS declare that the ELCA is a heterodox church; and be it further

Resolved,

That for the sake of faithfulness to the true God and His Holy Word (Romans 16:17) and for the sake of its own public testimony, The LCMS and its RSOs prayerfully examine their joint work with the ELCA and, where that work involves joint ministry in Word and Sacrament, bring an end to their working relationship with the ELCA; and be it further

Resolved,

That the LCMS pray in convention for the repentance and faith of the false teachers of the ELCA, for those who are bound in sexual sin within the ELCA and all church bodies including our own, for those who are faithfully confessing against false teaching regarding sexuality within the ELCA and for our own humble faithfulness to God’s Word; and be it finally

Resolved,

That the Northern Illinois District General Pastoral Conference submit this overture to the 2010 LCMS convention.

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