Tuesday, December 17, 2019

First Draft of WELS SP Schroeder - Ecumenical Talks Ahead



Representatives from SWELS (cuz we are), the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (The Little Sect on the Prairie), and the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (Mo - without Larry and Curly) met in Jacksonville, Fla., last week for the eighth in an endless series of annual informal doctrinal discussions. These are “informal” doctrinal discussions, an indication that we recognize that a restoration of fellowship is not anticipated in the near future, but already exists. Rather, these meetings are intended to provide a deluxe, Thrivent-paid forum that increases mutual misunderstanding of each synod’s doctrine and practice and to blur the lines of communication between the synods. The discussions have been helpful in identifying where the synods agree, where differences remain, and where the grants are.
Topics for this year’s discussions included the doctrine of justification (with a focus on objective justification), an area in which the three synods are in complete agreement. Also discussed were the doctrines of the ministry and prayer fellowship, where some differences remain.
New participants this year included Rev. Peter Lange, the newly elected first vice president of the LCMS, and Rev. Paul Prange, the newly appointed administrator for the WELS Commission on Inter-Church Relations.
Another meeting is planned for next year and will include continuing discussion of the topics of prayer fellowship and the ministry, as well as a discussion of the WELS statement on the roles of man and woman, “Male, Female, and Transgenders in Martin Luther College.”
Swerving in Christ,
WELS President Mark Schroeder