` What Does it Mean to be an Orthodox Lutheran Church

What Does it Mean to be an Orthodox Lutheran Church



What does it mean to be an “Orthodox Lutheran Church”?

This past week, at the 61st Annual Synodical Convention of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, the Synod passed a resolution indicating that we do not consider the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to be an “orthodox Lutheran Church”.  The text of the resolution is as follows:

Resolution 3-21A, "To Address Cooperative Pastoral Working Arrangements  with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America." (adopted as amended 706-343)

Whereas, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is in altar and  pulpit fellowship ("full communion") with Reformed church bodies, the Episcopal Church and the Moravian Church; therefore be it

Resolved, The 2001 synodical convention affirm the late President Alvin L. Barry's judgment that "we cannot consider them [the ELCA] to be an orthodox Lutheran church body"  (President's Report, CW, p.7); and be it further

Resolved, That we of the LCMS recognize that many of our brothers and  sisters of the ELCA remain faithful to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and we resolve to reach out to them in love and support; and therefore be it finally

Resolved, That current cooperative pastoral working arrangements with the ELCA be evaluated by the praesidium with results and recommendations reported to the next synodical convention.

(p. 279 Today's Business + amendment text)

So what does this mean?  First of all, what does the word “orthodox” mean?  It means “right worship, right praise of God.”  Orthodox is an ancient Greek word that has been used for hundreds of years to describe the Christian Church.  Notice, too, that it isn’t simply about having the right answers in a book.  Rather, it is about what actually happens in worship, in the Divine Service.

This is why we say that the ELCA is not an “orthodox Lutheran church body.”  Because they are in fellowship with these non-Lutheran churches, they have made very clear that they do not believe that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Lord’s Supper, or at the very least, that it is not particularly important.

This is hard to understand.  If we were to walk into many ELCA churches, we may find that the service is not all that different from what we do here.  But everything is not what it appears.  One of the tenets that we hold to be true is that what makes a church Lutheran is not simply the name “Lutheran” on a door or on a piece of paper.  What makes a church Lutheran is determined by what they actually do and practice.

In other words, it is not enough to simply say “I am a Christian,” and make that another label like “I’m from Wisconsin” or “I’m a Packer fan.”  Saying “I’m a Christian” or “I’m a Lutheran” has consequences.  It shapes what we believe and teach.  It means that how we pray, what Scriptures we hear, and everything else we do in worship is shaped by our confession of faith, by what we actually believe.

Sadly, the ELCA wants to have it both ways.  They want to be both Lutheran and non-Lutheran.  They want to hold two contradictory statements about the Lord’s Supper (as an example).  But you can’t have it both ways.  And this is why we as a church body have been forced to acknowledge that the ELCA is not an orthodox Lutheran Church.

We continue to pray and reach out to the many friends and family that may be in the ELCA, and hope that they will come to acknowledge the truth of God’s Word regarding Christ’s body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.

+ The Lord Be With You +
Pastor Todd Peperkorn
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This page was created on 01/13/2007 and last edited on: 01/16/2007
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