To Address Concerns with Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church

Ov. 5-03

To Address Concerns with Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church

WHEREAS, The Holy Scriptures enjoin us to maintain the unity of the faith in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3, 13); and

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Confessions state : “The church is the assembly of the saints in which the gospel is taught purely and the sacraments are administered rightly. And it is enough for the true unity of the church to agree concerning the teaching of the gospel and the administration of the sacr aments. It is not necessary that human traditions, rites or ceremonies instituted by human beings be alike everywhere” (AC VII 1–3, Kolb/Wengert); and

WHEREAS, “Apostolicity” in the Church is found not in a fleshand-blood lineage of men, but rather, in the apostolicity of doctrine,

which consists of continuing steadfast in the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42), as the Lutheran theologian Hermann Sasse confesses:

“Authentic apostolic succession, then, is always and only the succession of doctrine” (Hermann Sasse, “Successio Apostolica” in Letters to Lutheran Pastors, ed. Matthew C. Harrison [CPH, 2014]:

2:437); and

WHEREAS, Questions have been raised with the Bishop of the Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELC), a church in altar and pulpit fellowship with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) since 2013, that he has been teaching so -called “apostolic succession” (teaching it as a succession of duly consecrated bishops), teaching that it is necessary for a church to have a valid ministry, and thereby sowing doubts about the validity of the ministry of the LCMS; and

WHEREAS, By promoting this teaching and interjecting itself in the life of another sister church body, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil (IELB) , namely, by asserting the claim of apostolic succession, by ordaining deacons, and by establishing congregations outside of Siberia, the SELC has created scandal, confusion, and disharmony in the aforementioned church body and in the confession of the one true and saving Gospel; and

WHEREAS, The Bishop of the SELC is also identified as the “guiding bishop” of the Independent Anglican Congregation in Thailand (IACT, inachurchthailand.com/independent-anglicanchurch-in-thailand-about-us), a church that supports the blessing of LGBTQ unions (inachurchthailand.com/weddings-blessings); and

WHEREAS, Fraternal conversations have already taken place between the President of the Synod and the Bishop of the SELC without resolution of these concerns; therefore be it

Resolved, That the President of the Synod admonish the Bishop of the SELC to cease and desist immediately in these unwanted intrusions in the life of the IELB; and be it further

Resolved, That the President of the Synod, in consultation with the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR), engage in conversation with the leadership of the SELC to assist them in embracing a genuinely biblical, Lutheran confession of the one Office that Christ Jesus has instituted for the pure preaching of the Gospel and the right administration of the Sacraments; and be it further

Resolved, That the President of the Synod, in consultation with the CTCR, admonish the b ishop of the SELC to withdraw immediately from the unionistic relationship with the IACT; and be it finally

Resolved, That the President of the Synod report the outcome of these efforts to the 2029 Synod convention with a recommendation as to whether the conditions for altar and pulpit fellowship with the SELC still apply.

Zion Fort Wayne, IN