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2026 Convention Workbook

337THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

pastors met to form a group called “Lutherans Confessing Christ,” anticipating the likelihood that the LCA would soon formally endorse women’s ordination, which would make it necessary for some pastors, laity, and congregations to leave the LCA for reasons of conscience. Anticipating this eventuality, LM —A was established as a legal entity in May 2024. In June 2024, Rev. Anker was called to serve as LM —A President. At the LCA’s October 2024 convention, the LCA officially changed its position to allow for the ordination of women to the pastoral office. The next month, LM—A was officially launched and President Anker was officially installed as its President by Rev. Antonio Reyes of the Lutheran Church in the Philippines (an LCMS sister church).

From July 2024 to the present, over 70 informational sessions have been held around Australia to inform interested individuals and congregations of the existence, purpose, and mission of the LM — A. The first LM—A congregation was established on Dec. 1, 2024 .

Currently, there are 19 LM—A congregations, together with around a dozen congregations pursuing or contemplating membership. The LM—A currently has 18 ordained pastors, with several others in the process of colloquizing into the LM—A.

During the past triennium, both before and after the legal formation of the LM—A, current LM —A leaders met formally and informally with Synod leaders, including President Matthew Harrison, Director of Church Relations —Assistant to the President the Rev.

Dr. Jonathan Shaw, Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) Executive Director the Rev. Dr. Joel Lehenbauer, both Synod seminary presidents, and others. These meetings confirmed that, as is clearly stated in its Constitution and Confessional Statement, the LM —A accepts “without reservation the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as a whole and in all their parts, as the divinely inspired, written and inerrant Word of God, and as the only infallible source and norm for all matters of faith, doctrine and life,” and that it “rejoices in the clear, biblical and evangelical teachings of the Lutheran Confessions” because (quia) they are in full agreement with the Word of God. In December 2025, LM—A President Anker met with the CTCR and, after t horough discussion and consideration, the CTCR unanimously recommended recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship with LM—A pursuant to Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2 (b)(2).

WHEREAS, The LM —A is a small but growing confessional Lutheran church in Australia consisting of around 1,000 baptized members in 19 congregations served by 18 ordained pastors; and

WHEREAS, LM—A leaders, pastors and congregations are to be strongly commended and encouraged for their faithful and courageous confession of the truth of God’s Word in response to heterodox positions taken by the LCA due to erroneous views of the authority and inerrancy of Holy Scripture; and

WHEREAS, Formal and informal discussions directed toward altar and pulpit fellowship with LM —A leaders began in 2022 and concluded in December 2025, when the CTCR unanimously recommended recognition of fellowship with LM—A; and

WHEREAS, The LM —A accepts all the canonical books of the Sacred Scriptures of the Old and of the New Testaments as the written Word of God and the only rule and norm of faith and practice and the confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, compiled in the Book of Concord of 1580, as a correct exposition of Holy Scripture; and

WHEREAS, The LM —A is actively pursuing altar and pulpit fellowship with the Synod’s sister churches in Canada (LCC), Finland (ELMDF), and the Philippines (LCP); and

WHEREAS, The LM — A has been a full, voting member of the International Lutheran Council since September 2025; and

WHEREAS, LM—A leadership has expressed a hope for altar and pulpit fellowship with the Synod; and

WHEREAS, At its December 2025 meeting the CTCR unanimously recommended recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship with LM—A pursuant to Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2 (b)(2), which says: “Formal recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship between the Synod and a small, formative , emerging confessional Lutheran church body (identified as such by the President of the Synod as chief ecumenical officer) may be declared by the Synod President only after the approval of the commission and consultation with the Praesidium. Such recognition shall be subject to the endorsement of the subsequent Synod convention”; and

WHEREAS, The LM—A will hold its first churchwide convention in August 2026, at which time it hopes to recognize altar and pulpit fellowship with the LCMS; and

WHEREAS, President Matthew Harrison has expressed strong support for recognition of fellowship with LM — A, and has indicated his hope to be able to recognize fellowship at or after the LM—A’s first convention; therefore be it

Resolved, That we acknowledge with gratitude the unity of confession that has been given to our church bodies under the guidance of the Holy Spirit; and be it further

Resolved, That this convention commend and support the CTCR’s recommendation to recognize altar and pulpit fellowship with the LM — A and President Harrison’s hope to do the same at the appropriate time; and be it further

Resolved, That we give thanks to God for the faithful Lutheran witness the LM — A provides within its own country and beyond;

and be it further

Resolved, That we encourage and support the LM — A as they proclaim the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world; and be it finally

Resolved , That as a sign of encouragement and support of the LM— A’s confession and witness and in joyful anticipation of our mutual recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship in the near future, the convention assembly rise and sing the common doxology.

Commission on Theology and Church Relations

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,