Official Workbook PDF page source text

2026 Convention Workbook 62

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

3. Mission Province in Sweden (MPS)

The Mission Province in Sweden (MPS)—formerly Mission Province of Sweden and Finland—was formed in 2003 to support the ordination of confessional Lutheran pastors in the liber - al Church of Sweden. Representatives of the MPS began meeting with the LCMS in 2006 and have held several rounds of theological conversations, expressing an interest in altar and pulpit fellowship consideration by the LCMS as early as 2009. After multiple conversations in the current triennium involving the Synod President’s church relations staff and CTCR members and executive staff, the commission planned to give continued consideration to the MPS’s request at its May 2026 meeting.

B. Meetings and Discussions with Other Churches and Groups Since the inception of the CTCR in 1962, when it absorbed the responsibilities of the church relations–focused Committee on Doctrinal Unity and Committee on Finnish Relations (1962 Res.

6-03), the commission has assisted the President of the Synod in

conversations with other church bodies. The CTCR was expressly designed to aid in “discussions of theological and/or ecclesiastical relationships with the synods comprising the synodical conference;

sister churches in foreign countries; groups of churches, councils, federations,” among others (1962 Reports and Memorials, 251).

At the President’s request, the CTCR has been involved in many official and unofficial theological conversations with a variety of Christian denominations and organizations over the years. For an explanation of the role and benefits of such conversations, even where full altar and pulpit fellowship may not be immediately foreseen, the commission commends its 2011 report, Theological Dialogue with Other Christian Church Bodies.

In the present triennium, CTCR staff and select members have participated in four such discussions: with the Anglican Church in North America (in collaboration with the Lutheran Church-Cana - da), the North American Lutheran Church (in collaboration with the Lutheran Church-Canada), the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod and Evangelical Lutheran Synod (jointly), and the Anglican Catholic Church, the Anglican Church of America, and the Anglican Province of America (jointly). Detailed information on the nature and content of these theological conversations may be found in the report of the Office of the President on Church Relations.

III. Religious Organizations and Movements The CTCR is charged with assisting “congregations and or - dained and commissioned ministers of religion in fulfilling their commitment to witness publicly and privately to the one and only Gospel set forth in the Holy Scriptures” (Bylaw 3.9.5.4 “Frater - nal and Other Organizations”). This bylaw includes the Synod’s longstanding provisions for dealing with lodges as well as other organizations which have “an unchristian or anti-Christian char - acter.” In providing resources and information to the members of the Synod regarding such organizations, philosophies, and reli - gious movements, the CTCR website features a section designated “Evaluations” (see lcms.org/ctcr). Evaluations fall into two general categories: lodge organizations and religious organizations and movements. The evaluations consider, from a Lutheran theological perspective, a broad range of religious practices, organizations, movements, claims, and individuals—both Christian and non-Christian. In addition to material previously available, during the past triennium the commission has provided several new evaluations. New topics addressed include Deepak Chopra, Falun Gong, opinion addressing whether divorce disqualifies a man from serving in the Office of the Public Ministry and whether the remarriage of a divorced man makes him unsuitable for the Office of the Public Ministry. At its May 2025 meeting, the commission unanimously approved this opinion and subsequently conveyed it to the boards for their information and use. The opinion is included in the Workbook appendix.

II. Church Relations The CTCR has the responsibility to “assist the President of the Synod at his request in discharging his constitutional responsibili - ties for maintaining doctrinal integrity as he relates to other church bodies” (Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2). This includes circumstances in which a church body officially requests recognition of fellowship by the Synod. The commission’s approval is required for each such fellowship request. In light of the many changes occurring in worldwide Lutheranism, the Synod has had increasing numbers of fellowship requests in recent years and the CTCR seeks to address them both efficiently and faithfully. The following shall report on (A) formal requests for fellowship that have been approved by the commission or may be approved prior to the convention, and (B)

official theological conversations with various church bodies that the commission does not believe will eventuate in formal recogni - tion of church fellowship.

A. Requests for Church Fellowship Approved by the CTCR 1. Evangelical Christian Lutheran Church of Bolivia (ICEL)

In June 2022, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bolivia (ICEL) formally communicated a request to begin fellowship conversations with the LCMS concerning altar and pulpit fellowship.

After multiple rounds of discussions, including a trip to Bolivia by Lehenbauer and the Office of the President’s church relations representatives, the CTCR considered ICEL’s request at its February 2025 meeting. Following the presentation by and discussion with ICEL president Limberth Fernandez, the CTCR unanimously approved the request and recommended formal recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship, pursuant to Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2 (b) (2), and forwarded its recommendation to the Office of the President for declaration and subsequent endorsement by the Synod in convention.

President Harrison declared recognition of fellowship with ICEL in May 2025. The CTCR has submitted an overture to the 2026 convention urging formal endorsement by the Synod.

2. Lutheran Mission—Australia (LM—A)

When the Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA) moved to change its constitution to allow for women’s ordination in 2024 (see I A 6 above), a group of confessional Lutherans formed the Lutheran Mission—Australia (LM—A). Both before and after the LM—A was officially constituted as a church body, LM—A representatives engaged in conversations with the LCMS. At its December 2025 meeting, the commission met with LM—A President Matt Anker and unanimously approved recommending church fellowship according to Bylaw 3.9.5.2.2 (b)(2). That recommendation was conveyed to the Synod President with the understanding that his consideration of formal recognition will be delayed until after the LM—A’s inaugural convention in August 2026. If and when such recognition is declared by the Synod President, it will come before the subsequent LCMS convention for endorsement.