The First Annual Free Conference on C.F.W. Walther will be held on
Friday, November 5th, 1:00 P.M. through Saturday, November 6th, 12:00 P.M. at Hope
Lutheran Church, in St. Ann, Missouri, about 2 and 1/2 miles from St. Louis’ Lambert
International Airport. This conference is for lay people and clergy.
Growing numbers of LCMS congregations are either knowingly or unknowingly changing
their church constitutions. They are giving up the original structure for LCMS
congregations that was unanimously adopted by the 1852 LCMS Convention as published in
Walther’s "Church and Ministry."
In place of traditional LCMS constitutions that place the final administration of the
congregation in the Voters’ Assembly, they are adopting new constitutions that place
the administration of the congregation in the hands of a corporate style board of
directors or they are giving up their authority to the pastoral office and/or his
representatives.
These changes are being made respectively to accommodate the teachings of the Church
Growth Movement or the episcopal structure endorsed by Loehe and Grabau who broke
fellowship with the LCMS over this issue in 1853.
Amidst all the changes, the laity are largely uninformed as to the real reasons for the
changes in their congregational constitutions. They are also not aware that they are
surrendering their God given authority in the Office of the Keys that the Synod’s
founder, C.F.W. Walther, struggled to keep in their hands.
The purpose of this conference is to inform the laity about the great heritage of
congregational government in the LCMS by Voters’ Assemblies and why they should not
surrender their God-given baptismal right to another.
The organizers of this conference seek nothing less than a revival and reaffirmation of
Walther’s "Church and Ministry" in all LCMS congregations. They also seek
the adoption of resolutions endorsing Walther’s "Church and Ministry" as
the official structure of LCMS congregations at the 2001 LCMS Convention in St. Louis.
The organizers of this conference recognize that the LCMS is losing the teachings of
C.F.W. Walther. There are no conferences on Walther’s "Church and Ministry"
at either Seminary nor any of the ten Synodical Colleges and Universities.
Nearly every LCMS District Office has given up educating their congregations about
Walther’s "Church and Ministry." Rather, the Districts are openly
recommending hierarchical constitutions promoting structures reflective of
"Leadership Training" which place the authority of the many into the hands of a
few.
The Bible does not speak against slavery, but Paul tells us, if possible, to keep our
freedom (1Cor. 7:2, Gal. 5:1). If the laity wishes to retain their authority to judge the
clear teaching of God’s Word they must reclaim the operation and ownership of their
congregations.