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The
following statement is Walther's address to new voting members who signed
the church constitution. Doctor
C. F. W. Walther was the first President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri
Synod. This is the way your
grandpa’ church used to operate.
(From:
"Church-Membership: Addresses And Prayers at the Meetings of the Ev.
Lutheran Joint Congregation of St. Louis, Mo., and Its Board of Elders by
Dr. C.F.W. Walther" Translated by Rudolph Prange, CPH, St. Louis, MO.
1931, Pages 48-49)
“THE
OBLIGATIONS OF CHURCH-MEMBERSHIP”
By signing our
constitution, you have assumed a twofold obligation, the general obligation
of a Christian and the special obligation of a voting member of our
congregation.
The general
obligations of a Christian you assumed already when you were baptized and
confirmed, and by signing our constitution, you have merely repeated the
promises previously made. Those
promises consist in this, that as Lutheran Christians you will believe and
confess the truth and lead a godly life.
The new
obligations which you have assumed are these: -
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That you
will not absent yourselves from public worship, neither on Sunday nor on
any festival day nor on a weekday, unless you are compelled to do so;
-
That you will attend every voters' meeting unless prevented by
circumstances beyond your control;
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That you will at all times be concerned about the welfare of the
congregation and foster it in every way possible.
That you will –
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Give us the
benefit of your advice;
-
Always vote
for what you consider right;
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Contribute
according to your means toward the support of church and school and of
the poor in our midst.
-
When voting
for new pastors, teachers, elders, or other officers of the
congregation, let your vote be prompted alone by your concern for the
congregation's welfare;
-
Gladly
submit to admonition from the Word of God; when you see others sin,
practice brotherly admonition instead of talking about them behind their
backs; and when a case of church discipline comes up for discussion,
proceed strictly according to the Word of God;
-
Submit to
the rules and regulations made by our congregation, see to it that
others observe them, and do all that is in your power to foster harmony;
-
In case
doctrinal controversies should occur (which we ask God graciously to
prevent), judge strictly according to the Word of God and the Lutheran
Confessions.
4.
That you will often pray for the congregation;
5. That you will patiently bear with the weak in our midst;
6. That you will join no other religious organization; especially not a
secret order; that you will not send your children to the
non-religious public schools;
7. Finally, that you will faithfully remain one of us unto death or until
the Lord may lead you elsewhere.
If you succeed
with the grace of God in carrying out these promises, your membership will
prove a blessing to others; but above all you yourselves will enjoy the
fruits of our vineyard. May God
graciously grant it! Amen.
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