Church Relations

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

While the LCMS is a uniquely North American church body, it has relationships of varying degrees with 70 other Lutheran church bodies in 58 countries around the globe.

Needless to say, all of these church bodies are unapologetically Lutheran, confessing — at a minimum — the three ecumenical creeds and the Augsburg Confession.

The LCMS communicates and cooperates with these other church bodies in many areas, such as ecumenical relations, theology, theological education, mission, and mercy.

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  The LCMS Office of Church Relations

  The President shall be the chief ecumenical officer of the Synod … He or his representatives shall represent the Synod in official contacts with other church bodies (Bylaw 3.3.1.1.2 (a)).

  The LCMS President is the chief ecumenical officer of the LCMS and, as such, has the primary responsibility for managing these many relationships.

  Because of the size and ever-growing scope of these relationships, the LCMS President delegates this authority to a unit within his office called the Office of Church Relations, which manages these many international relationships under his direction and on his behalf.

  The Office of Church Relations, then, serves as the official channel through which inter-church cooperation takes place in the LCMS. On behalf of the LCMS, then, the Office of Church Relations:

  • engages in church-to-church relations with national Lutheran church bodies;
  • engages in church-to-church relations with international Lutheran church bodies;
  • engages in ecumenical relations with national non-Lutheran church bodies;
  • deploys representatives of the LCMS President around the world;
  • provides scholarships and other support for theological education around the world;
  • represents the LCMS in international fora such as the International Lutheran Council (ILC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF); and
  • connects LCMS members, pastors, and congregations in North America to other church bodies around the world.

International Relationships

• Church Fellowship

• Article VI: Church Fellowship

  At the 2010 LCMS Convention, the Synod passed Resolution 8-30B titled, “Congregations Walking Together in Mission with Covenants of Love To Study Article VI of the Synod’s Constitution.”

  The resolution noted that Article VI of the Synod’s constitution has been misunderstood, in particular the clauses, “Renunciation of unionism and syncretism of every description;” “Exclusive use of doctrinally pure agenda, hymnbooks, and catechisms in church and school;” and “examination and approval of [congregation’s] constitution and bylaws by the district.”

  Resolution 8-30B resolves, among other things, “That the President of the Synod in consultation [with COP, CTCR, CCM] ... make provisions for the preparation of materials that explain the biblical, confessional, and historical basis for Article VI of the Synod’s Constitution.”

   Church Fellowship resources

• Dialogue With Other Church Bodies

• The LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations in 2011 adopted a report entitled “Theological Dialogue with Other Christian Church Bodies.”

  The report concludes: “At no point, however, should dialogue with other Christians be allowed to deny or to gloss over areas of theological disagreement. Authentic ecumenical dialogue must always be in the service of the truth of God’s Word, centered in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Church has no higher treasure.”

   Download and read report

• Policies

• In 2014, the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations adopted and revised a policy entitled “Policy for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Declaring Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with Another Church Body.” The report begins:

  “Article III of the constitution of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod lists as the first objective of the Synod that:

  The Synod, under Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, shall—Conserve and promote the unity of the true faith (Eph. 4:3-6; 1 Cor. 1:10), work through its official structure toward fellowship with other Christian church bodies, and provide a united defense against schism, sectarianism (Rom. 16:17), and heresy.

  This policy statement describes the procedure which The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod follows in declaring Church Fellowship with another church body.”

   Download and read report

• Existing Relationships

• Partner Churches

  A partner church is a church body with whom the LCMS has full altar and pulpit fellowship.

  Argentina — Evangelical Lutheran Church of Argentina

  Brazil — Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil

  Canada — Lutheran Church—Canada

  Chile — Confessional Lutheran Church of Chile

  Denmark — Evangelical Lutheran Free Church in Denmark

  France — Evangelical Lutheran Church—Synod of France

  Germany — Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church

  Ghana — Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana

  Guatemala — Lutheran Church in Guatemala

  Haiti — Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti

  Hong Kong — Lutheran Church—Hong Kong Synod

  India — India Evangelical Lutheran Church

  Japan — Japan Lutheran Church*

  * For over 13 years, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) has encouraged, exhorted, and convened theological discussions with the Japan Lutheran Church (JLC) to uphold the clear teaching of the infallible Word of God, as held by the historic confessional Christian Church, that only men may be ordained to the pastoral office, that is, the preaching office.

  Sadly, tragically, and against the clear teaching of Holy Scripture, the JLC in its April 2021 convention codified the ordination of women to the pastoral office as its official doctrine and practice. This adoption of false doctrine and practice breaks the confession and unity of the true faith and makes it impossible for the LCMS to continue to recognize and practice altar and pulpit fellowship with the JLC.

  Barring a change in the doctrine and practice of the JLC, the serious matter of the formal cessation of altar and pulpit fellowship will be brought before the Synod at its next convention in July 2023.

  Kazakhstan — Evangelical Lutheran Church in Almaty

  Kenya — Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya

  Korea — Lutheran Church in Korea

  Latvia — Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia

  Liberia — Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liberia

  Lithuania — Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lithuania

  Mexico — Lutheran Synod of Mexico

  Nigeria — Lutheran Church of Nigeria

  Norway — Lutheran Church in Norway

  Papua New Guinea — Gutnius Lutheran Church

  Paraguay — Evangelical Lutheran Church of Paraguay

  Philippines — Lutheran Church in the Philippines

  Russia — Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria

  Russia — Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church

  South Africa — Lutheran Church in Southern Africa

  South Africa — Free Evangelical Lutheran Synod in South Africa

  Taiwan — China Evangelical Lutheran Church

  Togo — Lutheran Church of Togo

  United Kingdom — Evangelical Lutheran Church of England

  United States — The American Association of Lutheran Churches

  Uruguay — Lutheran Church of Uruguay

  Venezuela — Lutheran Church of Venezuela

• Emerging Relationships

• Allied Churches

  The LCMS has allied relationships with the following churches.

  Australia — Lutheran Church of Australia

  Belgium — Evangelical Lutheran Church in Belgium

  Bolivia — Evangelical Christian Lutheran Church of Bolivia

  Cambodia — Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cambodia

  Czech Republic — Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Czech Republic

  Czech Republic — Silesian Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession

  Ethiopia — Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus

  Finland — Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland

  Indonesia — Indonesian Lutheran Christian Church

  Kazakhstan — Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Kazakhstan

  Nicaragua — Lutheran Church Synod of Nicaragua

  Norway — Evangelical Lutheran Diocese in Norway

  Peru — Evangelical Lutheran Church—Peru

  Portugal — Portuguese Evangelical Lutheran Church

  Rwanda — Lutheran Mission in Africa—Synod of Thousand Hills

  Sierra Leone — Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church—Sierra Leone

  South Africa — Confessional Lutheran Synod of South Africa

  South Sudan — South Sudan Evangelical Lutheran Church

  Sweden — Mission Province in Sweden

  Tanzania — Lutheran Church of East Africa

  Turkey — Istanbul Lutheran Church

  Uganda — Lutheran Church of Uganda

  Ukraine — German Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Ukraine

  United States — The Lutheran Ministerium and Synod—USA

   

  Emerging Relationships

  The LCMS has nascent dialogue with the following church bodies.

  Burma — Myanmar Lutheran Church

  Colombia — Confessional Lutheran Church of Colombia

  Ethiopia — Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church

  Madagascar — Malagasy Lutheran Church

  Malaysia — Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia

  Norway — Evangelical Lutheran Denomination

  Norway — Norwegian Lutheran Mission

  Singapore — Lutheran Church in Singapore

  South Sudan — Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sudan and South Sudan

  Tanzania — Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania

Resources

• LCMS and LCC Joint Statement on Mission and Ministry in Canada — 2022

• Joint letter from LCMS President Harrison and presidents of WELS and ELS to U.S. Attorney General — 2022

• LCMS, LCC and NALC Leaders Release Joint Statement on Scripture — 2016

• LCMS, LCC and ACNA release interim report on ecumenical dialogue — 2016

• Report on Meetings with ELS, LCMS, and WELS Leaders — 2012–2015

• The ELCA/Reformed Formula of Agreement in Confessional Lutheran Perspective — 1999

• The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification in Confessional Lutheran Perspective — 1999

• The Porvoo Statement and Declaration in Confessional Lutheran Perspective — 1999

• A Response to “The U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue Report VIII: The One Mediator, the Saints, and Mary” — 1994

• A Response to “The U. S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue Report VII: Justification by Faith” — 1992

• The LCMS Response to the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches to the Text of “Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry” — 1985