Missouri Synod and Czech Republic Lutherans sign ‘working agreement’
ST. LOUIS, July 13, 2012—Representatives of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession (known by the Czech acronym ECAV) in the Czech Republic signed a “working agreement” July 11 that pledges continuing dialogue between the two church bodies and allows the LCMS to operate an English-speaking congregation in Prague.
The agreement was signed at that congregation – St. Michael's Lutheran Church – by the Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver III and the Rev. Tony Booker of the LCMS, and the Rev. Marián Cop and Dr. Jaromír Neumann of the ECAV. Collver is director of LCMS Church Relations, Booker is an LCMS missionary who serves as pastor of St. Michael's in Prague, Cop is superintendent of the ECAV and Neumann is the ECAV's senior consistor.
“The agreement is not considered a declaration of altar and pulpit fellowship between the two church bodies, but rather it expresses both churches' commitment to engage in further discussion as they work together in limited ways externally,” Collver said.
Both churches have agreed to:
- have regular contact between their leaders.
- strengthen the work of pastoral ministry through lectures and symposia.
- invite each other to theological presentations.
- share theological opinions with one another, especially as those opinions pertain to the “theological and ethical problems of our civilization.”
About The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
The 2.3 million-member Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is a mission-oriented, Bible-based, confessional Christian denomination headquartered in St. Louis. Through acts of witness and mercy, the church carries out its mission worldwide to make known the love of Jesus Christ. Learn more at www.lcms.org.