Once a year since 2012, leaders from the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) have been meeting, with the last meeting taking place on December 9-10, 2024 in Jacksonville, FL.
People familiar with the history of these synods know that such meetings are unprecedented. ELS suspended fellowship with LCMS in 1955, and WELS did likewise in 1961. Both completely severed relations with LCMS in 1963 by withdrawing from the Synodical Conference. From 1963 until 2012, only a handful of official meetings took place between LCMS leaders and ELS/WELS leaders (these two synods remained in fellowship with each other), and none had the size and duration of the current meetings. At the 2024 meeting—the thirteen annual meeting—ELS had four representatives, LCMS had eleven, and WELS eight.
Why the meetings?
The current meetings are not understood to be formal doctrinal discussions to see if church fellowship can be restored. The re-establishment of church fellowship—a splendid goal that everyone can pray for—does not seem attainable in the immediate future. Rather, the meetings are understood as informal meetings, designed to help the estranged synods learn about each other through face-to-face interaction, and to discuss topics of mutual interest.
One reason why the meetings are happening at the present time is because LCMS is not at the same place that it was sixty years ago, when it was tending in a more liberal direction, entering into fellowship with the American Lutheran Church. LCMS has solidly reestablished its commitment to the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions, and has ended all official discussions with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Perhaps now is the time for former partners from the Synodical Conference to become reacquainted. ELS, LCMS, and WELS enjoyed fellowship in the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America from 1872-1961, and when fellowship was severed, it was severed with the hope that someday it might be restored.
Much in common
The recent meetings have been conducted without joint prayer and worship, since church fellowship is not recognized between all the synods. However, meeting participants have found that they enjoy one another’s company, and they have come to understand that the three synods have much in common.
All three synods face similar challenges. The United States membership of each synod has been declining, and there are many small congregations that no longer are able to support a pastor. Church workers are in short supply, at the same time that the number of young people is historically low. And, the cultural forces that oppose Christianity confront each synod mightily on every side.
The synods are also blessed in similar ways. There are colleges and seminaries spread throughout the synods that are functioning well. The finances of each synod are stable, and there are leaders who oversee doctrine and strive to maintain doctrinal integrity. Each synod enjoys a vibrant international church association: LCMS is a member of the International Lutheran Council with 55 member churches, and ELS and WELS are members of the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference with 34 member churches. And, the opportunities for confessional Lutheran outreach around the world are exploding to such an extent that it is difficult for mission personnel to keep up with the inquiries and opportunities.
Most importantly, among the leaders of the three synods at the present time, there is a common commitment to the Bible as the inerrant Word of God and to the Lutheran Confessions as a correct presentation of the doctrines of the Bible. Though doctrinal challenges remain, a common foundation has been apparent in our meetings.
Doctrinal topics
Quite a bit of time in these meetings has been spent on the discussion of doctrine, and the leaders of the three synods seem to be on the same page with many teachings. Topics that have been discussed with agreement include the doctrines of creation and justification. Agreement has also been presumed on many other doctrines, including: the Trinity, the person and work of Christ, the sacraments, conversion, election, the two kingdoms, and the end times. When reviews were made of each other’s catechisms, a high degree of similarity was noted between them. The same was the case when each other’s hymnals were reviewed. Of course, one doesn’t know how uniformly these teachings are confessed and practiced throughout each synod.
The main doctrinal challenges are found in three areas—long identified as disputed. One is church fellowship. Though we all agree on the general principles and on the practice of closed communion, we differ on prayer fellowship, with LCMS allowing for joint prayer outside the parameters of pulpit and altar fellowship.
The second involves the roles of men and women. Though we all agree that there is an “order of creation” with male headship, we differ on how that is best expressed and implemented. LCMS, for example, allows women to vote in all congregational and synodical meetings.
The third deals with the public ministry. Though we all have pastors and a variety of other church workers, we talk in different ways about what is divinely instituted. LCMS says that Christ instituted the Office of the Public Ministry (preaching office), while ELS and WELS present the divinely instituted public ministry more broadly.
In our discussions on these topics, it has been useful to hear directly what the other synods teach, and to understand better why they teach as they do. In some cases, caricatures have been removed, and the differences have been shown to be less than had been imagined. Still, genuine differences do exist, and the ramifications of these differences need to be part of any future discussions between the synods.
Future interaction
Meeting participants are hoping to open up inter-synodical discussion more broadly in the coming years. Plans are being made for one or more free conferences in 2026, designed for people from all three synods—clergy and laypeople alike. In this free conference setting, a fuller report on the annual meetings will be given. As synodical leaders from the three synods have benefitted by becoming acquainted, so also local church leaders may benefit by similar interaction with their inter-synodical neighbors.
Another leadership meeting is planned for December 2025, in keeping with the will of the synods. Since 2012, all three synods have passed convention resolutions that have encouraged continued discussions. Where the conversations will go, under God’s guidance, is unknown. But by God’s grace, there has been a noteworthy rapprochement among leaders from ELS, LCMS, and WELS in the past decade.
This article has been composed by Prof. Thomas Nass and approved by the three synod presidents—Glenn Obenberger (ELS), Matthew Harrison (LCMS), and Mark Schroeder (WELS)—and is being circulated in all three synods.