Brethren together in unity


The Conference here at Salem August 30-31st revealed unity between five pastors of independent Lutheran congregations.


How good it is when unity is revealed among brothers in the ministry! After years in the LC-MS, a person becomes aware of just how precious such unity truly is.
After Salem made its decision to leave the Missouri Synod, we contacted those who either had (or were in the process of) making the same decision. The result was the conference which we hosted at the end of the month.
Most of the pastors involved in the conference had known each other for years, so it was not a surprise to find that on issue after issue, there was complete agreement on doctrine and practice. The following independent Lutheran pastors were present:

• Rev. Clark Brown, Concordia (Visalia, CA)
• Rev. James Heiser, Salem (Malone, TX)
• Rev. C. D. Hudson, Christ (Richmond, MO)
• Rev. John Rutowicz, St. Boniface (Niles, MI)
• Rev. Paul Siems, Bride of Christ (Wichita, KS)

All of these pastors were glad to sign what the group decided to call the "Malone Statement" acknowledging the doctrinal agreement which was revealed among us.
As congregations begin to emerge from the theological wasteland of the Missouri synod, it is a joy to discover the exciting possibilities that are opening up in front of us. The substantial conversations we had concerning future seminary education, cooperation on mission efforts, and publishing were all very encouraging.
All of us are looking forward to our next gathering, as are a number of brethren who wanted to come for the Malone meeting, but had other commitments. I'm sure they'll be there next time... :)

Posted: Wed - September 8, 2004 at 04:53 PM        

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