Differences between the hyper-euro-Lutheran pastors, those who want to return to pre-Waltherian, 19th Century, European, Lutheran hierarchy, and the Church Growth Leadership Training Pastors, those who want to run contemporary churches like General Motors and the Harvard School of Business, have led many in the LCMS to lose the definition of the Church.

Today, LCMS pastors will openly debate if Christ came to save the Word and Sacraments or the members of the Congregation. I have participated in these debates. This writer's position is, that Christ did not die for the worship service and the sacraments, but the people. In other words, the people are the church. Christ says, "You are a royal priesthood." (1Petet 2:9) and "Where two or three are gathered in My Name there am I in the midst of them..." (Mat. 18:20)

Yes, Christ tells us that the Church is His body, in Eph 5:22 and following. However, the Church doesn't disappear into Christ. Paul makes a clear distinction in this text between Christ, the Groom, and the Church, Christ's Bride, that He cleanses.

The Word and the Sacraments are the "marks of the Church;" they create the church; but they are not the church. The members are the church. I repeat, the members are the church. Christ died for them. He died for the entire world, but only the church believes it.

The Synod's Commission on Theology and Church Relations has created much of the confusion on the definition of the church with its 1985 document "Women in the Church." They changed the definition of the church into "a process" (what you do) instead of the people (who you are).

They say that 1 Cor. 14:33b-35 and 1 Tim. 2:11-15 (page 38) are not speaking about the members, when Paul says, "Let your women keep silent in the churches" but the worship service. Now the worship service is the "church" instead of the people.

The document repeatedly gives the "headship" of the congregation to the pastor (beginning on page 30) when the Voters' Assembly used to have "headship" over the congregation.

If the "service is church" and not the members, then the Voters' Assembly is no longer "church" as Walther had originally defined it. ("Since, according to the Word of God the Congregation is the highest court within its circle..." "Pastoral Theology" by Walther, CN, page 257)

Hence, Church Growth pastors are free to make the congregation a crowd and the Board of Directors the Church, while the hyper-euro-Lutheran pastors make the Word and Sacraments the Church. Both kinds of pastors exercise full "headship" over the church.

Things have changed in the LCMS. In 1922, when they published "1847 Ebenezer 1922" there was no question about the definition of the Church as there is today. We applaud Missouri's stand against Buffalo as published below.

The doctrinal disputes that forged, shaped, and tested the young Missouri Synod in the fires of controversy during its first 25 years were recalled to memory at that 75th Anniversary of the Synod in 1922. The same issues are once again being debated in the LCMS because we have forgotten and/or ignored our history.

Pastor J. J. A. Grabau, leader of the Buffalo Synod, publicly maligned the Missouri Synod for not being Lutheran, not following the Scriptures and not following the Lutheran Confessions. The issues were finally settled in 1866 at which time 12 pastors of the Buffalo Synod and a number of congregations joined the Missouri Synod.

For the 75th Anniversary of the Missouri Synod, Concordia Publishing House published "1847 Ebenezer 1922." The 536-page volume contains remarkable article on pages 124 through 139 by Rev. Arthur Both of Chicago, Ill. titled, "The Missouri Synod and the Buffalo Synod."

"The difference between Missouri and Buffalo Synod on the doctrine of the church:"

"1. Falsely claiming the testimony of the Lutheran Confessions, the Buffalo Synod teaches that the one holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, is a visible church, when it says: 'Our Symbols teach and confess that there is and must remain on earth at all times one holy Christian Church, which really and truly is the visible congregation of believers, among whom the Word of God is taught in its purity and the Sacraments are administered according to Christ's institution.' (Third Pastoral Letter, p. 17 by J. A. A. Grabau)" (Page 126)

The Buffalo Synod inserted the word "visible" into its quotation of the Augsburg Confession, and also slightly altered the text of the article.

Missouri's Response:
"But the Word of God teaches, Luke 17:20-21, 'The kingdom of God cometh not with observation; . . . for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.' And a true Lutheran synod teaches: 'The Church, in the true sense of the word, is invisible.' (Church and Ministry. P. 15)" (Page 127)

"2. The Buffalo Synod also taught, 'that by it [the one holy Church of God] are not meant scattered believers and saints, but those who gather about the Word and Sacraments.' and 'that these church gatherings are such as have the Word and Sacrament in purity in the ministry.' (Fifth Pastoral Letter, p. 9 by J. A. A. Grabau.)" (Page 127)

Missouri's Response:
"On the contrary, the Word of God says, 1 Kings 19:18: 'Yet I have left Me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.'. . . A true Lutheran synod therefore teaches: 'It is very important what Luther says, to wit, that Christendom is scattered bodily, but united spiritually.' (Twelfth Synodical Report, Eastern Dist., Missouri Synod. p. 15.)" (Page 127)

"3. Buffalo denied the doctrine 'that even where the Word of God and the Sacraments are not wholly pure, the holy Church of the elect is gathered, so long as the Word and Sacrament are not totally denied, but are retained as to their essence.' (Third Pastoral Letter, p. 20 by J. A. A. Grabau.)" (Page 127)

Missouri's Response:
"The Word of God, on the contrary, teaches Gal. 1:2, 'unto the churches of Galatians.' By designating the called Galatians 'churches,' or congregations, the holy apostle shows indisputably that even in these communions, although they have been led into error by false teachers, and to a large extent even falling away from Christ, there yet remained the hidden seed of the Church of true believers. Therefore a true Lutheran synod teaches: 'Hereby our Symbols would have it understood that there are yet children of God outside of the Lutheran Church, and that because of them even communions holding false doctrines, but not denying God's Word outright, may still be called churches.' (Twelfth Synodical Report, Eastern Dist., Missouri Synod. p. 10)" (Page 128)

"4. The Buffalo Synod rejected the doctrine that 'only communion with the invisible Church is absolutely necessary for salvation.' Teaching as follows: 'St. Paul. . . say, Rom. 10, that then only are we saved when by faith we also confess with our mouth and thus come into the visible true Church.' (Third Pastoral Letter p. 20. by J. A. A. Grabau)" (Page 128)

Missouri's Response:
"But the Word of God says, Rom 3:28: 'Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the Law.' Gal. 3:26: 'For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.' Gal. 3:9: 'So, then, they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.' And a true Lutheran synod teaches: 'To attain salvation, only communion with the invisible Church is absolutely necessary. . . . Whoever therefore makes salvation dependent on communion with any visible church thereby overthrows the article of the justification of a poor sinner before God by faith only.' (Church and Ministry. p. 160f)" (Page 128)

"5. Its false statement that outside of the Lutheran Church nobody can be saved, the Buffalo Synod explained it this way: 'When we say that outside of the Lutheran Church nobody can be saved, we mean to say that a man must be a living member of this orthodox communion, and that he is in duty bound to flee all meetings of heretics and schismatic and sects, (Second Pastoral Letter p. 24 f. by Grabau) It is true, the Buffalo Synod says: 'When among the schematics and sects, beside the little baptized children, there are awakened souls that have been roused by the reading of the Scriptures and otherwise by better information conveyed to them occasionally, and that now grasp the pure Christian doctrine begin to believe aright, really know Christ, confess him, and call upon Him; we know that this is in reality a spiritual exodus from the sect, and they are now no longer in the sect, but outside it'; but in the breath Buffalo continued: 'And the Lord God will soon bring it about that they will also come into a church which confesses its orthodoxy, and where the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity.' (Third Pastoral Letter, p. 20.)" (Page 128)

Missouri's Response:
"But hereby the external fellowship with a visible orthodox church-communion is again made the final and indispensable condition for the attainment of salvation. The Word of God, however, teaches, Rom 11: 2-4: 'Wot yet not what the Scripture saith of Elias, how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed Thy prophets, and digged down Thine altars, and I am left alone, and they seek my life? But saith the answer of God to him? I have reserved to Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.' . . . 'According to this a true Lutheran synod teaches: 'The one holy Christian Church on earth, or the Church in the real sense of the word, outside of which there is neither salvation nor heaven, according to the Word of God, is the total number of those who believe on Christ and are sanctified by this faith.' (Synodical Report of General Meeting of the Missouri Synod, 1866, p. 40.) 'There are indeed many faithful children of God who, as far as their conscience is concerned, actually have left the sects, though not bodily.' (Twelfth Synodical Report, Eastern Dist., Missouri Synod. p. 9)" (Page 129)