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WELS What's the Difference? |
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WELS What's the Difference? |
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The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) and the Church of the Lutheran Confession (CLC) are both conservative Lutheran church bodies. Doctrinally, they have many more things in common than they have differences. However, the church to which we belong is supposed to be one with which we are in full agreement concerning all of the doctrines of Scripture. Since 1960, the members of the CLC have not been in fellowship with the WELS because of a difference concerning what the Bible teaches about church fellowship.
The Bible teaches that we are to worship, pray, do church work, and commune only with those who teach all of God's Word in its truth. If it should happen that false teaching arises within our fellowship, we are to identify it and separate ourselves from it.
(Acts 20:30-31) Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
(Romans 16:17-18) Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
God's command for us in this area is to flee from false teachers. In many churches, the judgment of true and false teaching has to do with only a few "basic" Christian doctrines. But the Bible's own standard for the exercise of fellowship is agreement concerning all of the Bible's teachings.
(Matthew 28:19-20) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.
(1 Corinthians 1:10) Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
The Wisconsin Synod and its sister church body, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), have taken the position that there are times when the right thing to do is to stay in fellowship, at least for a time, with known false teachers. This is not in accordance with God's Word.
A Little History
From 1872 until about 1961 there were various conservative Lutheran synods that made up a larger federation, called the "Synodical Conference." Originally, this included the Missouri Synod, the Wisconsin Synod, the Norwegian Synod, and the Slovak Synod. Organizationally, these synods remained separate from each other, but were in fellowship together, and thus were able to exchange pastors and teachers, and commune in one another's churches.
This fine arrangement for like-minded Lutherans was spoiled, however, because of unscriptural doctrine and practice that grew in the Missouri Synod, throughout the 1940's and 50's. Among other things, the Missouri Synod abandoned its Scriptural position concerning Lodges and Scouting, and at one point declared its agreement with the liberal American Lutheran Church. Over many years the Wisconsin Synod protested these changes from Scriptural doctrine and practice in the Missouri Synod, but things grew worse instead of better.
Finally, the Wisconsin Synod made this resolution concerning the Missouri Synod at its 1955 Convention: "A church body which creates divisions and offenses by its official resolutions, policies, and practices not in accord with Scripture also becomes subject to the indictment of Romans 16:17-18. The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod has by its official resolutions, policies, and practices created divisions and offenses both in her own body and in the entire Synodical Conference. Such divisions and offenses are of long standing." Thus already in 1955 the WELS had identified the Missouri Synod as a false-teaching church body. The right thing to do at this point would have been to withdraw from fellowship with Missouri by leaving the Synodical Conference. This would have been simple obedience to the instructions that God has given us in Romans 16:17 to "mark and avoid." Because of the failure of the WELS and ELS to follow the Lord's clear instructions to be separate from false teachers, a number of congregations and pastors left those two church bodies. They were brought together as the CLC in 1960.
Not timing, but principle
It was not until 1961 that the WELS and ELS separated from the false-teaching Missouri Synod. But since they did finally do so, shouldn't the pastors and members of the CLC have then gone back to their former church bodies? WELS members today often assume that we are still a separate church body because we felt that Wisconsin should have separated sooner than it did. In point of fact, the issue of timing is not central at all. Instead, the central issue is a difference about the reason why a separation must take place according to Scripture. It is a matter of Scriptural principle.
The Scriptural reason for leaving a false-teaching church is simply the fact that there is false teaching there, and that separation is what the Lord commands. God commands this, not only for our own good but also as a clear witness to those who are still caught up in error. The correct Scriptural procedure for dealing with erring brethren and false teachers is taught in passages such as 1 Tim. 4:16, Galatians 6:1-2, Matthew 7:15, Romans 16:17-18, and 2 John 1:10-11. The principles can be summarized in this way:
Admonish someone with whom you are in fellowship if
you think he may have fallen into an inadvertent error in doctrine or
practice. The problem may be a simple misunderstanding. Or, you may
be dealing with a person whose faith is weak; if he is willing to
listen to God's Word and be corrected by it, then you have both been blessed.
The WELS and ELS did not follow these Scriptural principles in their dealings with Missouri. And, when they did finally break fellowship, it was not for a Scriptural reason. They left, not because of the fact of false teaching, but because they had become convinced, in their own human judgment, that Missouri was not going to return once again to doctrinal orthodoxy.
By its past official statements and resolutions, the Wisconsin Synod (along with its sister synod, the ELS) has changed its doctrine to match its practice, by saying that this is a correct procedure for dealing with erring brethren and false teachers:
Mark, that is, watch out for and identify, any
person or organization that is in fact promoting and defending false teaching.
In other words, it is acceptable to disobey God's Word by not separating from false teachers, if you have the opinion that staying with them and admonishing them might still bring about a change. This, in itself, is a false doctrine. The WELS took this position in order to justify its earlier disobedience to Rom. 16:17-18 with regard to the Missouri Synod. This teaching can be clearly demonstrated from official synodical statements of the WELS and ELS, which have never been rejected or withdrawn. For example:
"Termination of church fellowship is called for when you have reached the conviction that admonition is of no further avail and that the erring brother or church body demands recognition for their error." (From the 1959 WELS Convention Proceedings.)
"The ELS position of long standing has been this, very briefly, that when a person or church body with whom we are in fellowship causes divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine we have learned, we mark them immediately, then admonish, and if this proves fruitless, then avoid them." (From the ELS's "Synod Lutheran Quarterly," June 1962, p. 21.)
Because these two church bodies have a different doctrine concerning what God says about separating from false teachers, we cannot exercise fellowship with the WELS and ELS.
That was then; this is now
No doubt there are many in the Wisconsin Synod who would not agree with the "Mark, then admonish, then avoid-after-you-think-nothing-more-can-be-done" doctrine. It is a fair question to ask, then, "Even if there was a doctrinal disagreement at that time, shouldn't our fellowship be based on what these two church bodies teach on the subject NOW?" Do these two synods have a current difference in doctrine, or is this all just a matter of decades-old history?
The answer is that the false doctrine that the WELS fell into in the late 50's still stands today as part of the synod's public confession. As recently as 1990 there have been meetings between representatives of the WELS, ELS, and CLC to try to iron out an agreement about separation from false-teaching church bodies. In the draft copy of a joint statement on the subject, the men from all three synods appeared to have reached a genuine breakthrough. They agreed in writing that it was wrong, after "marking" false teachers, to base a decision to "avoid" them on a human judgment about whether or not further admonition might do any good. Though the "joint statement" was never officially adopted by any of the church bodies, it was a good start toward an attempt to reestablish fellowship. However, when the CLC representatives wanted to refer to these newly-stated, Scriptural principles as a "settlement of doctrinal differences," the WELS/ELS men refused, claiming that there had never been a doctrinal difference in the first place. (It should be noted that during inter-synodical meetings in 1972, both the CLC and the WELS recognized the existence of a doctrinal difference between the two synods.)
What then became of the official statement by the WELS Convention that said "Termination of church fellowship is called for when you have reached the conviction that admonition is of no further avail"? In effect, the WELS/ELS representatives said two different and contradictory things about it. First they rightly rejected it in the "joint statement." But then, by saying that there has never been a doctrinal difference on this matter, they refused to reject the "no further avail" statement as being false doctrine. Thus, their position was that the statement IS and IS NOT false doctrine, at one and the same time. Such a position cannot be the basis for us to establish God-pleasing fellowship ties with the WELS. The bottom line is that the former official statements of false doctrine remain in effect, and are therefore a barrier that stands between the WELS and the CLC.
In the intervening years between 1960 and today, other issues have come up which further reflect the doctrinal difference between our church bodies. Most noticeable is the acceptance by the WELS of unionism with the Missouri Synod and the ELCA (the largest and most liberal of American church bodies). This unionism takes place through fraternal membership in Lutheran benefit societies such as Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL) and Lutheran Brotherhood (LB). Please see the separate section at the end of this article for more on this.
Hair-splitting?
It can sometimes seem like the little CLC likes to be separate for its own sake. God help us if that's true! Rather, our real reason for being "sticklers" on all the doctrines of Scripture ought to be love for the Gospel. Any false teaching, no matter how small, is a threat -- not to our pride or our own supposed "purity" -- but a threat to the Gospel itself. Paul was talking about false doctrine when he said "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough" (Gal 5:9). The results of false teaching about the doctrine of church fellowship are immediately dangerous, and eventually deadly. Look at what has happened to the huge "Lutheran" church body, the ELCA. It's leaders have now abandoned many of the basics of faith, such as the virgin birth and Christ's physical resurrection from the dead. This didn't happen all at once, but as a result of "little" errors being allowed to stand side-by-side with Scripture truth. The "little" bit of false teaching grows like gangrene, as Paul says in 2 Timothy, until the true Gospel itself is swept away.
What God says about fellowship in the Bible is hard to put into practice, but the Lord has given it to us out of love, for our good. The doctrine of fellowship has well been described as the church's "immune system." When it's functioning properly, invasions of false teaching are dealt with, truth is upheld, and the body is preserved in God's Word. If the fellowship principle fails, then "germs" of error are allowed to spread and do their damage, and can eventually cause death. We want to pass on to our children and succeeding generations ALL of the truths of God's Word. Therefore none of the divinely-revealed teachings of the Bible can be sacrificed for the sake of outward unity.
Questions and Answers about Fraternal Lutheran Insurance
"Aid Association for Lutherans"
"Lutheran Brotherhood"
Q: What are AAL and LB?
A: Aid Association for Lutherans and Lutheran Brotherhood are "fraternal benefit societies." They sell insurance policies to their members on a non-profit basis. They do generate income, but instead of paying dividends to shareholders, they use the money for social and religious causes among Lutheran churches.
Q: Who can belong to AAL or LB?
A: Only someone who belongs to a Lutheran church, or is the spouse or child of a Lutheran, may belong. However, it does not matter which Lutheran church you belong to. These companies have many members among the (more conservative) Wisconsin Synod, the (liberal) Missouri Synod, and the (ultra-liberal) Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Q: What kind of support does AAL and LB provide?
A: AAL and LB regularly donate large sums of money directly to Lutheran synods, as well as to their colleges, seminaries, and elementary schools. They often provide "matching funds" for local congregational fundraising efforts. According to an AAL publication, the Wisconsin Synod received $1.9 million in grants and matching funds from AAL in 1993. The Missouri Synod received $7.1 million that year, and the ELCA received about $7 million. More millions come from Lutheran Brotherhood.
Q: What's wrong with supporting the programs of various Lutheran churches?
A: There are, no doubt, many beneficial services that are made possible through the aid of fraternal insurance money. However, this money also supports some terrible things that we would never want to help along ourselves. For instance, there is a strong pro-abortion and pro-homosexual agenda in the ELCA, which is aided by fraternal insurance money. Even worse than that is the false doctrine that infects these heterodox church bodies. For instance, in ELCA seminaries it is taught that Jesus' virgin birth and His resurrection may well be myths. It should make us shudder to think of helping a professor to teach a future pastor that Jesus didn't truly rise from the dead!
Q: But isn't membership in AAL or LB just a business deal? How is this different from buying insurance with Allstate, for instance?
A: It is not necessary -- nor is it possible -- to investigate how every company spends its profits before we buy something from them. But AAL and LB are not just companies from which you buy a product. You cannot buy insurance from them unless you are a member. When you belong to this kind of fraternal society, you are not simply a customer of a company, you ARE the company, by reason of your fraternal membership and voting rights. Therefore, you are responsible for how the company's profits are spent, and that makes it much more than just a "business arrangement." Lutheran fraternal insurance calls itself your religious "brother" in many ways -- in fact, that's what the word "fraternal" means.
Q: Are there Scripture passages to guide us on this subject?
A: Yes. Consider Rom 16:17: "Note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them." Avoiding false teachers means that we refuse to be partners with them in religious matters. Simply buying a product from a company does not make you a religious partner with them. However, membership in AAL or LB is different. Since it is a fraternal benefit society for Lutherans, your membership does makes you a religious partner with the WELS, LC-MS, and ELCA.
2 John 1:10-11 says, "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds." Surely we do not want our money and involvement to help along the "evil deeds" of promoting false doctrine and even immorality, as is happening in many "Lutheran" churches and schools.
Q: What's the "bottom line?"
A: The question can be summarized in this way: "Is it pleasing to our Lord to be a member of a fraternal society that, in addition to its other activities, supports and promotes false teachers?" The answer from Scripture is "no," and that is why membership in fraternal Lutheran benefit societies is not compatible with our Christian life and witness.
by Pastor Bruce Naumann
Faith Lutheran Church
N1529 St. Rd. 73
Markesan, WI 53946
A member congregation of the Church of the Lutheran Confession
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