A Matter of Fellowship

When it comes to relationships between church bodies, doctrine and practice (supposedly) matters. Official church fellowships are a way of telling its members that are traveling which churches believe the same things we do, and vice-versa. This allows them to share in the celebration of the various sacraments at each other’s alter, have pastors from sibling churches guest-preach, and the like.

What that means is that for church organizations – altar pulpit fellowship is a Very Big Deal.

That’s why this suggestion by a LutherQuest author should raise some eyebrows:

LCMS officials need to start asking themselves (or being asked by others) just how much involvement and cover-up (and lack of public contrition) by ABC and LC-C officials has to exist, before the LCMS’s A&P fellowship with LC-C is suspended?

Given that the LCMS has some matters of its own to address and how long it took to issue an official statement about the ELCA’s wandering path I don’t think this’ll come to anything. That it’s been raised at all should be telling though.

BTW – if everything works right this should end up on my Facebook Page. Check it out!