"And also any religious exercises (prayer, religious address or sermon, religious hymns) in connection with school commencements, so-called baccalaureate services, and the like, or religious exercises of any kind in connection with political meetings, or other meetings of civic bodies, whenever members of different denominations take part, is unionism. In these particular instances such is also the result of a failure to understand the doctrine of the separation of Church and state, not keeping each within its own proper sphere."
Fritz's Pastoral Theology pages 222-223

“A Lutheran, historically and honestly such, cannot therefore hold less than the Augsburg Confession; hence it is as true now, as it was when the Confession was given, that our Lutheran Churches hold, confess, and teach the same doctrine… among themselves, to wit, the very doctrine confessed by our Fathers at Augsburg.” [Charles Porterfield Krauth, The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology, p. 364.]

"'If there ever was a strictly conservative body, it surely is the Missouri Synod. Nevertheless, this growth!...It is a mark of the pastors and leaders of the Missouri Synod that they never, aye, never, tire of discussing doctrine on the basis of Scripture and the Confessions. That is one trait that may be called the spirit of Missouri. People who thus cling to doctrine and contend for its purity are of an entirely different nature from the superficial unionists who in the critical moment will declare five to be an even number. God will bless all who value His Word so highly.'" (Dr. Lenski, Kirchenzeitung, May 20, 1922)
 

(Ed. It sure isn't our grandfather's church any more. If you want to discuss doctrine these days, you are unloving, divisive, against missions and evangelism and belong to a "purity cult.")

 

Doctrinal indifferentists hate those of us who love the pure doctrine more than we love any synod. They cannot be placated because our very existence is an accusation against them. There is only one way to fight these people. Shut them out of the fellowship. Don't worship with them and, above all, don't ever commune with them. Rolf Preus

The Organization Concord  is a non-profit association of those Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod Lutherans who desire to explain the Biblical principles guiding the Christian faith as expounded clearly and simply in the Book of Concord and apply them to their personal and church lives. The Book of Concord is the collection of the official doctrinal documents of the Lutheran Church. Collected in 1580, these principles of faith and life, especially the Large and Small Catechisms, have guided those who want to be true "Lutherans" through the ages of rationalism, pietism, modernism, and now post-modernism.

In 1994 Concord developed and published "This We Believe - A Vision for the Future of the Texas District and the Lutheran Church - Missiouri Synod" in which we stated our basic views over against some of the more obvious changes taking place in the District and Synod. They still stand as a testimony of Concord's vision of what needs to be in the church of Jesus Christ.

Membership requirements for Concord are not rigorous. But in this age when religious commitment is reduced to the lowest common denominator, some have to stand up and be counted, just as the laypeople and pastors of Luther's day who were blessed by these documents did. That is what being a "Confessional" Lutheran is all about. Jesus said, "He who confesses me before men, him will I confess before my Father in heaven." To stand up and be counted as one who is dedicated to the Savior, His Word and His Mission, is what being a Confessional Lutheran is all about. We put our time and our money into our work for Him on personal, congregational and denominational levels in spite of opposition and misunderstanding from many quarters. Officers and Committees strive to practice this heritage of Lutheran theology in the modern world.

One of our goals is to get the good word out to as many as will hear and read it. Concord publishes a periodical called "Remnant." Articles by pastors and laypeople alike call attention to the deviations from the principles or the Book of Concord that are occurring in the general Christian world and even, sadly, in our own midst. We hope that those who err simply because they have been entranced with the methods of business success, pressured by superiors or congregations to adopt practices that are empty of theological content and merely practical or who have not considered their doctrine or practices from the viewpoint of the Confessions will return to the truth and the proper way of practicing Lutheranism.

Remnant also explains from the Bible and the Confessions the correct Lutheran doctrines of faith and church life, so that all the readers will know that the founder of Christianity and the founders of Lutheranism were on the same wavelength, and that the modern sociological and psychological gurus of the lowest-common-denominator methods are way off base.

The Organization Concord encourages congregations to look for opportunities to begin new mission work in their areas. Helps are available from Concord  that will assist your congregation to start a mission nearby with a Pastor who will use the Word of God and His Sacraments as the basis for its growth.  Several congregations in Texas have already been planted with these cost-effective methods. Members of Concord and others may support these missions directly or through tax deductible gifts to the Concord organization. Since it is so small at this time, Concord operates with no overhead costs . Your gifts go 100% for what you intend them. Write to Concord, P.O. Box 192, Keller, TX 76244, for directions on how to contribute to these missions directly.

Concord also wants to encourage other pastors, congregations and individuals to keep confessing with hope and conviction that our church will be preserved as a truly faithful church. To that end we try to establish communications with other confessional groups throughout the land. We have a number of good links to confessional sites and churches. It is good to know that there are many others with the same convictions working for the Lord.

Concord also supports two Free Conferences during the year for the benefit of laypeople and pastors. The first is in January and is sponsored by the North Texas Study Group at Faith Lutheran Church in Plano. The second is in August or September at Grace Lutheran Church, Brenham and is sponsored by the Texas Confessional Lutherans Study Group. Click here for information on the Coming Events . Concord, the organization, holds its general membership meetings on the Saturday following the close of the conferences. All members are encouraged to attend.