Since the 25th International Conference of the ILC held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 24–27 September EXECUTIVE 2015, the ILC Executive Committee, per the actions that conference mandated, has been working to increase the SECRETARY capacity of the ILC. The theme of the previous confer- ence was “Bringing the Reformation to the World.” The delegates at the past conference recognized that there the REPORT events running up to the 500th anniversary of the Ref- ormation presented opportunities to have a huge impact 25 September 2018 on world Lutheranism. Recent developments among the Rev. Albert B. Collver, III, PhD Lutheran churches in the West, such as the acceptance of same-sex marriage, the ordination of practicing ho- Greetings to you in the Name of Jesus! mosexual clergy persons, and the continued departure from the teachings of the Holy Scriptures and from the INTRODUCTION Lutheran Confessions, has prompted great angst among the Lutheran churches of the Global South. Churches in This year the International Lutheran Council cele- the global South who are troubled by these unfortunate brates its 25th, silver anniversary. According to the min- developments are exploring if the ILC can be a welcome utes, the International Lutheran “Council” came into ex- home for them. Other church bodies in the West, who istence on 9 September 1993, when 23 Lutheran church have been persecuted for not conforming to the views of leaders from around the world unanimously adopted the Western society, likewise are seeking refuge in the ILC. “Constitution / Guiding Principles” in Antigua, Guate- In order to help the ILC meet these opportunities to mala. At this present meeting in Belgium, where the first increase the ILC’s capacity, the Executive Committee Lutheran martyrs died, the ILC has 38 members with a along with the Executive Secretary took some of the fol- number of church bodies requesting membership. Back lowing actions: incorporation of the ILC as a non-profit in 1993 when the ILC was formed, it represented ap- corporation, creation of new bylaws in the spirit of the proximately four million Lutherans worldwide. Today in 1993, “Constitution / Guiding Principles,” (which were Belgium, the ILC has church leaders in attendance rep- not written as a legal document), and the establishment resenting around 20 million Lutherans worldwide. In 25 of the Lutheran Leadership Development Program years, much has remained the same about the ILC, par- (LLDP), establishing a physical office, and bringing on ticularly the ILC’s commitment to the inspired, inerrant some staff to assist. These are some of the most significant Word of God as revealed in the Holy Scriptures and un- developments for the ILC since its founding as a “Coun- reserved acceptance of the Lutheran Confessions found cil.” This report provides a review the history of the ILC in the Book of Concord. Since its beginning, the ILC for its 25th anniversary. has desired to increase its capacity so that it could have a greater impact upon World Lutheranism. A letter from Dr. Herman Sasse to Dr. Behnken, June 6, 1952. INTERNATIONAL LUTHERAN COUNCIL 17 BRIEF HISTORY OF THE LCMS presently are members of the ILC. In the inter- vening years between the Prussian Union in 1817 and the INTERNATIONAL LUTHERAN formation of the Lutheran World Federation in 1947, the COUNCIL Old Lutherans, those who practice exclusive Lutheranism Although the ILC is celebrating its silver anniversary in both Europe and the Americas sought ways to encour- in 2018, the roots of the ILC go back much further and age, strengthen, and promote confessional Lutheranism. involved several name changes. The idea for an organiza- One such group that formed in Germany was the All- tion similar to the ILC goes back even further as a way gemeine evangelisch-lutherische Konferenz (The General to draw church bodies and territorial churches into an Evangelical Lutheran Conference, hereafter AELK or organization that could help support one another to re- Konferenz), which held its first meeting in July 1868. main Lutheran in the face of unionism. At least in the Herman Sasse notes the importance of this conference. territories that would become modern day Germany, He writes, “To preserve Lutheranism, the General Evan- after the Religious Peace of Augsburg 1555, the princi- gelical Lutheran Conference was organized on 1–2 July ple (“whoever’s realm it is, it is his cuius regio, eius religio 1868, and since Scandinavian theologians also joined religion”) was adopted as law. The result of this law was this Conference, it must be regarded as the beginning of that the religion of the ruler was the religion of the terri- the ecumenical movement in world Lutheranism.”1 tory. Eventually, this led to the created a large number of territorial churches in the German lands. Each territorial In the context of union sweeping the German territo- church body would have its own agenda and liturgy, and ries, the church was subjected to the growing nationalist after the Peace of Westphalia (1648), either a Reformed movement. The ultimate goal was one German nation or Lutheran Confession. In 1817, Frederick William III with one church. In many ways the union was as much of Prussia merged the Lutheran and Reformed churches of a political movement as it was a religious movement. in his territory into one administrative unit. Eventually, The relationship of the church and state has been tenuous a common agenda, church order, and liturgy were pro- since the beginning of the Constantine era in A.D. 313 duced for the union of Reformed and Lutheran church- when Constantine I issued the Edict of Milan allowing es. Particularly onerous to those who practiced “exclusive Christians to worship without penalty. The A.D. 380 Lutheranism,” that is, those who wanted to confess that decree Cunctos populos of Theodosius I further created a the Scriptures were the Word of God and an unreserved Christian state church. The Prussian Union of 1817 and acceptance of the Lutheran Confessions, was the alter- the subsequent unions in the German territories commin- ation of the Words of Institution in the liturgy to reflect gled the political realm with the churchly realm. Many a Reformed understanding (a symbolic or spiritual in- Lutherans opposed to the union did not view the influx terpretation of the Lord’s Supper). The Prussian Union of political power as favorable or helpful to the church. was a line of demarcation between what would become The Konferenz was formed in part to address these chal- “inclusive Lutheranism” and “exclusive Lutheranism.” In- lenges to the church. clusive Lutheranism sought bring churches together with differing confessions (such as Reformed and Lutheran) Adolf von Harleß, with Theodor Kliefoth and others, provided that the “gospel was preached” and the “sacra- was a founder of the Konferenz. Both of the essays that ments were administrated” according to an abstract inter- these men presented at this seminal conference can be pretation of Augsburg Confession, Article VII. This form found translated into English in the ILC World Confer- of inclusive Lutheranism would become the dominate ence book. Both von Harleß and Kliefoth knew the Mis- motif in what would become the Lutheran World Fed- souri Synod and were acquainted with C.F.W. Walther. eration founded in 1947. In Germany those, who held In 1851 Walther called Dr. Harleß a “superior man” with to an “exclusive” form of Lutheranism called themselves whom he agreed on almost every point. He also indicated Old Lutherans, and they resisted efforts of unionizing that “the German Lutheran Church needs the assistance the Lutheran church. The Old Lutherans contributed to of the healthy blooming American Church, and vice the formation of the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK) in Germany, and also contributed to the Franconian and Saxon migrations to the United States and the 1847 formation of the church later known as The 1 Hermann Sasse, Here We Stand: Nature and Character of the Lu- theran Faith, translated by Theodore G. Tappert (Minneapolis, Min- Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Both SELK and the nesota: Augsburg Publishing House, 1946), 13. 18 INTERNATIONAL LUTHERAN COUNCIL versa.”2 At the 1868 AELK meeting, Adolf von Harleß and common work to serve not only ourselves by also stated the need for this sort of encouragement among Him, who knowingly wishes to lay into the hands churches as secular politics were infiltrating the church of faithfully bound brothers the service of His king- and he calls for a new thing to preserve the old: dom.3 Adolf von Harleß also captures the idea to create some- What we want to do, however, should be something thing new that would bring together Lutheran churches that has the entire purpose of serving the adverse sit- that desire to preserve the “old” confession of faith in a uation and the needs of our church. We could think new environment. This first Lutheran ecumenical event of nothing more reprehensible and disdainful than desired to encourage, support, and bear witness – not to use the Church and churchly goals as an excuse to unlike the goals of the International Lutheran Council. construct a mask and a cloak for outlandish machi- Some of the descendants of those who came out of the nations and movements. Above all else, the Church General Evangelical Lutheran Conference are with us in must never be muddled with anything political. the ILC today. Whatever has to do with the state and the govern- ments of this world, that does not involve us here. Theodor Kliefoth,4 a cofounder of the General Evan- Whatever has to do with the Lord and His Church, gelical Lutheran Conference and acquaintance of C.F.W. that alone must remain dear to us and must be and re- Wa l th er, 5 gave a presentation on the Augsburg Confes- main the subject of our deliberations here.