Is The Missouri Synod Divided? A Pastoral Appeal
Over 13 years ago, I left the Church of the Lutheran Brethren as an ordained pastor. The CLBA was my childhood denomination; it was the church where I became a Christian and where I was held in Christ for over three decades. For that, I will always be grateful to the CLBA. This raises the question, though: why did I leave the CLBA? In short, I left the CLBA for two very specific reasons: 1) I wanted to be part of a denomination that had a greater emphasis on the Sacraments in accordance with the whole Book of Concord. 2) I wanted to be part of a denomination with old liturgical Lutheran roots. In other words, while I was grateful to the CLBA for subscribing to the Small Catechism and the Augsburg Confession, I wanted to be in a synod that subscribed to the whole Book of Concord. Furthermore, while I appreciated the CLBA for its Lutheran theological tradition, I could no longer support its evangelical practices. I wanted old liturgical Lutheranism with a robust sacramental emphasis ...
