Church Fellowship

Abstract

This doctrinal essay presents the Wisconsin Synod’s comprehensive teaching on church fellowship, emphasizing its basis in Scripture and its application in Christian life. Church fellowship is defined as every joint expression of faith among Christians who, on the basis of their confession, find themselves united. The essay outlines six scriptural foundations for fellowship and five principles guiding its exercise, including the distinction between weak brethren and persistent errorists. It affirms that fellowship must be a unit concept—whether expressed in worship, prayer, sacraments, or church work—and must be based on full agreement in doctrine. The essay rejects unionistic practices, partial fellowship, and the idea of graded levels of doctrinal agreement. It concludes that love for the weak and obedience to God’s Word require both patient instruction and separation from those who persist in false teaching. The essay was central to intersynodical discussions and reflects WELS’s confessional integrity. —Abstract generated by Microsoft Copilot (GPT-4)