Reluctantly American: The schism in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, 1969--1976

Between 1969 and 1976, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod experienced a schism that led both to the formation of a new branch of Lutheranism in America and a recommitment on the part of the Synod to its heritage of doctrinal exclusivity.; Using the Roman Catholic Americanist crisis of the late nineteenth century as a model, I argue that the conflict in the Missouri Synod was not simply theological but reflected the basic incongruence between its denominational culture and institutional patterns that define American religious culture. That incongruence was exacerbated by the strong ethnic history of the Synod.; I first define denominational culture according to three dimensions of American religious culture more generally: orientation to pluralism, authority structures, and denominational boundaries. The significance of ethnicity for the denomination is a final factor that predisposes denominations to institutional Americanization, defined as bringing denominational institutions into congruence with prevailing patterns.; American religious culture is characterized by a positive orientation toward pluralism, democratic or decentralized authority structures, relatively permeable organizational boundaries, and weak significance of ethnic ties. Like the pre-Vatican II Catholic Church, however, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is characterized by a negative attitude toward religious pluralism, authority structures that are centralized in spite of its constitutional congregational polity, and clearly defined, exclusive organizational boundaries. In addition, the strong ethnic history of the Missouri Synod created pressures toward institutional Americanization. The three primary arenas of conflict for the Synod in 1969–1976, at Concordia Seminary, with the district presidents, and in the area of missions, parallel the three dimensions of denominational culture defined in the model. The conflict can be understood as a clash between those members of the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church who wanted to push the denomination toward institutional arrangements more congruent with American religious culture and those who wished to retain its traditional ways. The story is told using the protagonists' own accounts of the schism.; This reinterpretation of the schism in the Missouri Synod suggests that the concept of denominational culture and the related process of institutional Americanization are useful for understanding denominations and processes of change and conflict within them.