The research files assembled and described by retired Lutheran pastor, Henry L. Lieske, document the conflict between moderate and conservative members of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LC-MS) which resulted in schism in 1976. Folder and item-level notations provided by Pastor Lieske express the views of one moderate pastor who watched the conflict unfold from within the Missouri Synod. The papers reveal the extent of the moral and theological crisis provoked by the actions of conservative synod leader, Jacob A.O. Preus (b. 1920), who served as president of the LC-MS from 1969 to 1980. (A chronology of key events in the conflict appears as an appendix to this finding aid.) Disagreement over issues of theology, biblical interpretation, missions, and church administration ultimately led to the departure of one hundred and seven moderate churches to form the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC). The largest collections of records relating to the controversy are held by the Archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Chicago and by the Concordia Historical Institute in St. Louis, Missouri.

The collection is arranged into three Subgroups: I. Historical Files: Development of the Moderate Movement in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod; II. Responses to the Crisis; and III. Files of Individual Pastors. Within subgroups, files are organized into records series which are arranged in the order established by the donor in 1980. Lieske’s descriptive and interpretive notes are maintained within original folders.

The moderate movement in the Missouri Synod traces its origins to a “Statement” signed in Chicago in 1945 by 44 pastors who took a moderate stand on doctrinal and church governance issues. Copies of the document are included in Series 2, Background and Development of the Moderate Movement, and in Series 3, under the heading, “Greater Chicago Area.” The “Greater Chicago Area” lot was received by donor Henry L. Lieske from Pastor Henry C. Duwe, who served for many years as pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Evanston, Illinois, and, from 1938-42, as Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Oberlin, Ohio. Duwe’s files contain important and scarce documentation of the September 1945 “free Lutheran Conference” in Chicago, including conference papers by W. Arndt, R.R. Caemmerer, O.P. Kretzmann, and O.A. Geisemann; mailings by the Continuation Committee to the signers of the Chicago Statement; materials relating to Theodore Graebner, one of the signers of the Statement; and files documenting conservative objection to various moderate positions, such as fellowship between the American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Additional background to the moderate movement is provided by copies of various documents or “exhibits,” selected by the donor as evidence of a moderate tradition within the Missouri Synod. These “exhibits,” housed in Series 2, include the Constitution of the LC-MS and seminal articles by eminent Lutheran theologians and church leaders. Henry Lieske provides a description of these materials and an account of his own theological development in his essay, “Background and Setting for The Moderate Movement in the LC-MS.” Also present is an unpublished dissertation by Leland Stevens, “The Americanization of the Missouri Synod” (1986), and various writings of Seminex professor, the Rev. Erwin Lueker, including “Development-Tension-Crisis: A Study of Interaction of Event and Thought in the Missouri Synod, With Documents.” These pieces provide valuable historical context for the conflict in LC-MS.

The role of synod leader Jacob A.O. Preus in setting forth the conservative viewpoint and agenda is documented in Preus’ official communiqués, reports, and news releases. Files housed in Series 4 of Subgroup I document the charges of false doctrine and malfeasance of administration brought against the seminary’s president, Dr. John H. Tietjen (b. 1930), as a result of the inquiry initiated by Preus. Materials include Preus’ “Blue Book,” (the report on the faculty of Concordia Seminary), transcripts of interviews between Tietjen and examining clergy, reports by examiners Gerken (1975) and Nickels (1977), statements and petitions of support for Tietjen issued by Concordia faculty and students, and newspaper and periodical clippings. Official correspondence, memoranda, and printed materials pertain to the 1974 establishment of the Concordia Seminary in Exile (Seminex) by the Concordia faculty and students who supported Tietjen. Also present are files relating to the parallel controversy over actions taken by the LC-MS Board of Missions. For information regarding the 1973 New Orleans convention of LC-MS, at which conservative doctrinal statements on biblical interpretation were adopted, see the files housed in Subgroup II, Series 1, Responses to the Crisis. Proceedings of this convention and the subsequent convention in St. Louis are recorded on four cassette tapes.

The bulk of this research collection consists of files documenting the responses of moderate Lutheran pastors who remained within the Missouri Synod throughout the conflict. Files contain monographs, correspondence, writings, memoranda, brochures, mailings, and clippings reflecting the views of pastors, district synods, congregations, laymen, journalists, and religion writers. Well documented is the formation and work of Evangelical Lutherans in Mission (ELIM), a group established in the tumultuous aftermath of the 1973 New Orleans convention. Materials include statements and reports adopted at the first ELIM meeting, annotated by Henry L. Lieske. For minutes of ELIM meetings (1974-76) and related materials, consult the files of Omar Stuenkel and Alton F. Wedel, housed in Subgroup III. Those moderates who felt they could no longer minister within Missouri Synod broke with LC-MS in 1976 and formed the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) and five constituent synods. Files housed in Series 3, Subgroup II document the formation of the AELC, its founding convention, and the establishment of the AELC English Synod out of the English District.

Conservative response to the moderate outcry is reflected in publications, newsletters, conference reports, and official church mailings, housed in Series 2 of Subgroup II. Individuals on the extreme right include the editorial group at the conservative publication “Affirm” and Walter A. Maier, Robert Preus, Edgar Rehwaldt, Martin Scharlemann, E.C. Weber, and Waldo Werning. Files also document the views of other current conservative members (1979-80) of the Missouri Synod relating to fellowship, “unionism,” close communion, inerrancy, the ordination of women, and the use of the Lutheran Book of Worship. The issue of the certification of Seminex graduates in LC-MS is highlighted by files (1973-88) pertaining to the ministerial career of Pastor Douglas Wahlberg (b. 1950), housed in Subgroup III, Series 2.

Information about the donor of these papers, Henry L. Lieske, is housed in Series 1, Subgroup I, Donor Files. Included are autobiographical materials on Lieske and correspondence from pastors expressing interest in submitting material for inclusion in Lieske’s collection. Lieske’s professional, largely incoming correspondence (1948-83), including letters exchanged with Jacob A. Preus, is housed in Subgroup II, Series 1.

Henry Lieske’s Research Collection on the Moderate Movement in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is arranged into three subgroups: I. Historical Files: Development of the Moderate Movement in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LC-MS); II. Responses to the Crisis in the LC-MS; and III. Files of Individual Pastors. Subgroups I and II are comprised of files received in the original 1980 accession, together with those received in the subsequent seven shipments (1988-90) which were interfiled in 1992. Subgroup III contains files of individual pastors, received in the later shipments, which were not interfiled. Subgroup IV consists of files received as late accretions in 1997 and 1999.

Subgroup I. Historical Files: Development of the Moderate Movement in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LC-MS), 1932-88, n.d., 1.8 l.f.

Organized into four records series according to the arrangement established by the donor: 1. Donor Files; 2. Special Files: Background and Development of the Moderate Movement; 3. Special Files: Resolutions of the Synodical Conventions; and 4. Special Files: Sources of Conflict in LC-MS.

Series 1. Donor Files, 1932-c. 1988, 0.2 l.f.

Includes photocopies and originals of ms. typescripts, printed materials, and H. Lieske’s incoming correspondence relating to Lieske’s assembly of the present collection. Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by name or organization. Files are arranged alphabetically by type of material.

Series 2. Special Files: Background and Development of the Moderate Movement, 1945-86, n.d., 0.6 l.f.

Originals and photocopies of ms. typescript drafts and correspondence, monographs, periodicals, reports, leaflets, booklets, newspaper clippings, various other printed materials, and an unpublished dissertation with annotations. Arranged in the order received.

Series 3. Special Files: Resolutions of the Synodical Conventions, 1959-77, 0.2 l.f.

Originals and photocopies of portions of published convention workbooks and proceedings, annotated by the donor. Chronologically arranged.

Series 4. Special Files: Sources of Conflict in LC-MS, 1947-80, 0.8 l.f.

Official church correspondence, reports, and news releases; select issues of religious periodicals; originals and copies of journal and newspaper articles; and miscellany documenting the areas of conflict within the LC-MS and the specific charges made against John Tietjen. Many folders are individually described by the donor in accompanying notes.

Subgroup II. Responses to the Crisis in the LC-MS, 1948-89, n.d., 7.0 l.f.

Organized into four records series according to groupings established by the donor: 1. Responses of Moderates; 2. Responses of Conservatives and Conservative Publications; 3. Files Relating to the Formation of the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) and its Synods; and 4. Published Accounts of the Crisis.

Series 1. Responses of Moderates, 1948-88, n.d., 5.4 l.f.

Originals and copies of official correspondence received and sent by various pastors and church organizations, periodical articles, single issues of religious periodicals and bulletins, convention publications, reports, and slides and cassette tapes. Materials are alphabetically arranged by name or title. Many folders are individually described by the donor.

Series 2. Responses of Conservatives and Conservative Publications, 1961-89, 0.8 l.f.

Includes originals and photocopies of official church mailings and personal correspondence among pastors, select issues of and individual articles from religious periodicals, newsletters, conference reports, and pamphlets. Arranged alphabetically by topic, title, or type of material.

Series 3. Files Relating to the Formation of the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) and its Synods, 1975-80, 0.4 l.f.

Official church correspondence and news releases, published convention proceedings, select issues of periodicals, copies of ms. typescript reports and addresses, and pamphlets and church bulletins. Arranged alphabetically by name of organization and there under in the order established by the donor.

Series 4. Published Accounts of the Crisis, 1975, 1977, 1979, 0.4 l.f.

Five hardcover and two paperbound monographs, arranged alphabetically by title.

Subgroup III. Files of Individual Pastors, 1969-88, 2.4 l.f.

Includes files which, due to their bulk or content, were not integrated with Subgroups I and II. Organized into three records series, alphabetically arranged by pastor: 1. Files of Omar Stuenkel; 2. Files of Douglas Wahlberg; and 3. Files of Alton Wedel.

Series 1. Files of Omar Stuenkel, 1969-76, 0.8 l.f.

Originally materials from “Supplementary Shipment #1,” received in 1988 and described in the donor’s correspondence of January 19, 1988. Contains files assembled by the Rev. Stuenkel pertaining to the Lutheran Church in Mission (LCM) and the Evangelical Lutherans in Mission (ELIM). Includes incoming and outgoing correspondence, chronologically arranged; ms. drafts and printed copies of minutes of ELIM meetings; special reports from Seminex (1974) and from Jacob Preus (1976); select issues of periodicals; newsletters; and clippings. Arranged alphabetically by type of material.

Series 2. Files of Douglas Wahlberg, 1973-88, 1.2 l.f.

Originally materials from “Shipment #7,” received in 1990 and described and inventoried by the donor in an attachment housed in Box 4, Biographical Materials. Files include photocopies of transcripts of interviews (1973) between John Tietjen and various clergy; originals and photocopies of official church correspondence; clippings; various printed materials; and miscellany relating to Wahlberg’s ministry. Arranged in the order established by the donor.

Series 3. Files of Alton Wedel, 1973-75, 0.4 l.f.

Originally materials from “Shipment #3,” received in 1988. The bulk of this shipment was interfiled in Subgroups I and II, following the donor’s recommendations. The remainder is filed here and consists of clippings, reports, and miscellany relating to the crisis in LC-MS. Arranged alphabetically by subject.

Subgroup IV. Additional Materials Received, 1992-93, 1995, 1997, 1999, 0.2 l.f.

Consists of five (5) folders that were received as late accretions to the collection in 1997 and 1999. Includes correspondence and an article relating to the controversy surrounding Rev. Orval Mueller’s participation in a wedding service with a clergyman of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, in an ELCA church in South Dakota on August 10, 1996. Other materials include newsletters (i.e., Jesus First, Grace Alive, and Voices/Visions), 1999, clippings concerning the Fifty-Eighth Convention of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, 1992, correspondence relating to the Jehovah Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1993, 1995, and correspondence between Henry Lieske and Daniel Prues (Concordia Historical Institute), 1999.

The research files of Henry Lieske were donated to the Oberlin College Archives by the Rev. Lieske. The bulk of the collection arrived in 1980, with later shipments occurring in 1988, 1990, 1997, and 1999. Materials were also received from Rev. Dr. Michael Meranda, Jehovah Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1997.

The Rev. Henry L. Lieske Papers are currently "On Deposit" at the Archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.