We are approaching an anniversary in the history of our synod that will recall a sad and tragic day for Lutheranism in America. But it was also an event that has proven to be a blessing for our synod.

Anniversaries can be happy celebrations of life's joyful events. They can be trips of nostalgia back to a happier, simpler time. They can also commemorate major events, both tragic and heroic, that have long-lasting effects.

Some anniversaries recall difficult, painful, and even tragic events that, despite the pain they caused, also had beneficial results. No one celebrates the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. But we remember it and observe the date because the "day that would live in infamy" was the catalyst for America's resolve to achieve victory in the Second World War. Sept. 11, 2001, will forever be a date that reminds us of a brutal attack on innocent civilians by a fanatical enemy of America. But that tragic event—at least for a time—served to unite Americans in a way that had not been seen for generations.

We are approaching an anniversary in the history of our synod that will recall a sad and tragic day for Lutheranism in America. But it was also an event that has proven to be a blessing for our synod and for the cause of the gospel.

Fifty years ago, our synod was still in fellowship with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). For 20 years, WELS leaders and theologians had been patiently but firmly trying to show the LCMS that it was taking a path that was departing from the teaching of Scripture and from the common beliefs that had united the churches of the Synodical Conference. The two main issues were the inspired and inerrant nature of Scripture itself and the doctrine of fellowship.

In the summer of 1960, the LCMS informed WELS that it was no longer willing to discuss these matters. The time for discussion was over. By the summer of 1961, a decision on whether to remain in fellowship with the LCMS would come before the WELS convention. It had come before several previous conventions, always with the conclusion that more time was needed. By 1961, with the LCMS effectively ending discussions, the time for patient and brotherly admonition ended. With great sadness, the 1961 convention voted decisively to suspend fellowship with the LCMS.

It was a sad and tragic day in many respects. We acknowledged that doctrinal unity no longer existed. A synod previously known for its faithfulness to the Scriptures and to the Lutheran Confessions was taking a different and dangerous path. The pain was not only theological; it was personal. Families were divided. Congregations were split. Lifelong friendships were ended. Shared efforts in mission fields around the world would end.