Prayer and Fellowship and the Detroit Conference, 1904

Abstract

In this paper, Bente answers the question, “Why can’t we establish and maintain common prayer services with Iowa and Ohio (Synods)?” In the first paragraph of the paper, Bente describes the historical situation as, “At the intersynodical conference in Detroit request was made by Iowans and Ohioans to open and close future free conferences with a joint prayer service. The delegates at the synodical conference protested this suggestion, announcing that this would make their future participation at these conferences impossible. Other members of the synodical conference pointed out that ‘every participant certainly prays silently, but openly joined prayers of the congregation would certainly leave the wrong impression regarding unity of spirit and belief, and as if the teaching differences were of no special significance.”