debate within the LCMS. On May 24, 1949, the faculty of Concordia Seminary issued a theological opinion that the modern practice of engagement was not the same as betrothal and that an engagement could be broken without sinning. In response, a group of laymen and a few pastors in St. Louis formed a study group and produced the "Confession of Faith Professed and Practiced by All True Lutherans". This document served as the basis for the OLC when it was founded on September 25, 1951, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Okabena, Minnesota. Originally the OLC consisted of ten pastors (one of whom later withdrew) and six laymen. About four years later, the OLC split. Some of its members joined the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, some remained independent, and the remainder formed the CLC. Kretzmann, who taught at the OLC's seminary, had been accused of teaching false doctrine by another pastor, resulting in Kretzmann and those who supported him breaking fellowship with the several of the congregations in the OLC; those congregations then formed the CLC. In 2004, the CLC absorbed the congregations of the Fellowship of Lutheran Congregations. The FLC was organized in 1979, when a group of Lutheran congregations left the Lutheran Churches of the Reformation over issues of excommunication. Scriptural Publications, the publishing arm of the CLC, has published an anthology, Historical Essays by Rev. David T. Mensing: "The Missouri Synod's Slide into Heterodoxy, 1932-1947"; "The Establishment of Heterodoxy in the Missouri Synod, 1950"; and "The Founding of the Orthodox Lutheran Conference, 1951". Teachings The CLC describes itself as "orthodox," with special emphasis on the inerrant, literal interpretation of the Christian Bible. It subscribes to the Book of Concord and the Brief Statement of the Doctoral Position of the Missouri Synod in its doctrinal stance. Purpose The CLC is a gathering of churches to engage in tasks that would be hard for any one church to perform. This includes the training of future pastors in their seminary program. External links A Little Lecture on Little Little-Known Lutheran Synods by Edward C. Fredrich The Doctrinal Differences Between the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod and the Church of the Lutheran Confession, The Concordia Lutheran Conference, and the Lutheran Churches of the Reformation. by Lyle W. Lange Archived official website of the Fellowship of Lutheran Congregations References Lutheran denominations in North America Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod