In May 1907, a Lutheran missionary consultation was held with representatives from 10 Lutheran mission bodies. While there was a general agreement that Lutheran unity be achieved, practical concerns such as the linguistic differences of the mission fields, the diverse national backgrounds of the missionaries and a poor nationwide transportation system were voiced. It was however agreed that union should be sought first by adopting the name Xinyi (), meaning Faith and Righteousness, to emphasise on Luther's doctrine of justification by faith, union be first achieved in the field of literature and education and that the five mission bodies working in the central Chinese provinces would spearhead the creation of a united Lutheran body. The result of this consultation was the creation of a Union Lutheran Conference (ULC) which was mandated to follow up and implement the proposals of unity that had been discussed.