# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2016_S350
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

350

THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

1. We believe, teach, and confess that Christ’s true body and blood
are delivered in, with, and under the bread and the wine through
the Sacrament, as proclaimed in Matthew 26:26–28:
And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and
gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He
took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from
it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed
for many for the remission of sins.” [See also Mark 14:22–24; Luke
22:19–20; 1 Cor. 11:23–25.]

2. God desires that a unified confession in the oneness of His
doctrine be a prerequisite of communing together! This is proclaimed in 1 Corinthians 1:10 (emphasis added) and 10:16–17:
Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among
you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in
the same judgment.
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the
blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of
the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body;
for we all partake of that one bread.

3. A misunderstanding regarding Holy Communion could lead to
the harm of our neighbor, as God’s Word proclaims in 1 Corinthians 11:27–29:
Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an
unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But
let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of
the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and
drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. [All quotations from NKJV.]

and
Whereas, The previous Holy Scripture reveals that closed
Communion is a Gospel-inspired act of love; a safeguard that the
Sacrament is to be received in a steadfast confession of faith (a oneness in God’s doctrine) and only to one’s benefit; and
Whereas, Not doing anything about the practice of open
Communion does not hallow God’s name but profanes His name
among us and allows the surrendering of our neighbor’s hearts, minds,
and souls to a misunderstanding of God’s Holy Scripture regarding
the Sacrament of the Altar (specifically the real presence of the Lord);
denies the imperative of a unified confession in the oneness of God’s
doctrine as a prerequisite of communing together; and further knowingly opens them to the risk of eating and drinking judgement upon
themselves; and
Whereas, The Preface to the Small Catechism discloses how
Martin Luther himself carried out visitations of the congregations
and discovered that corrections needed to take place (inevitably leading to the creation of the Small and Large Catechisms), thus marking
visitations as a very important task that needs to take place in order
to (by the grace of God) aid the Church in equipping the saints, staving off error, and sustaining God’s truth; therefore be it
Resolved, That the 2016 LCMS convention determine to devise
an “Official Evaluation of the Discretion Used to Carry Out Closed
Communion” that identifies the unorthodox practice of open
Communion, aiming to keep the practice of LCMS pastors and/or
congregations true to God’s Word; further safe-guarding those pastors and/or congregations (and the potential Christians that may come
about within them); and be it further
Resolved, That the convention, in order to avoid the ongoing
spread of the unorthodox practice of open Communion, have the
development of the official evaluation be constructed by a committee of LCMS pastors who in no way currently utilize (or endorse) the
practice of open Communion; and be it further
2016 Convention Workbook

Resolved, That the “Official Evaluation of the Discretion Used to
Carry Out Closed Communion” that is eventually created be reported
to 2019 LCMS convention; and be it further
Resolved, That the 2019 convention, upon adoption of the “Official
Evaluation of the Discretion Used to Carry Out Closed Communion,”
then direct each of her district presidents to put the official evaluation into use through the district president’s visitation of every LCMS
pastor and/or congregation within his district (with the obvious assistance of his circuit visitors); and be it further
Resolved, That the district presidents (with the assistance of their
circuit visitors), according to 2 Timothy 4:2, correct, encourage (and
if need be admonish) all pastors and/or congregations that are in error
concerning the unorthodox practice of open Communion, which
falsely conveys the Word of God; and be it finally
Resolved, That (having been encouraged and admonished) those
pastors and/or congregations who, sadly, refuse to correct their
unorthodox practice of open Communion, and, after futile admonition, remain impenitent, be expelled from the Synod, as God’s Word
exhorts in 1 Timothy 6:3–5.
Grace
San Mateo, CA
5-19

To Equip Congregations with Resources
Explaining Close(d) Communion
Whereas, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has the practice of closed Communion; and
Whereas, There are many who are confused or uninformed by
this practice; therefore be it
Resolved, That the district presidents in regular visitation encourage this practice and vocally support pastors and congregations who
practice this; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod and districts provide resources to congregations instructing and teaching this practice.
Winona Circuit
Minnesota South District
5-20

To Instruct Synod and Districts
to Promote Every Sunday Communion
Whereas, The opportunity to receive the Lord’s Supper each
Lord’s Day was a reality cherished by Luther and set forth clearly
with high esteem by our Lutheran Confessions (AC XXIV and Ap
XXIV); and
Whereas, The 1983 CTCR document on the Lord’s Supper (p.
28) and our Synod’s 1986 translation of Luther’s Small Catechism
both remind us that the Scriptures place the Lord’s Supper at the
center of worship (Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:20, 33), and not as an
appendage or an occasional extra; and
Whereas, The 1995 LCMS convention adopted a resolution
stating, “Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
in convention encourage its pastors and congregations to study the
scriptural, confessional, and historical witness to every Sunday
Communion with a view to recovering the opportunity for receiving
the Lord’s Supper each Lord’s Day”; and