# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2019_S421
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

LIFE TOGETHER
from mission activities with agencies, mission societies, or
denomination organizations which are not Lutheran or not in
fellowship with the LCMS; and be it further
Resolved, That this convention direct the district staff to work
aggressively to increase awareness of its services and resources for
congregations and their pastors, commissioned church workers,
ministries and schools; and be it further
Resolved, That the mission efforts of the congregations of the
SW District and the LCMS be publicized so that others may join the
effort or sustain it with prayer, and financial support as well as
mission engagement for the expansion of God’s Kingdom; and be
it finally
Resolved, That the SW District in convention memorialize the
2019 Synod convention to adopt a similar resolution for all LCMS
districts, congregations, and church workers.
South Wisconsin District
Ov. 4-21

To Uphold the Pastoral Office
in the Electronic Age
WHEREAS, Those who hold the pastoral office are called to
specific congregations to proclaim the Word of God and administer
the Sacraments on behalf of those congregations (C.F.W. Walther,
Church and Ministry [St. Louis: The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod, 1987], Ministry Theses VI–VII); and
WHEREAS, Those congregations serve particular geographic
areas and not the whole world; and
WHEREAS, A pastor of one orthodox congregation has not been
called to teach the Word of God to the members of another orthodox
congregation (Augsburg Confession XIV); and
WHEREAS, Social media, self-publishing, e-mail list servers, and
blogs are used extensively by many pastors and laity in The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod; and
WHEREAS, Many laity do not understand that God has given
them a particular pastor and not all pastors; and
WHEREAS, Pastors often give spiritual care and perform various
forms of catechesis through these electronic platforms which cross
congregational and geographic lines; therefore be it
Resolved, That the pastors of the Synod be encouraged to attend
to their particular calls, giving the gifts of God to their sheep, and
not those whom God has entrusted to the care of another pastor; and
be it further
Resolved, That members of the congregations of the Synod be
encouraged to receive pastoral care and catechesis from their
pastors rather than those with whom they may be acquainted on the
internet; and be it further
Resolved, That all be encouraged to rejoice in the fact that God
sends particular pastors to serve particular flocks; and be it finally
Resolved, That the 2019 convention be memorialized to direct
the Commission on Theology and Church Relations to study the
challenges and problems posed by the way our clergy and laity use
the internet for pastoral care and catechesis and provide guidelines
to be considered at the next regular Synod convention.

421

Ov. 4-22

To Study How to Amend the Practice of Issuing
Calls to Positions Not in the Direct Service of the
Proclamation of the Gospel and the Administration
of the Sacraments
WHEREAS, The Augsburg Confession (AC) V, “The Ministry,”
states, “So that we may obtain this faith (that our sins are forgiven
for Christ’s sake, in Article IV), the ministry of teaching the Gospel
and administering the Sacraments was instituted” (all references
from Concordia, The Lutheran Confessions, A Reader’s Edition of
the Book of Concord, Second Edition [St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 2006], 33); and
WHEREAS, AC XIV, “Order in the Church,” states, “Our
churches teach that no one should publicly teach in the Church, or
administer the Sacraments, without a rightly ordered call”; and
WHEREAS, “The Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope”
(Tr 60), states, “The Gospel assigns those who preside over
Churches the command to teach the Gospel [Matt. 28:19], to forgive
sins [John 20:23], to administer the Sacraments, and also to exercise
jurisdiction”; and
WHEREAS, The Smalcald Articles (III X) teach that “… [the
bishops] do not even want to be true bishops, but worldly lords and
princes, who will neither preach, nor teach, nor baptize, nor
administer the Lord’s Supper, nor perform any work or office of the
Church”; and
WHEREAS, The Constitution of the Synod accepts these
Confessions as a true and unadulterated statement and exposition of
the Word of God; and
WHEREAS, A number of called positions within Synod and its
auxiliaries do not require teaching the Word or administering the
Sacraments; and
WHEREAS, The practice of issuing calls to positions that are not
in the direct service of the proclamation of the Gospel and
administration of the Sacraments conflicts with the referenced
portions of the Confessions, and creates confusion regarding the
nature of the call; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Montana District convention memorialize
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) convention in
2019 to direct the President of Synod to appoint a committee
consisting of at least one theological professor from each seminary
and one district president to study how the practice of issuing calls
(Bylaw 3.11.1) to positions without direct involvement in the
proclamation of the Gospel and administration of the Sacraments
may be amended to comply with The Confessions; and be it further
Resolved, That by July 30, 2020 this committee make its
recommendations to the LCMS Board of Directors (BOD)
regarding LCMS practice on the calls it issues; and be it finally
Resolved, That these recommendations, together with the BOD
response to the recommendations, be reported to the LCMS
convention in 2022.
Montana District

Grace, Three Forks, MT; Holy Trinity, Belgrade, MT

2019 Convention Workbook