# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2023_S312
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

312

THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

Resolved, That the Commission on Theology and Church
Relations reconsider the issue and its previous writings in light of
Holy Scripture.
Circuit 18
Pacific Southwest District
Ov. 5-40

To Reconsider Woman Suffrage in the Church
WHEREAS, The 1969 convention of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod (LCMS) passed Resolution 2-17, “To Grant
Woman Suffrage and Board Membership,” permitting
congregations to adopt women’s suffrage and at the same time
stated that any such suffrage in the congregation must not conflict
with the order of creation or infringe on the pastoral office
(Proceedings, 88); and
WHEREAS, An important principle of our Lutheran Reformation
was found in Martin Luther’s own confession at Leipzig in 1519
and at Worms in 1521 that councils can and do err; and
WHEREAS, The Scriptures clearly prohibit women from
exercising authority over men as noted in 1 Tim. 2:11–12 and 1 Cor.
14:34–35; and
WHEREAS, The polity of many LCMS congregations grants
members of the voters’ assembly authority over weighty matters
including the calling of a pastor and the final excommunication of
a sinner; and
WHEREAS, Voting is clearly an act of authority over men, in that
voting in the congregation determines matters which affect both
men and women; and
WHEREAS, A voters’ assembly which gives equal authority to
both men and women overturns the order of creation and
undermines the God-given distinction between men and women
revealed in the Scriptures; and
WHEREAS, Our Synod strongly opposed the practice of women’s
suffrage in the church for the first 122 years of its history on the
basis of the Word of God, and many of its pastors and congregations
continue to oppose the practice to the current day; and
WHEREAS, Scripture offers to women praiseworthy vocations to
serve God as wives, mothers, and in various capacities within the
church (altar guilds, ladies’ groups, mercy work, and as teachers or
deaconesses, etc.), which do not conflict with the divinely ordained
principle that a woman must not exercise authority over a man; and
WHEREAS, The church should not be at all ashamed of God-given
distinctions in the area of gender despite the pressure to align our
teaching and practice—in part or in full—with the culture; and
WHEREAS, The Biblical principles which speak to suffrage in the
church are in no way invalidated by the fact that men, at times, fail
to humbly and faithfully carry out the charge to sacrificial headship
in the family, church, and state; therefore be it
Resolved, That the pastors and congregations of the LCMS be
encouraged to study the matter on the basis of the Word of God; and
be it further
Resolved, That the congregations of the LCMS together with
their pastors be encouraged to reconsider the practice of women’s
suffrage in light of Holy Scripture.
Immanuel, Mayville, WI; Trinity, Clinton, MA;
Circuit 26 (Racine), South Wisconsin District;
Circuit 8 (Horicon), South Wisconsin District
2023 Convention Workbook

Ov. 5-41

To Reconsider Woman Suffrage in the Church
WHEREAS, The 1969 convention of the Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod (LCMS) narrowly passed a resolution permitting
congregations to adopt women suffrage and stated that any such
suffrage in the congregation must not conflict with the order of
creation or infringe on the pastoral office; and
WHEREAS, An important principle of our Lutheran Reformation
was found in Martin Luther’s own confession at Leipzig in 1519
that councils can and do err; and
WHEREAS, The Scriptures clearly prohibit women from
exercising authority over men as noted in 1 Timothy 2:11–12 and 1
Corinthians 14:34–35; and
WHEREAS, In the polity of many LCMS congregations, members
of the voters assembly are granted authority not only over trivial
matters but over weighty matters (the calling of a pastor, the final
excommunication of a sinner, etc.); and such voting is clearly an act
of authority over men; and
WHEREAS, Our Synod strongly opposed the practice of women
suffrage in the church for the first 122 years of its history on the
basis of the Word of God, and many of its pastors and congregations
continue to oppose the practice to the current day; and
WHEREAS, Scripture allots to women wonderful opportunities to
serve God as wives, mothers, and in various capacities within the
church (teachers, deaconesses, mercy work, etc.), which do not
conflict with the divinely ordained principle that a woman must not
exercise authority over a man; and
WHEREAS, The Church should not be at all ashamed of Godgiven distinctions in the area of gender which ought to be
increasingly apparent in a society that wishes to ignore and deny all
differences between the sexes; and
WHEREAS, Many of the congregations of our Synod chose to
adopt women suffrage hastily in order to align their practice with
the culture, and without any study of the Scriptural basis for their
action or the theological implications involved; therefore be it
Resolved, That the congregations of the LCMS be encouraged to
study the matter on the basis of the Word of God; and be it further
Resolved, That the congregations of the LCMS be encouraged to
reconsider their current practice in light of the Holy Scripture.
St. Paul
Brookfield, IL
Ov. 5-42

To Address Use of Aborted Babies
in Creating Vaccines and Other Medications
WHEREAS, Abortion is a sin against God’s Law (Luther’s Small
Catechism with Explanation, Fifth Commandment); and
WHEREAS, There are some vaccines and medications that are
developed utilizing human fetal tissue from aborted children and
human fetal cell lines from past abortions; and
WHEREAS, We do not want to unknowingly be partakers in any
evil nor provide any sort of support or justification for evil
committed in the past (Matt. 23:29–32); and
WHEREAS, We want to be informed about vaccine development
and testing in relation to abortion so that we may make decisions