# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1998_S193 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 193 which are contrary to the faith once and for all delivered to the saints; and WuereaS, To abide in Christ and confess Him also requires that certain matters be left to individual consciences, according to one’s faith and circumstances, and that such matters be neither judged by fellow servants of the Lord (Rom. 14:13) nor discussed at length (Rom. 14:22); and WuereaS, Our Lord desires that we all accept one another in love, the strong bearing with the weak; and WHEREAS, The Constitution of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod bears witness to these truths by stating in Art. VII: “In its relation to its members the Synod is not an ecclesiastical govern- ment exercising legislative or coercive powers, and with respect to the individual congregation's right of self-government it is but an advisory body. Accordingly, no resolution of the Synod imposing anything upon the individual congregation is of binding force if it is not in accordance with the Word of God or if it appears to be inex- pedient as far as the condition of a congregation is concerned”; and WHEREAS, When the Synod in convention discusses and passes resolutions that do not deal with the central tenets of the faith and yet run counter to the consciences of many or prove to be inexpe- dient to significant numbers of her congregations, then it makes a farce of its proceedings, causes offense, promotes strife and con- fusion, and undermines its proper purpose; therefore be it Resolved, That the Synod in convention demonstrate a clear and consistent confession of Jesus Christ as Lord, both in word and in deed, and make it the highest priority to carry out His mission and ministry to the world; and be it further Resolved, That the Synod in convention show proper restraint in relating to contentious topics that might more properly be left to the conscientious discernment of individuals or congregations in Christ. provided that nothing is done to openly contradict or mani- festly compromise the creeds and confessions of the Lutheran church or clearly offend a “weaker brother” in the Synod. St. John the Evangelist Brooklyn, NY 3-133 To Encourage Mutual Accountability WHEREAS, The practice of individual congregations and pastors reflects upon all the others; and WHEREAS, Members of the Synod have agreed to “walk to- gether” for the conservation and promotion of the true faith: and Wuereas, Inter-Christian and even inter-Lutheran associations, whether devoted to social ministry, traditional liturgy. church growth, or charismatic gifts, etc., tend to discourage the informal accountability to synodical brethren in favor of informal account- ability to those who share the association's raison détre, and Wuereas, It is difficult to stand alone against popular currents and expectations, especially when they manifest themselves in the local congregation or ministry setting: therefore be it Resolved, That all congregations and pastors of the Synod, es- pecially District Presidents, conform as much as possible to the practices and policies agreed upon in the Synod; and be it turther Resolved, That pastors of the Synod look to brothers who share the same commitment to the Lutheran Confessions for help, guid- ance, correction. and support in matters of casuistry: and be it fur- ther Resolved. That the Circuit conferences and pastoral conterences be especially used for this purpose; and be it finally Resolved, That the basis of this accountability be not personal relationship or friendship, but rather our commitment to the nght teaching of the Word of God as exhibited in the Lutheran Confes- sions. Redford Detroit MI 3-134 To Confess All Doctrines of Bible and Reaffirm Brief Statement and Statement of Scriptural and Confessional Principles Wuereas, Many major denominations no longer consider the ancient creeds of Christendom and their own confessions binding upon their members; and WuereaS, Denials of such basic doctrines as the virgin birth. deity, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are tolerated within almost all major denominations; therefore be it Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod at its 1998 convention reaffirm its total agreement with all the doctrines taught in the Holy Scriptures; and be it further Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod at its 1998 convention again declare that all of the ancient creeds of Christendom: the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Atha- nasian Creed, the entire Book of Concord, the LCMS’s Brief State- ment and its 1973 “A Statement of Scriptural and Confessional Principles” are in complete accord with the Holy Scriptures; and be it finally Resolved, That all pastors and professors of the LCMS are bound to confess and teach in accord with all of these creeds, con- fessions, and statements of faith. Trinity, New Haven, MO; Faith, Corning, NY; Washington Circuit, Missouri District; Trinity, Denver, CO 3-135 To Take More Seriously Words Faith and Practice WuHerEAS, The phrase “faith and practice” in the Missouri Synod does not mean “faith and ceremonies” but what Pieper meant when he wrote, “A church body is orthodox only if the true doctrine, as we have it in the Augsburg Confession and the other Lutheran Symbols, is actually taught in its pulpits and its publica- tions and not merely ‘officially’ professed as its faith. Not the ‘of- ficial’ doctrine, but the actual teaching determines the character of a church body, because disciples should actually be taught and not merely acknowledged in an ‘official document’ as the correct doc- trine. It is patent that faith in Christ will be created and preserved through the pure Gospel only when that Gospel is really pro- claimed” (III, p. 423); and Wuereas, Doctrinal resolutions of our Synod and other church bodies do not tell us whether the content of those resolutions is ac- tually being taught and practiced; and WHEREAS, It is in the local congregations where the faith is ac- tually taught and practiced; therefore be it Resolved. That church fellowship be determined on the local level rather than on the denominational level; and that on the de- nominational level synodical officials keep the local congregations informed of doctrinal developments in other church bodies. Mount Zion Minneapolis, MN 3-136 To Send Delegated Observer to WCC Assembly at Harare WHEREAS. The World Council of Churches will hold its eighth Assembly at Harare, Zimbabwe, on the African continent, Decem- ber 3-14, 1998; and WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church-—Missouri Synod has sent of- ficial observers to other assemblies of the World Council, including the most recent one in 199] at Canberra, Australia, and was also represented by an official observer at the North American Confer- ence on Faith and Order at Oberlin, Ohio. in 1957; and