# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1998_S264 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 264 STRUCTURE, PLANNING, AND ADMINISTRATION Wuereas, This claim has proved false, inasmuch as under the new process there is no guarantee that “Dispute Resolution Pan- els” will even include pastors, in spite of Augsburg Confession Ar- ticle 28.2] which says that the jurisdiction to judge doctrine and to reject doctrines contrary to the Gospel belongs to the office of the ministry by divine right; and ; WHEREAS, This claim has also proved false by virtue of its re- fusal to allow the accused to have counsel speak during the proce- dure. thus removing a safeguard meant to enable those who might be wrongly accused to defend their innocence from blame in keep- ing with the Eighth Commandment; and WHEREAS, This claim has also proved false by virtue of the final jurisdiction given to the reconcilers even in matters of doctrinal concer, even with authority over objections from a District Presi- dent; therefore be it Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod return, according to said reasons, to the old adjudication process as out- lined in the 1989 Handbook of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Rock Island Circuit Forum Central Illinois District 7-78 To Deal with One Another in Love WHEREAS, Conflict between brothers and sisters in Christ is in- evitable, living in a sin-filled world separated from God; and WHEREAS, The Scriptures are full of incidents of the church on earth being subject to conflict (Gen. 28:41; 37:4; Deut. 1:16ff; John 10:30—-33; Acts 15:36—40; 1 Cor. 5-6); and WHEREAS, Scriptures anticipate conflict among Christians and prescribe guidelines and methods to be employed where there is manifest sin or disagreement among them (Matt. 5:23-26, 38-48; 6:12-15; 7:3-5; 18:15-18; 1 Cor. 6:1-11; 2 Cor 5:14-20; Gal. |: 1-2); and WHEREAS, The heart and center of all Christian conflict resolu- tion and reconciliation is the making right of the sinner through grace in Christ Jesus received through faith alone; and WHEREAS, Biblical conflict resolution begins with God’s truth that Christ died for the sins of all people while we were yet sinners (Rom. 5:8); therefore be it Resolved, That in any conflict or dispute, all Christians strive to glorify God, show Him honor, bring Him praise, and give posi- tive witness to what He has done for us through Christ (1 Cor. 10:31-11:1; Gal. 2:20); and be it further Resolved, That all Christians strive to see conflict as an oppor- tunity to serve others in a spirit of love and gentleness (Phil. 2:1—5; Gal. 6:1-2, 10; Matt. 18:15-18), setting an example for all believ- ers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity (1 Tim. 4:12; Titus 2:7); and be it further Resolved, That all Christians be imitators of Christ and grow in Him in the midst of all conflict; putting away all malice which di- vides Christians and grieves God’s Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:29-32); and be it further Resolved, That in all disagreements, we Christians “‘get the log out of our own eye” (Matt. 7:5); “go and (lovingly) show our brother or sister his/her own fault” (Matt. 18:15); “go and be rec- onciled” (Matt. 5:24); and in so doing fulfill the law of Christ and ultimately and in all things give glory to our Father who is in heaven (1 Cor. 10:31); and be it finally Resolved, That we encourage all Christians to read The Peace- maker by Ken Sande and, where possible encourage and receive training in peacemaking (mediation) from the Institute of Chris- tian Conciliation in Billings, Mont. Shepherd of the Lakes, Brighton, MI; St. Luke, Ann Arbor, MI 7-79 To Establish Study of Delegate Representation WHEREAS, The Synod has always worked for fair representation of the congregations and members it serves; and WHEREAS, There has been a major shifting of the world’s popu- lation into metro population centers; and WHEREAS, Our synodical membership also represents this shift, causing the metro population to be underrepresented; for example, the following three Circuits are an illustration (data taken from the 1994 Statistical Yearbook): District Circuit Number of members rep- resented by | pastor and 1 lay delegate Northern Illinois #5 9728 Wyoming #6 1042 Montana #2 1304 therefore be it Resolved, That the Synod in convention have the Board of Di- rectors of Synod assign a committee to study representation at Synod’s conventions for the 21st century. Martin Luther Chapel East Lansing, MI 7-80 To Appoint Task Force to Review Voting Representation WHEREAS, It is in the long-range interest of the LCMS to con- tinue to listen to and use the gifts and skills of a great variety of congregations and individuals; and WHEREAS, There is legitimate concern that talented servants and leaders in many of our larger congregations are not realistically rep- resented at District or Synod planning and policy-making events; and WHEREAS, There is a desire to keep sisters and brothers who serve and lead in our growing congregations as a vibrant part of our LCMS partnership; and WHEREAS, There is a fearful possibility that those whose opin- ions and skills are not sought out, heard, and used will turn else- where, as often happens in local congregations, thus diminishing the gifts that God makes available to our Synod; and WHEREAS, The number of LCMS congregations has increased slowly in recent decades (5,512 in 1963; 5,811 in 1973; 5,724 in 1983; 5,972 in 1993; 6,175 in 1995); and WHEREAS, A majority of our congregations have plateaued or declined in membership, but 50 percent of the Synod’s member- ship is part of less than 20 percent of the congregations; and WHEREAS, Because of our current structure and procedures, many faithful, worshiping, serving fellow members are truly un- represented at District and Synod conventions; therefore be it Resolved, That the Board of Directors of Synod, in consultation with the Council of Presidents of Synod, appoint a task force to (1) examine potential ways of bringing a more representative voting structure between the small and large congregations of the Synod and Districts; and (2) enlist the counsel and insights of a variety of congregations (presently small or large); and offer recommenda- tions to bring about a more equitable and representative voting process for congregations of the Districts and Synod at the 2001 convention. St. Luke, Ann Arbor, MI