# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2001_S150 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 150 CONGREGATIONAL SERVICES by virtue of their membership in the LCMS to use only doctrinally pure agenda and hymnbooks (1998 Handbook of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Constitution, Art. VI); and Wuereas, Many congregations and pastors have abandoned the use of the orthodox, historic liturgies of the church and are, as a re- sult, depriving many people from knowing, understanding, and benefiting from these liturgies as well as the Gospel that these litur- gies contain, proclaim, and convey; and WHEREAS, Thousands of members of Lutheran congregations, especially children, are growing up ignorant of these life-giving liturgies; and WHEREAS, In the historic liturgy of the church, the Bride pro- claims to her youngest the faith he confesses even when he is her oldest; and WHEREAS, The historic liturgies of the church are a protection for the pastor in his stewardship of the mysteries of God and for which he will be called to give an account; and WHEREAS, People will not defend what they do not appreciate, and they will not appreciate what they do not know, and they will not know what has been kept from them; therefore be it Resolved, That congregations and pastors use the orthodox, his- toric liturgies of the church in the divine services; and be it further Resolved, That more presentations of “The Real Life Worship” conferences be conducted throughout The Lutheran Church—Mis- sourl Synod; and be it further Resolved, That more presentations of the “Dying-to-Live” youth conferences be conducted throughout The Lutheran Church—Mis- souri Synod; and be it further Resolved, That congregational leaders read and study The Un- changing Feast, The Nature and Basis of Lutheran Worship by A. L. Barry and Lutheran Worship: History and Practice by Concor- dia Publishing House; and be it finally Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in con- vention thank the Lord God Almighty for the rich heritage of the Gospel-laced liturgies of the church and the great treasury of hymnody in the church. Our Redeemer Emmett, ID 2-53 To Promote Use of Liturgical Orders and Hymns WHEREAS, The church is in the world but not of the world; and WHEREAS, The Lutheran Confessions identify the church as being where the Gospel is purely preached and the Sacraments are rightly administered: and WHEREAS, The Lutheran Confessions maintain that we do not abolish the mass but religiously maintain and defend it along with its usual ceremonies (Apology XXIV); and WHEREAS, We neither wish to give the impression that our wor- ship is the same as the Roman Catholic nor the Reformed or Fun- damentalist churches; and WHEREAS, The entertainment model of worship fundamentally displaces the rightly used means of grace and gives the impression of unity with the Reformed churches; therefore be it Resolved, That the Synod in convention discourage the practice of so-called “contemporary” or “alternative” worship in the con- gregations of the Synod; and be it further Resolved, That the approved hymnals of the Synod (most re- cently Lutheran Worship, The Lutheran Hynmal, Hymnal Supple- ment 98) be commended for regular use in their liturgical orders and hymns in the congregations of the Synod: and be it finally Resolved, That the seminaries of the Synod be directed to de- velop a second required course (not merely an elective) in the his- tory and theology of liturgy in their curricula. Zion Tomball, TX 2001 Convention Workbook 2-54 To Discourage Regular Use of Unapproved Orders of Worship WHEREAS, There has been a proliferation of newer orders of ser- vice, usually referred to as contemporary orders; and WHEREAS, Such orders of worship sometimes fail to include the basic elements of the accepted principles of Lutheran worship; and WHEREAS, Art. VI of our Constitution provided as a condition for membership in the Synod “exclusive use of doctrinally pure agenda, hymnbooks, and catechisms in church and school”; and WHEREAS, The extensive use of such contemporary worship forms slights the continuity of the present church with the saints that have gone before and suggests that individuals can improve on liturgies, prayers, and collects that have accumulated over the ages; therefore be it Resolved, That the congregations of the Synod be urged not to use contemporary orders of worship on a regular basis unless these have been approved by the Commission on Worship; and be it fur- ther Resolved, That in the regular worship services of the congrega- tions, the orders of service found in Lutheran Worship, The Lutheran Hymnal, and Hymnal Supplement 98 be used with a min- imum of modifications. Zion Keamey, NE 2-55 To Restore Harmony in Lutheran Worship Practice Wuereas, While certain aspects of worship may be considered adiaphora, the confessional unity of congregations belonging to the LCMS is both manifested and strengthened by harmony in worship practice; and WuerEas, For most of the Synod’s history, harmony in worship practice has been the rule and has been considered a salutary and commendable characteristic of orderly congregational life (cf. Ap XV to distinguish proper and improper use of traditions); and WHEREAS, Worship practices in the LCMS currently range from low-church evangelical to high-church Eastern Orthodox forms. with many variations in between; and WHEREAS, There is clear evidence today of a concern and inter- est, especially among younger people. regarding the substance and form of worship; and WHEREAS, Contemporary biblically grounded descriptions of the characteristics of confessional Lutheran worship can serve as a valuable resource for congregations and pastors as a basis for dis- cussion and instruction, and ultimately as helpful guides for wor- ship; therefore be it Resolved, That the Synod in convention request that pastors meet regularly in their Circuits during the next triennium to discuss confessional Lutheran worship practice in the light of available public documents; and be it further Resolved, That discussions be directed intentionally toward restoring harmony in local Lutheran worship practices; and be it further Resolved, That the Circuits report through the Council of Pres- idents to the next convention of the Synod on the level of consen- sus reached; and be it finally Resolved, That the Synod’s Commission on Worship be en- couraged to continue its practice of producing worship materials of the highest quality for congregational use, as well as documents for study on specific aspects of Lutheran worship. Concordia Seminary St. Louis, MO