# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2001_S256 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 256 STRUCTURE, PLANNING, AND ADMINISTRATION 7-55 To Reject CCM Ruling re Doctrinal Resolutions Wuereas, Art. VII of our synodical Constitution clearly states: “In its relation to its members the Synod is not an ecclesiastical government exercising legislative or coercive powers, and with re- spect to the individual] congregation’s right of self-government it is but an advisory body”; and WHEREAS. That same Art. VII draws out the logical conse- quence of that statement when it continues: “Accordingly. no reso- lution of the Synod imposing anything upon the individual congre- gation is of binding force if it is not in accordance with the Word of God or if it appears to be inexpedient as far as the condition of a congregation is concerned”; and WHEREAS, Over the course of the years there has been a ten- dency to circumscribe the freedom of the congregations belonging to the Synod; and WHEREAS, This tendency has led to a ruling by the Commission for Constitutional Matters that states: “In answer to the question to the Commission, the phrase ‘inexpedient as far as the condition of a congregation is concerned’ does not refer to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod and is restricted to resolutions adopted by a convention of the Synod which are non-doctrinal in nature” (CCM Ruling 99-2157); and WuereEAas, Such a ruling, unless overruled by a convention of the Synod, becomes binding (Bylaw 3.905 d); therefore be it Resolved, That under no circumstances could any resolution of the Synod deprive congregations of the freedom granted in Art. VII of the synodical Constitution; and be it further Resolved, That Ruling 99-2157 of the Commission on Consti- tutional Matters be rejected by the Synod in convention. Resurrection Garden City, NY 7-56 To Declare Doctrinal Statements and Resolutions Unconstitutional Wuereas, Art. VIII C of the synodical Constitution states that “all matters of doctrine and of conscience shall be decided only by the Word of God. All other matters shal] be decided by a majority vote”; therefore be it Resolved, That Bylaw 1.09 b, which states that doctrinal “reso- lutions come into being in the same manner as any other resolu- tions of a synodical convention,” be declared unconstitutional; and be it further Resolved, That Bylaw 1.09 c 6, which states that doctrinal state- ments shall be “operative if a two-thirds majority of the member congregations which respond within six months registers an affir- mative vote.” also be declared unconstitutional; and be it further Resolved. That any and all doctrinal resolutions and statements that have been decided by a majority vote rather than by the Word of God, not be binding on the members of the Synod; and be it fi- nally Resolved, That this resolution be submitted to the 2001 synodi- cal convention. Trinity, Hudson, W1; Mt. Zion, Minneapolis, MN 7-57 To Reject Elevation of Doctrinal Resolutions WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Constitu- tion, in its confessional standard in Art. Il, states that the “Synod and every member of the Synod accepts without reservation: 1. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament as the wril- ten Word of God and the only rule and norm of faith and of practice; 2001 Convention Workbook 2. All of the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as a true and unadulterated statement and exposition of the Word of God. to wit: the three Ecumenical Creeds (the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed), the Unaltered Augsburg Confession, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles, the Large Catechism of Luther, the Small Catechism of Luther, and the Formula of Con- cord”; and WHEREAS, The Bylaws of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (I. Relationships within and through the Synod, 1.03 Con- fessional Position) state that the confessional position of the Synod is “set forth in Art. II of the Constitution, to which all who wish to be and remain members shal] subscribe’; and WHEREAS, The Rites of Ordination, Installation, Commission- ing, and Consecration that are contained in the Lutheran Worship Agenda (1984) express the confessional standard as found in our Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Constitution and Bylaws; therefore be it Resolved, That the English District of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod reaffirm the clear confessional standard as it is contained in Art. II of the Constitution of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod; and be it further Resolved, That the English District of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod in its 2000 convention reject the elevation of syn- odical doctrinal resolutions to equal status with Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions; and be it finally Resolved, That the English District of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod memorialize The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in its 2001 convention to reject the elevation of synodical doctrinal resolutions to equal status with Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. English District 7-58 To Revisit CCM Opinion re Binding Resolutions WHEREAS, Art. VII of our Synod’s Constitution states, “In rela- tion to its members the Synod is not an ecclesiastical government exercising legislative or coercive powers, and with respect to the individual congregation’s right of self government it is but an ad- visory 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 the congregation is concerned”; and WHEREAS, Our Synod’s Constitution Art. VIII C reads, “All matters of doctrine and conscience shall be decided only by the Word of God. All other matters shall be decided by majority vote”; and WHEREAS, Dr. C. F. W. Walther, who helped draft that consti- tution, declared in 1879 (“Duties of an Evangelical Lutheran Synod” in Essays for the Church, CPH, 1992, p. 31), “According to our Constitution, no synodical resolution is binding on the individ- ual congregations. No resolution. Mark that well!”; and WHEREAS, The Commission on Constitutional Matters stated in its opinion (Sept. 14, 1999) that “the phrase, ‘inexpedient as far as the condition of a congregation is concerned,’ does not refer to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod and is restricted to resolu- tions adopted by a convention of the Synod which are non-doctrinal in nature”; and WHEREAS, This opinion if left unchallenged could transform the Constitution’s statement that “no resolution of the Synod imposing anything upon the congregation is of binding force if it is not in ac- cordance with the Word of God” into a very limited guarantee that applies only to non-doctrinal resolutions; and WHEREAS, This opinion could transform matters of doctrine and conscience, which according to Art. VIII can “only be decided by the Word of God,” into matters that cannot only be settled by a simple majority vote of a convention, but then become binding upon all members of the Synod; therefore be it