# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2004_S444
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

444 OTHER PERTINENT DOCUMENTS

but must be content with believing that we made the best possible
decision under the circumstances.

A Concluding Word on the Responses

The numerous responses to The Lutheran Understanding of
Church Fellowship show the importance of church fellowship for
LCMS members. A word of thanks to all participants, especially
to those who made extensive handwritten comments! The desire
of some for a more detailed examination of scriptural and confes-
sional passages cited in the document in support of the LCMS po-
sition is a positive sign. Obviously LCMS members want the
Synod’s fellowship principles and practices to be firmly grounded
on their biblical and confessional foundations. Encouraging con-
tinued study does not mean that the LCMS has no position on fel-
lowship. Quite to the contrary! One reason for establishing the
LCMS, as is evidenced in its Constitution, was to be faithful to
Scripture’s teaching on church fellowship. Many times since its
formation in 1847, the LCMS has reaffirmed this. But this does not
imply that nothing remains to be said on the topic. The goal of The
Lutheran Understanding of Church Fellowship is not to suggest
that the LCMS follow tradition blindly, but to set forth and apply
scriptural and confessional doctrine in the light of current chal-
lenges. A pure understanding of the doctrine of church fellowship
will strengthen our witness to Christ and His Gospel. For the sake
of our unity in the pure doctrine of Christ, we ask God to bless our
church as we continue to study this issue.

Adopted February 16, 2001

2004 Convention Workbook

Note

1. In a 1973 opinion titled “What Is a Service?” (with which the
CTCR concurred) the Synod’s Commission on Worship responded
in part as follows to the question, “Is a wedding ceremony a ‘ser-
vice’ in the same sense as, for instance, Sunday morning worship?”

Any occasion on which a public worship of God occurs—that
is, in which the Word of God and prayer are used by a regularly des-
ignated worship leader of the church—is understood to be a “ser-
vice.” This would therefore include not only those occasions regu-
larly designated as worship services (e.g., the ordinary Sunday
morning worship noted in the question above) but also occasions—
such as weddings, funerals, dedications, baccalaureates, etc.—which
may have an ad hoc assembly different from the regular congrega-
tional worship assembly.

It should be noted, moreover, that there are other types of “ser-
vice” than just the “public” occasions for worship. Thus when the
congregation’s (or its delegated representative’ s—e.g., mission
board, association of congregations, etc.) officially designated wor-
ship leader (chaplain, pastor, etc.) carries out his regularly appointed
ministerial functions (private Communion, etc.) in which the Word
of God and prayer (also at times exposition of the Word and/or
singing of hymns) form the major portion of such function, this also
is rightly understood to be a congregational “service,” albeit only a
private or a semiprivate one.

The use of the Word of God and prayer as an entity in itself (as
a corporate worship of God) constitutes a “service.” This is not to be
confused with a similar use of the Word and prayer as an integral
part of a broader program (e.g., the opening or closing devotion of a
meeting).