# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2007_S166 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 166 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS Resolved, By the 2007 LCMS convention that all church work- ers and congregation members be encouraged, urged, implored, and begged in Jesus’ name to support, defend, and speak well of each other, always putting the best construction on each other’s min- istries; and be it further Resolved, That when items truly involving doctrinal concern arise, we will approach one another in a loving way to discuss them with open hearts and minds while continuing to serve our Lord and His mission; and be it finally Resolved, That we, by the adoption of this resolution, affirm to our sisters and brothers in the church’s ministry, “While I may not always agree with you, I trust you and pray God’s blessings upon the ministry God has directed you to do.” Trinity Roselle, IL 3-38 To Develop Resources for Faithful Administration of Lord’s Supper WHEREAS, The Lord’s Supper expresses the deep union we have with God and with each other, given through Christ’s body and blood (1 Cor. 10:16--17); and WHEREAS, We seek to maintain a clear confession of faith and doctrine to maintain the unity of the church; and WHEREAS, We continue to do ministry in a post-Christian, highly transient, and extremely diverse culture, requiring difficult pastoral decisions; and WHEREAS, It is the desire of our district to establish faith com- munities in order to enlarge the kingdom of God and bring the mes- sage of Christ to our communities in broader ways, raising the issue of how to faithfully administer the Lord’s Supper in this new set- ting; and Wuereas, The LCMS Ablaze! movement and its use of small group ministry could raise similar issues; therefore be it Resolved, That the California-Nevada-Hawaii District encour- age its president and circuit counselors to work diligently with pas- tors and congregations to develop practical ways of faithfully administering the Lord’s Supper, and to carry out their responsi- bilities of supervision; and be it further Resolved, That we memorialize the LCMS in our 2007 conven- tion to direct our president and Board for Mission Services to de- velop resources to assist pastors and congregations in developing practical ways of faithfully administering the Lord’s Supper in these new mission settings. California-Nevada-Hawaii District 3-39 To Affirm Proper Administration of the Lord’s Supper Wuereas, The Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions clearly reveal the true nature of the Lord’s Supper as a unique gift given by God to His people; and WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has repeat- edly affirmed the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper in past LCMS con- ventions (1967, 1981, 1986, 1995); and Wuereas, The affirmation of pure doctrine (all doctrines which are clearly taught in Scripture) has been the basis of unity among the congregations of the Synod; and Wuereas, There is significant disagreement about what consti- tutes “extraordinary situations and circumstances,” which some pastors and congregations interpret very broadly and others quite narrowly; and WHEREAS, The situation does exist where some Missouri Synod congregations have allowed individuals to commune who have not been properly instructed in the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper; and WHEREAS, The situation has arisen in the Synod where some Missouri Synod congregations deny the Sacrament to pastors and members of sister congregations; therefore be it Resolved, That the Texas District of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod affirm the historical scriptural and confessional un- derstanding of the Lord’s Supper; and be it further Resolved, That all pastors seek to be faithful in the administra- tion of the Lord’s Supper in such a way as to be a blessing to the re- cipients while at the same time seeking to give a positive witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all its parts; and be it further Resolved, That all pastors and congregations who have estab- lished a basis of Communion fellowship other than the public doc- trinal statements of the Synod immediately cease such practice and return to an evangelical and faithful administration of the Sacra- ment; and be it further Resolved, That the Texas District in convention encourage all pastors and congregations to examine their Communion practices, seek to instruct recipients in the Christian faith as expounded in Luther’s Small Catechism, and seek to ensure the administration of the Lord’s Supper is consistent with the Word of God and the Lutheran Confessions; and be it finally Resolved, That upon adoption by the 2006 Texas District con- vention, this resolution be submitted to the 2007 LCMS conven- tion. Texas District 3-40 To Affirm Proper Administration of the Lord’s Supper WuEREAS, The Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions clearly reveal the true nature of the Lord’s Supper as a unique gift by God to His people; and WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and South- ern District have repeatedly affirmed the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper in past conventions; and WuerEaS, The affirmation of pure doctrine, clearly taught in Scripture, has been the basis of unity among the congregations of the Synod; and WHEREAS, The situation has arisen in the Synod where some LCMS congregations openly invite all baptized Christians to re- ceive the Sacrament; and WuereEAas, The situation has also arisen in the Synod where some LCMS congregations deny the Sacrament to pastors and members of sister congregations; therefore be it Resolved, That the Southern District of the LCMS affirms the historical scriptural and confessional understanding of the Lord’s Supper; and be it further Resolved, That all pastors seek to be faithful in the administra- tion of the Lord’s Supper in such a way as to be a blessing to the re- cipients while at the same time giving a positive witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all its parts; and be it further Resolved, That all pastors and congregations who have estab- lished a basis of Communion fellowship contrary to the Word of God and the Lutheran Confessions are strongly urged to immedi- ately cease such practice and return to an evangelical and faithful administration of the Sacrament; and be it finally Resolved, That upon adoption by the Southern District, this res- olution be submitted to the 2007 LCMS convention. Southern District 3-41 To Urge Evangelical Practice of Close(d) Communion Whereas, Our historic practice of close(d) Communion has its foundation in the pure Word of God and grows from our Lord’s desire that there be no divisions among us, but that we all be per-