# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2007_S282 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 282 SYNOD STRUCTURE AND GOVERANCE Resolved, That the PSW District make public this misunder- standing and its correction in order to ensure no lingering ill ef- fects;... and WHEREAS, ‘In a letter dated July 2, 2006, a district president questioned the validity of [this] district convention resolution”; and WHEREAS, The CCM rendered its Opinion (District Convention Resolution re CCM “Guidelines” (06-2477)) stating: “.A district convention does not have the authority...to instruct that district’s constitution committee to ignore the duties and re- sponsibilities imposed upon them by the Synod... It is the Con- stitution and Bylaws of the Synod that authorize and instruct a district’s constitution committee and board of directors con- cerning the matter of the constitutions and bylaws of district congregations...” and WHEREAS, The purpose of Guidelines for Constitutions and By- laws of Lutheran Congregations is truly as “guidelines,” and not as a template which must be followed word-for-word; and WHEREAS, The CCM, referring to opinions 04-2412 and 98- 2135, stated: “A congregation’s confessional standard must not go beyond that of the Synod”; and WHEREAS, The adjectives describing Holy Scripture which are the focus of the PSW District resolution (inspired, inerrant, and re- vealed) are not contrary to the Synod’s confessional basis, do not “go beyond the confessional standard of the Synod”, and are “in harmony with Holy Scripture, the Confessions, and the teachings and practices of the Synod”, and use of these words demonstrates a congregation’s “Acceptance of the confessional basis of Art. II”; and WHEREAS, These words are in fact included in the approved constitutions of many congregations of the Synod; therefore be it Resolved, That the Synod in convention declare that CCM opin- ion 06-2477 incorrectly prohibited the inclusion of orthodox words regarding Scripture, such as inspired, inerrant, or revealed in the “Confessional Subscription” paragraph of congregational constitu- tions; and be it further Resolved, That the Synod in convention declare that CCM opin- ions 04-2412 and 98-2135 not be understood to exclude the words in question from congregational constitutions; and be it finally Resolved, That the CCM be prohibited from using any of its “guidelines” as though they had to be followed word-for-word in congregational constitutions. Zion East Moline, IL 8-64 To Reject CCM Opinion 06-2477 re Use of Terms in Congregational Constitutions WHEREAS, The constitution of a congregation of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is an indispensable document for con- gregational self-understanding and governance; and WHEREAS, Constitutions of LCMS congregations and LCMS rites of ordination for pastors and installation of church workers (LW Agenda, p. 211; LSB Agenda, p. 165) have rightly included the accurate and descriptive words “revealed,” “inspired,” or “in- errant” as standard, time-honored language that details the textual character of Holy Scripture; and WHEREAS, Our Lutheran Confessions, in the Preface to the Book of Concord, refer to the Word of God as, “pure,” “infallible,” and “unalterable” (Tappert, p. 8) and “pure,” “unalloyed,” and “unadulterated” (Tappert, p. 3); and WHEREAS, Our Synod in convention in 1973 clearly expressed its doctrine in the Brief Statement, a doctrinal resolution of the LCMS, by describing God’s Holy Word in Section A, entitled “The Inspiration of Scripture,” as “inspired,” and in Section F, “The In- fallibility of Scripture” (which ends with “‘the Lord of history, who reveals Himself in Holy Scriptures”) as “revealed” and as “‘in- errant” (“We reject the following views: ... 2. That the scriptures are inerrant only in matters pertaining directly to the Gospel mes- sage of salvation’’), and in Section 6, “Confessional Subscription,” (which begins with “We reaffirm our acceptance of the Scriptures as the inspired and inerrant Word of God’) also as “inerrant”; and WHEREAS, It is necessary for the Synod to speak to its own cul- ture regarding Holy Scripture in words that clearly address the ve- racity of Scripture and to reject false notions prevalent in culture and in heterodox church bodies that call into question portions of God’s Word as being authoritative, thus necessitating the use of “inspired,” “revealed,” “infallible,” and “inerrant”; therefore be it Resolved, That CCM opinion 06-2477 be officially overturned; and be it further Resolved, That congregations of The Lutheran Church—Mis- souri Synod be permitted and encouraged to employ the terms “re- vealed,” “inerrant,” and “infallible” in referencing the character of the text of Holy Scripture. North Kansas City Circuit 11 Missouri District 8-65 To Retain the Words “Revealed,” “Inspired,” and “Inerrant” in Congregations’ Constitutions WHEREAS, Constitutions of LCMS congregations as well as LCMS ceremonies and statements have included the words “re- vealed,” “inspired,” and “inerrant” to describe Holy Scripture; and WHEREAS, Using these words to describe Scripture is in har- mony with the position of Scripture itself (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Cor. 2:9-13; 14:37; Acts 24:14; Psalm 19:7; Rom. 3:2; 1 Thess. 2:13; John 8:31—32; 17:20; 10:35; 2 Cor. 13:3; 1 Peter 1:12) as well as the Lutheran Confessions (LC IV 57); and WHEREAS, The Pacific Southwest District (PSWD) Constitution Committee has instructed congregations to avoid words such as “revealed,” “inspired,” and “inerrant” to describe Scripture in their constitutions and has disallowed at least one congregation’s en- trance into the Synod based on those words appearing in their drafted constitution; and WHEREAS, The Missouri Synod Commission on Constitutional Matters (CCM) has officially supported the actions of the PSWD Constitution Committee by stating that words describing Scripture such as “inspired,” “inerrant,” or “revealed” amount to “other con- fessional statements, confessions of faith, or common confessions” that “go beyond that of the Synod” and so cannot be used in consti- tutions (CCM Minutes, Sept. 7-8, 2006: 155. District Convention Resolution re CCM “Guidelines,” 06-2477); therefore be it Resolved, That the Synod in convention affirm that the descrip- tive words “revealed,” “inspired,” and “inerrant” do not go beyond the Synod’s confessional standards; and be it further ; Resolved, That the Synod in convention direct the CCM to act in accordance with this affirmation, particularly by not compelling congregations, either directly or indirectly, to remove such de- scriptive language from their constitutions; and be it finally Resolved, That Guidelines for the Constitution and Bylaws of a Lutheran Congregation be revised to reflect the freedom of LCMS congregations to describe Holy Scripture in the confessional stan- dards paragraph of their constitutions using the words “revealed,” “inspired,” and/or “inerrant.” St Paul Wellston, OK 8-66 To Affirm Confessional Language re Holy Scriptures WHEREAS, 2 Tim 3:16—17: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work”; and