# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1975_S98 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 98 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS the congregations and clergy of the Synod for study and con- sideration no less than 1 year before such statement is to be presented to a convention: and be it further Resolved. That if such a statement is accepted by majority vote at a convention of the Synod it be resubmitted to the con- gregations and clergy of the Synod for further study: and be it further Resolved. That the congregations and clergy of the Synod be requested to transmit suggestions and concerns to the Commis- sion on Theology and Church Relations no less than 8 months prior to the next synodical convention: and be it further Resolved. That the Commission on Theology and Church Relations bring its recommendations regarding the proposed statement (whether to adopt. modify. or reject it) to the next convention of the Synod: and be it finally Resolved. That if such a statement as originally presented or modified is adopted by majority vote of the next synodical con- vention it be regarded as a more formal statement of belief in the sense of the 1971] resolution of the Milwaukee convention. St. James Lutheran Church University City, Mo. John Essen. President Carl Meinecke. Secretary Tom Baker, Pastor 3-118 To Establish Commission on Dissent WHEREAS. The Synod has grappled with stubborn problems for many years without being able to arrive at easy and clear-cut solutions, among which we cite continued confusion over the following: A. The exact meaning of “honor and uphold doctrinal resolutions,"’ especially when members of the Synod question the correctness of certain resolutions. B. The interplay of a resolution’s bindingness with the dis- cussion required to confirm its correspondence with the Scrip- tures: C. The method of rescinding doctrinal resolutions. declaring them to be null and void, when and if there should be a con- sensus that they are in conflict with the Scriptures: D. The relation between doctrinal discipline and legalistic or autocratic methods: E. The necessity for censorship as opposed to the moral obligation to speak out on doctrinal issues: F. The sense in which the Synod is a spiritual organization with the authority to issue divine calls, as opposed to the sense in which it is a human organization, able to hire and dismiss employees at will: G. The fact that the Holy Spirit may speak through a vocal minority just as truly as through a solid majority: and WHEREAS, It would be advantageous to the Synod to reach agreement on certain aspects of these problems whether or not controversy can be terminated in other areas: and WHEREAS. It is evident that the Synod does not exist by divine institution but exists as a creature of congregations which are themselves by divine institution, and that although the Synod is committed at their request to standards which are thoroughly Scriptural. nevertheless. the policies and procedures which it adopts for practical purposes cannot automatically be construed as extensions of Article II of the Constitution (e. g., both bud- getary and personnel matters are essentially administrative and are not necessarily justified by appeals to specific prooftexts): and WHEREAS. Unanimity of belief is clearly understood as a precondition for membership: and WHEREAS, Membership in the Synod is voluntary rather than obligatory and is never interpreted as a precondition for mem- bership in the kingdom of heaven, so that it does not make sense to describe its methods as legalistic as opposed to evangelical, or to insist that exclusion from this human organization must be on moral rather than on practical grounds, or that dismissal must take place according to the method outlined in Matt. 18 rather than by sound administrative measures: therefore be it Resolved. That the Synod declare that no member of the Synod may appeal to his “Christian” rights and privileges as a justification for frustrating the primary purpose for which the Synod exists. that of preserving the unity of its faith. or for threatening its organic cohesion: and be it further Resolved. That a “Commission on Dissent” be established. to have the following functions: A. To serve as an agency that provides political Stability to the Synod by reducing the climate of propaganda and counter- propaganda, with “every man doing what is right in his own eyes” by virtue of his status as a child of God, or with contrary voices claiming to represent the true position of the Synod: B. To receive charges that individuals are teaching contrary to the public doctrine of the Synod as expressed in its theological resolutions, especially when such alleged teachings are being disseminated beyond the borders of a single District. If they are confined to a given District. the commission shall relay the the information to the appropriate District President: C. To protect the interests of dissenters by making a judg- ment whether the dissenting views may conceivably be capable of Scriptural validation, and if so, specify the conditions under which they may be disseminated. If there appears no merit to the dissenting positions, those involved shall be given the reasons and requested to refrain from publicizing their views. Such a negative ruling will be shared with the Praesidium, which will in turn give the matter whatever publicity may serve the unity of our faith: D. To determine whether the conditions it imposed on the propagation of dissenting views are being met or whether dis- senters are becoming dissidents who create dissension rather than stimulators of Spirit-guided thought and discussion: E. To preserve unity by requesting the Praesidium to take appropriate action when it becomes apparent that a Party spirit is being fostered by dissident activity and that factions threaten to form. Action by the Praesidium may include: 1. Identifying in official publications the nature of opposition views and/or loveless activity by dissidents: 2. Requesting the CTCR to demonstrate the Spiritual errors of dissidents: 3. Requesting District officials and/or Boards of Control to take prompt disciplinary action against those creating divisions; F. To place uncooperating dissidents under temporary suspension or dismissal from the Synod if the commission is not satisfied that suitable progress is being made with dissidents and if sueh action shall not involve forfeiture of equity in funds. but it shall terminate all synodical support and such other rights and privileges as may be appropriate under the circumstances and as determined by the Commission on Dissent: and be it finally Resolved. That the Commission on Dissent be appointed by the President of the Synod and that it consist of five men who are not on the synodical payroll and who hold no other synodical office. They shall serve 5-year staggered terms. Hope Lutheran Church San Leandro, Calif. Roberta Strom, Secretary 3-119 To Make Use of Synodically Adopted Doctrinal Statements on Local Level Introduction In the first 100 years of our history, The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod was blessed with that God-pleasing oneminded- ness in true doctrine and practice which rarely finds parallel in the entire New Testament era. This was not only a “paper agreement” but one of deep conviction. It is a great tragedy that within the last several years the devil has promoted within our ranks open denials of God’s Word under the most pious phraseology. For during the present doc- trinal controversy both sides were claiming their own position to be in harmony with Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confes-