LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 105

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THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 105

Again, in undertaking important work ordinary wisdom will be
enough to go and consult those women whose support should be
enlisted. Even in minor matters such as providing a desired service
or arranging details concerning which women may well have proper
wishes of their own, good sense will meet these wishes on their part.
All these things have been done for many a year in the churches
without going to the length of placing women on a par with the men
in giving them voice and vote in all congregational meetings. and
without depriving them in the least of their favored position in the
church;

and

WHEREAS, The Synod in convention at St. Paul in 1956
adopted a statement, quoted in part (Proceedings, pp. 568-69):

Our women generally have not been resentful about their
exclusion from this voting membership as it has developed in our
congregations. In faith and love they gladly exercise their rights as
members of the roval priesthood. in this respect through the natural
administrant sex to which the Scripture assigns the ruling function
in the church. They. too, have read. and they willingly heed. the
Pauline texts. Their Spirit-prompted urge to serve the church has not
been wanting in opportunities for activity. There is so much forall to
do. and there are things that none can do so well as women.

We believe that Scripture fully sanctions the basic polity set up in
our church, and we can foresee only evil results in any change of the
polity under which our church has been so signally blessed for more
than a century:

and

WHEREAS, We must always be aware of Satan's snare to use
the world and the ways of the world to seduce the Christian to
compromise our Scriptural position of years ago with the mores
of our society, today as well as in the past. and must therefore
respond to St. Paul's appeal to the Roman Christians. which
also applies to us as well (Rom. 12:1-2):

I appeal to you. fellow Christians. by the mercies of God, to give your
bodies asa living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, and so worship
Him as thinking beings. Don't live like this world, but let yourselves
be transformed by a renewing of your minds so you can test and be
sure what God wants. what is good and pleasing and perfect.

and

WHEREAS, Satan continually seeks to lead us astray and to
use what seems to bea harmless decision in principle, and once
made, will use it to condition us for a greater breakdown in
principle by leading us into sin, from sin into false doctrine and
practice; and

WHEREAS, History has proven that Lutheran and other
denominations first began with ‘woman suffrage,” and after
being conditioned have now taken greater steps in ignoring
Scripture by accepting “‘women’s ordination”; and

WHEREAS, The Synod in the 1969 Denver convention allowed
congregations to adopt the un-Scriptural position of woman
suffrage, which has brought much confusion and disunity
within our Synod: and

WHEREAS, There is new hope that our vounger theologians
of today see that the concession our Synod made by passing the
Denver Res. 2-17, giving the option to each congregation
regarding the practice of woman suffrage, was very unwise,
causing them to take a closer look into Scripture, as shown by
the following comment from ‘‘Theses on Woman Suffrage in
the Church” by Douglas Judisch (Concordia Theological
Quarterly, 41, 3 (July 1977], 36):

The author must admit, to be sure. that he favored the resolution
concerned at the convention in Denver, considering woman suffrage
a necessary concession to the spirit of the times. His witness of the
evil results of this arrangement, however. has driven him back toa
thorough study of the matter in the light of the Word of God. The time
has come for others in the Synod to reconsider their stance in the
same light:

therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod repent of our former action and
return to our previous Scriptural position regarding woman
suffrage.

Zion Lutheran Church
Auburn, Wash.

Gary A. Ford, President
H. B. Schutte, Pastor

Identical or similar:

3-26B and 3-26C

St. Thomas. Rocky River. Ohio
Trinity, New Haven. Mo.

Richard Dorow
Orville Meyer

3-27A

To Continue the Option
of Women’s Suffrage

WHEREAS. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod con-
vention in 1969 extended to congregations the option of per-
mitting women to have voice and vote in congregational
deliberations; and

WHEREAS, This action has been a positive recognition of the
gifts of God which women bring to the life of the church; and

WHEREAS, Congregations of the Synod, including our own,
have found that women’s suffrage enriches the life of the
congregation as it ministers in the community: and

WHEREAS, Women’s suffrage does not involve placing
women in authority over men so much as it involves an equal
participation and servanthood in congregational planning
and ministry: and

WHEREAS, Women have also contributed to synodical de-
liberations as voting lay delegates; therefore be it

Resolved. That the Synod give thanks to God for the gifts
He has extended to the church through the services of faithful
women: and be it further

Resolved. That the Synod reaffirm its declaration, made in
1969, to the effect that “Scripture does not prohibit women from
exercising the franchise in congregational or synodical assem-
blies’; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod commend to its members the
exhaustive study, prepared by our Commission on Theology
and Church Relations, which preceded this affirmation: and be
it finally

Resolved. That the Synod assure member congregations
which follow a differing practice that the Synod will continue
to honor their decisions in this matter.

Trinity Lutheran Church
Brownsville, Texas

Chris Clearman, Chairman
Wendy Haught. Secretary
Timothy Koenig, Pastor

Identical or similar:

3-27B to 3-27F

St. James, Grand Rapids, Mich. R.S. Miller
Grace, Warminster, Pa. Paul Aldinger
First, Helena, Mont. Oran Roy Bjamson
Town & Country, Sacramento. Calif. Ron Becker
Mt. Olive. Pasadena, Calif. Jeff Matson

3-28
To Encourage Women’s Participation

Resolved, That the Synod give thanks to God for the gifts
He has extended to the church through the services of faithful
women; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod reaffirm its declaration made in
1969. to the effect that Scripture does not prohibit women from
exercising the franchise in congregational or synodical assem-
blies”; and be it finally

Resolved. That the Synod restudy its position forbidding
the pastoral office to women, inasmuch as this means of
serving God, like women’s suffrage, does not involve placing
women in authority over men but rather offers equal partici-
pation and servanthood in congregational ministry.

Trinity Lutheran Church
Spencerport, N.Y.
Chas. N. Goehring, Pastor