LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 9

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SYNOD REPORTS
Res. 8-07S To Call Special Convention to Amend Synod Structure and
Governance
Resolved,
That we as delegates of this convention direct President Kieschnick
to meet with the Council of Presidents within the next 90 days, after consulting with our two seminary presidents, the Commission on Theology
and Church Relations, the Board of Directors, the Vice-President–
Finance—Treasurer, other officers of the Synod, and the Commission
on Constitutional Matters; and be it further
Resolved, That if President Kieschnick and two-thirds of the district
presidents determine at that time to call a special convention, we stand
ready to serve.
Action Taken:

Following the 2007 convention, after completing the consultations
indicated in the resolution, I decided against calling a special convention. This decision was reported publicly to the Council of Presidents
and others with whom I consulted. The delegates to the 2007 convention were also notified of this decision in a memorandum dated Sept.
17, 2007, which was made public to the church at large. The action
taken in regard to Res. 8-07S is explained fully in that memo, a copy
of which is provided in the paragraphs that follow.
MEMO
Delegates to the 63rd Regular Convention
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, President
From:
Subject: 2007 Convention Resolution 8-07S
Date:
September 17, 2007
To:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, through
whom alone we have forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation!
Please allow me to express a sincere word of appreciation to you for
serving as a delegate to the 63rd Regular Convention of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod this summer. I pray that your experience was
spiritually beneficial and will continue to be fulfilling for you as we
work together for the extension of the kingdom of God in time and for
eternity.
This letter is to inform you officially that, after careful and prayerful
consultation with various leaders and groups in the Synod as directed by
Resolution 8-07S (a copy of which is included with this letter), I have
decided not to call a special convention of the Synod in 2009. Instead
of a special convention, the recommendations that will be forthcoming
from the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and Governance
(BRTFSSG) will be presented to and considered by the next regular
convention of the Synod in 2010.
It is important to recall the general purpose of the BRTFSSG,
which is essentially to study, seek input, and make recommendations
for consideration by the Synod in convention regarding greatly needed
amendments to the structure and governance of the Synod. Perhaps a
few excerpts from my June 10, 2005, letter of appointment to task force
members will be helpful in understanding the work assigned to the task
force:
Our work together as a Synod should enhance and enable achievement of the mission that God has given His church, a mission clearly
articulated in many places, including especially the first two objectives
in Article III of our Synod’s Constitution:
Article III. Objectives
The Synod, under Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, shall—
1. Conserve and promote the unity of the true faith (Eph. 4:3–6;
1 Cor.1:10), work through its official structure toward fellowship with
other Christian church bodies, and provide a united defense against
schism, sectarianism (Rom. 16:17), and heresy;

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2. Strengthen congregations and their members in giving bold witness by word and deed to the love and work of God, the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, and extend that Gospel witness into all the world;
The existence in our Synod of confusion and disagreement regarding our life and work, together with a growing conviction that the system
of structure and governance we have created for ourselves throughout
the past 158 years may no longer be ideal, led me to announce the formation of this task force, of which you are now a very important part. I
believe the following excerpt from my March 1, 2005, Pastoral Letter to
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is helpful in providing a rationale for your work:
Throughout our Synod’s history, its system of structure and governance has been discussed and disputed, revised and reorganized,
altered and amended. With honorable intentions, we continue attempting to enhance, simplify, clarify, or rectify the way we live and work
together in carrying out the purposes of the Synod. Yet we still have
significant confusion and disagreement about what the Synod really is,
what it does, and how it most appropriately functions.
These issues concern me deeply. Under Scripture and the Lutheran
Confessions, we must ensure that the Synod, a humanly designed
organization, carries out all its objectives, especially the first one, to
“Conserve and promote the unity of the true faith (Eph. 4:3–6; 1 Cor.
1:10) ...” (LCMS Constitution Article III). Agreements on how we live
and work together must not foster division, but serve to build unity.
The Synod in convention (2004 Resolution 7-02A) directed creation
of a committee to be appointed by the President and Board of Directors
to review matters regarding “officer and board responsibilities.” That
committee, with its special and limited focus, has been appointed and is
to report to the 2007 convention of the Synod.
Recent events, however, have convinced me that more than this is
needed. There is a great need for a thorough and fundamental review
of what our Synod is, how it is organized, and how it functions. What
was first created as an organizational system for a Synod made up of a
small number of congregations now struggles to serve more than 6,150
congregations.

The question before the 2007 convention was whether to call a
special convention of the Synod to consider the report and recommendations of the BRTFSSG in response to the “great need for a thorough
and fundamental review of what our Synod is, how it is organized, and
how it functions.” As you recall, the convention declined to call a special session itself under the provisions of Art. VIII B 1 of the Synod’s
Constitution, opting by a large majority (76 percent) to consider a
substitute resolution. Convention delegates then adopted by a vote
of more than 70 percent substitute Res. 8-07S directing the President
of the Synod, following the aforementioned consultations, to make
the decision regarding the calling of a special session. A decision by
the President of the Synod to call a special convention requires the
consent of two-thirds of the district presidents, as stipulated by both
Res. 8-07S and Art. VIII B 2 of the LCMS Constitution. The same
constitutional article also requires that a special session, when called
by the President and the district presidents, be called only in “cases
of urgent necessity.”
Prior to and during the consultations, I developed an extensive list
of pros and cons on whether to call a special session of the Synod. I
carefully and prayerfully considered and shared these pros and cons
during the consultations:
Pros

• Res. 8-07S was adopted by a “super majority” of over 70 percent
of the delegates, who indicated that should such a special convention be called, they would “stand ready to serve.”
• Seasoned and experienced 2007 delegates would be in place at a
special convention, while delegates to the 2010 convention would
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2010 Convention.indb 9

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