LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 54

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54

SYNOD REPORTS

viability of the Witness in difficult times for denominational
publications.
• connecting with LCMS constituents in new and improved ways
through the Synod’s “CrossConnect” project, enabling our
people to tell us, directly and easily, which communication
pieces they want to receive, how they wish to receive them,
and how we can make them better.
The BCS believes it has a compelling vision for the future of
LCMS communications. Whatever that future holds, whatever the
Lord has in mind concerning such things as Synod finances and possible changes to our structure and governance, this department, under
God’s blessing, will be poised to make the most of its resources and
opportunities in the next triennium and beyond.
David L. Strand
Executive Director

was serving as Executive Director of the CTCR, assisted by Dr. Jerald
C. Joersz, Associate Executive Director, and Dr. Joel D. Lehenbauer,
Associate Executive Director. Dr. Joersz retired on January 3, 2008,
having served for nearly 31 years. Dr. Nafzger, having completed
35 years of service to the CTCR, accepted a call from the LCMS
President to be Director of Church Relations and assumed his new
office on July 1, 2008. Dr. Lehenbauer, who had served the commission as Assistant and/or Associate Executive Director since 1991,
accepted the call to be its next Executive Director, beginning July
1, 2008. The Rev. Larry M. Vogel, pastor of Martin Luther Chapel,
Pennsauken, New Jersey, was called and accepted the position of
Associate Executive Director, beginning his service to the commission on May 1, 2009. The third staff position remains vacant.

R3-01

1. Defending Pre-implantation Human Life in the Public Square

I. Theology
A. Assignments Completed

Commission on Theology and Church Relations
The Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) has
three functions: (1) “assist the President of the Synod at his request
in discharging his constitutional responsibilities for maintaining doctrinal unity within the Synod”; (2) “provide guidance to the Synod in
matters of theology and church relations”; and (3) assist the members
of the Synod in their witness regarding “societies, lodges, cults, or any
organizations of an unchristian or antichristian character” (Bylaws
3.9.6.2 to 3.9.6.3.1).
The CTCR’s membership consists of sixteen voting and four
advisory members. The voting membership includes two parish pastors, one parish teacher, and two laypersons elected by the Synod
convention; two pastors (one of whom is a district president) and
two laypersons elected by the Council of Presidents; four seminary
professors, two appointed or elected by each seminary faculty; and
three additional members appointed by the President of the Synod
in consultation with the vice-presidents (one of these appointees is
a non-seminary Synod professor). The advisory members are the
President and First Vice-President of the Synod and the presidents
of the two seminaries.
Current commission members and the dates their terms expire are
Rev. Dr. Charles Arand (2010), Dr. Shirley Bergman (2010), Rev. Dr.
Armand Boehme (2010), Mr. Kirk Farney (2013), Dr. Jean Garton
(2013), Rev. Dr. Charles Gieschen (2010), Mr. Peter Hessler (2010),
Rev. Dr. Loren Kramer (2010), Rev. Walter Lehenbauer (2013), Rev.
Dr. Michael Middendorf (2010), Dr. Kenneth Palmreuter (2010), Rev.
Dr. Paul Raabe (2010), Rev. Dr. Lawrence Rast (2010), Rev. Dr.
Robert Rosin (2010), Rev. Dr. Jon Diefenthaler (2010), and Rev. Dr.
Orville Walz (2010). The commission’s officers during the past triennium were Rev. Dr. Loren Kramer, Chairman; Rev. Dr. Paul Raabe,
Vice-Chairman; and Mr. Peter Hessler, Secretary.
In September 2009, Dr. Gerhard Michael completed a total of
14 years of service as a member of the CTCR, having retired from
office as president of the Florida-Georgia District. Dr. Michael had
served as the representative of the Council of Presidents (COP) to
the commission since 2001. Prior to that, he had served as a member
of the CTCR, having been appointed by President Ralph Bohlmann
(1986–92). At the December 2009 meeting of the commission, Dr.
Jon Diefenthaler, President of the Southeastern District, began his
service as the COP representative.
For many years, the CTCR has been served by three staff members. At the beginning of the current triennium, Dr. Samuel H. Nafzger

The 2006 convention of the Wyoming District (Wyoming Res.
3-09-2006) requested a response to its concerns with the CTCR’s
2005 report Christian Faith and Human Beginnings: Christian Care
and Pre-implantation Human Life. The Wyoming District asked that
the CTCR “revisit” its 2005 report in order to improve its clarity and
argumentation regarding the fact that “the unborn are persons in the
sight of God from the time of conception.” Expressing its gratitude
for the attention given to these concerns by the Wyoming District,
the CTCR adopted the response Defending Pre-implantation Human
Life in the Public Square at its December 2007 meeting and sent the
response to the Wyoming District, as well as to the Montana District
in response to 2007 Ov. 3-59, which is included in 2007 Omnibus
Resolution A. The commission also mailed this document to all members of the Synod and posted it on its Web site. This document is
included in Appendix II of this Convention Workbook and is available online at www.lcms.org/ctcr.
2. Responses to 2007 Omnibus Resolution A

Omnibus Resolution A of the 2007 convention included eight
overtures for referral to the CTCR (see 2007 Today’s Business, p.
169). At its December 2007 meeting, the commission discussed
and assigned responses to these overtures. Responses to Omnibus
Resolution A were completed at its May 2008 meeting.
3. Further Guidance regarding “Serial Prayer”

In light of requests for further clarification after the publication of
the 2004 report Guidelines for Participation in Civic Events, the 2007
convention of the LCMS asked the CTCR to provide “further guidance for participation in civic events that includes the offering of serial
prayer” (2007 Res. 3-05). In response to this, the commission carefully considered the difficulty of providing further helpful direction
for what is essentially a matter of the “exercise of pastoral judgment.”
At its December 2008 meeting, the document “CTCR Response to
2007 Res. 3-05 regarding ‘Serial Prayer’” was unanimously adopted.
This brief document is included in Appendix II of this Convention
Workbook and is available online at www.lcms.org/ctcr.
4. A Pastoral Approach to Membership in Certain Fraternal
Organizations

In 2006, the Nebraska District convention requested the CTCR to
prepare a document providing assistance to pastors caring for members or potential church members who were involved in fraternal
organizations (e.g., Masons). The commission adopted Membership
in Certain Fraternal Organizations: A Pastoral Approach at its

2010 Convention Workbook

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