LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 60

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60

SYNOD REPORTS
In the administration of Communion the words of institution are to
be spoken or sung distinctly and clearly before the congregation and are
under no circumstances to be omitted. Thereby we render obedience to
the command of Christ, “This do.” Thereby the faith of the hearers in the
essence and benefits of this sacrament (the presence of the body and blood
of Christ, the forgiveness of sins, and all the benefits which Christ has won
for us by his death and the shedding of his blood and which he gives to us
in his testament) is awakened, strengthened, and confirmed through his
Word. And thereby the elements of bread and wine are hallowed or blessed
in this holy use, so that therewith the body and blood of Christ are distributed to us to eat and to drink, as Paul says, “The cup of blessing which we
bless,” which happens precisely through the repetition and recitation of
the words of institution (FC SD VII, 79–82).

The CTCR declines rendering a judgment on whether or not “the
practice that occurred at the 2007 NYG in Orlando [is] an ‘acceptable practice’ for such mass Communion practices,” since the term
“acceptable practice” can be understood in differing ways. On the
one hand, the “two things necessary” (the verba in connection with
the elements) were present at the gathering referred to above. On the
other hand, as the CTCR notes in its 1983 report, “to separate, by distance or liturgical action, a portion of the bread or of the wine from
consecration moves in the direction of a Protestantism wherein the
verba need not be held in sacramental proximity to the elements”
(13, fn. 15).
In view of the above, two guidelines are suggested by the commission as preferable practice. In order not to burden anyone’s conscience
with doubt, whenever possible the pastor who is the celebrant should
consecrate all of the sacramental elements at one location/altar.
Second, if this is not feasible due to the size of some gatherings, it may
be necessary to have several altars/communion distribution stations.
In this case, it is would be helpful for each pastor to speak the Words
of Institution at the individual altars/communion distribution stations,
provided that this can be done in a way that ensures that the Words
of Institution are clearly heard and understood by all communicants.
Adopted February 13, 2009
5. Response to Questions Regarding Elimination of Staff Positions

The Michigan District President requested a theological response
to questions having to do with the status of the call in circumstances
where multiple-staff congregations needed to reduce the number of
called ministry positions. At its April 2009 meeting the commission
adopted the following response:
Question 1:

In a multiple pastoral staff congregation, if the congregation
eliminates the administrative pastor position and the associate pastor position in favor of a sole pastor position, do the Calls to the
administrative pastor and the associate pastor terminate? In other
words, if the position is terminated, are the Calls by the congregation also terminated?
Response:

1. The pastoral office itself is divinely mandated and the congregation may not abolish it. The commission reminds the
congregation of the necessity to examine the specific language
of the original call documents of both pastors and honor the
commitments that were made.
2. As to whether a congregation may terminate certain specific
positions within the pastoral office the CTCR points, first of
all, to its previous statement that: “According to her need, the
church may under the one Ministry of the Word establish such
‘offices’ as the situation requires. If the situation changes, she
may also abolish some offices” (The Ministry in Its Relation

to the Christian Church [1973], p. 12).
In specific response to the question “Can a congregation, district or Synod terminate a call for financial reasons?” the CTCR
reaffirms its previous opinion (dated Sept. 21, 1990) in which
it makes reference to its 1973 report and further states: “A congregation may abolish any called position or ranking that it has
established as long as it retains the pastoral office.” In this same
opinion the CTCR urges a congregation that finds itself in this
situation to “examine its motives and procedures before Him
who searches the heart” and to be “guided by the concern that
nothing be done in disobedience to God’s Word.”
Since there is no “call” without a position, a called position that
is eliminated inevitably involves the termination of a person’s
call to that position. It should be made clear to all concerned,
however, that in situations of financial duress a person’s call
is not being terminated for “cause”—i.e., false doctrine, an
immoral life, or unwillingness or inability to fulfill the responsibilities of the office. (See also the CTCR’s 1981 report The
Ministry: Offices, Procedures, and Nomenclature, pp. 41–42,
and its 2003 report Theology and Practice of “the Divine
Call,” pp. 21–25, 42.) The goal should be to come to “mutual
agreement” about what is best for the congregation and both
pastors (Theology and Practice of “the Divine Call,” p. 45).
Question 2:

If both administrative and associate positions are eliminated,
may the congregation choose to call either pastor or neither pastor currently in those positions?
Response:

The congregation retains the right to call to the pastoral office
the man of its choosing. As C. F. W. Walther says in Thesis VII
of his Theses on the Ministry: “The holy ministry is the authority conferred by God through the congregation, as holder of the
priesthood and of all church power, to administer in public office
the common rights of the spiritual priesthood in behalf of all.” (See
the CTCR’s 1981 report on The Ministry, p. 44.)

However, while upholding the congregation’s right to choose and
call its own pastor(s), the commission urges the exercise of great
care and extreme caution in situations such as those depicted in this
request. The potential to divide deeply the congregation over the matter of personal loyalties to one or the other of the pastors involved
must be carefully taken into account. Whether either pastor should
be called to the new sole pastor position should be carefully considered. Seeking the counsel of the appropriate people in circuit and
district positions of supervision (circuit counselor and district president) is critically important for the well being of the congregation
now and in the future.
Question 3:

If the congregation chooses to call the associate pastor as sole
pastor, could the administrative pastor have grounds for appeal?
Response:
The right to appeal is given to all members of the Synod. As to
the question of whether a called worker has “grounds for appeal,”
that is to be determined after consideration of all the specifics of
the situation. The procedure that governs matters of dispute resolution is described in the 2007 Handbook of the LCMS. We call
particular attention to the purpose of dispute resolution on p. 38,
Bylaw 1.10.2.
Again, if circumstances make it necessary to eliminate a certain position, great care and concern must be exercised so that all

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