LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 69

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SYNOD REPORTS
its Web site designated by the general title “Religious Organizations
and Movements.” This portion of the Web site provides evaluations
from a Lutheran theological perspective of a broad range of religious practices, organizations, and movements—both Christian and
non-Christian (see http://www.lcms.org?2150). In addition to evaluations previously available, during the past triennium the commission has made available two new evaluations on the topics of Islam
and Theophostic Prayer Ministry. It is also in the process of translating several of its evaluations into Spanish for posting on its Web site.
The current listing of topics includes the following:
• Baha’i Faith
• Christian Identity Movement
• Christian Science
• Church of Scientology
• Cursillo Movement
• Elks Lodge
• Fraternal Order of Eagles
• Human Potential Movement
• International Church of Christ (ICOC)
• Islam
• Jehovah’s Witnesses
• Judaism
• Kabbalah
• Latter-day Saints
• Membership in Certain Fraternal Organizations: A Pastoral
Approach
• Moose International
• New Age Movement
• The Lodge
• The Occult
• Overview of Cults
• Rastafarians
• Reiki
• Restorationism
• Satanism
• The Salvation Army
• Theophostic Prayer Ministry
• Unification Church
• Unitarian-Universalist Association (UUA)
• United Pentecostal Church International
• Unity School of Christianity
• Vineyard Ministries
• Wicca
• Word-Faith Movement
• Yoga
Through its staff, the commission continues to respond to a large
number of inquiries, making use of resources accumulated in its
library and files and information available on the Internet.
Loren Kramer, Chairman
Joel D. Lehenbauer, Executive Director
Notes
1. “Why Should Our Pastors, Teachers and Professors Subscribe
Unconditionally to the Symbolical Writings of Our Church,” reprinted
in the Concordia Journal (July 1989: pp. 274–84).

69

2. Thesis IX, “Concerning the Holy Ministry,” Church and
Ministry, trans. J. T. Mueller (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House,
1987), p. 303.
3. Church and Ministry, p. 322.
4. Pastoral Theology, ed. Norbert H. Mueller and George Kraus
(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1990), p. 183.
5. Commission on Constitutional Matters (of the LCMS),
“Interpretation of Article VI 2 b (02-2278).”
6. The complete reference on this topic is found on pages 10–11
of The Lutheran Understanding of Church Fellowship: Report on
Synodical Discussions, as follows: “But what is meant by a public
worship service? According to the historic LCMS understanding, a
worship service is any occasion in which the Word of God is preached
and prayer is made to Him by a fully authorized church worship
leader. Thus worship services include not only regular Sunday services or other set times of worship (e.g., festival services, Lenten and
Advent services), but also those in which worship takes place (e.g.,
weddings, funerals). Leading such services with those not in church
fellowship with the LCMS violates the Synod’s biblical and confessional commitments.”
In the same document, footnote 1 (pp. 10–11) states: “In a 1973
opinion titled What Is a Service? (with which the CTCR concurred)
the Synod’s Commission on Worship responded in part as follows to
the question, ‘Is a wedding ceremony a “service” in the same sense
as, for instance, Sunday morning worship?’

… any occasion on which a public worship of God occurs—that is,
in which the Word of God and prayer are used by a regularly designated
worship leader of the church—is understood to be a ‘service.’ This would
therefore include not only those occasions regularly designated as worship
services (e.g., the ordinary Sunday morning worship noted in the question above) but also occasions—such as weddings, funerals, dedications,
baccalaureates, etc.—which may have an ad hoc assembly different from
the regular congregational worship assembly. It should be noted, moreover, that there are other types of ‘service’ than just the ‘public’ occasions
for worship. Thus when the congregation’s (or its delegated representative’s—e.g., mission board, association of congregations, etc.) officially
designated worship leader (chaplain, pastor, etc.) carries out his regularly appointed ministerial functions (private Communion, etc.) in which
the Word of God and prayer (also at times exposition of the Word and/or
singing of hymns) form the major portion of such function, this also is
rightly understood to be a congregational ‘service,’ albeit only a private
or a semiprivate one.”

7. See page 7.
8. Page 19.
9. The CCM may wish to consult the Concordia Historical Institute
or other historians on this matter.
R4-01

First Vice-President
The vice-presidents of the Synod are the elected advisers of the
President. Upon his request or as provided by the Synod, they assist
him in carrying out his responsibilities and represent him as needed.
The First Vice-President serves as a full-time executive and a nonvoting member of the Board of Directors. He is responsible to the
President at all times for the performance of his duties.
During this past triennium, I have had opportunity to be involved
with many individuals and groups throughout the Synod. These
groups include the
—Council of Presidents
—Board of Directors of the LCMS
—Corporate Synod executives
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