LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 175

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Theology and Church Relations
homoios instead of homoousios), this time regarding teaching and
confession: “LIKE ” TEACHING and “LIKE” CONFESSION is not
enough, but let him who believes and says the SAME THING come
forward and commune.
Trinity
Tryon, NC
3-24

To Advocate Consistent Practice of Closed
Communion
Whereas, The Scriptures require both a knowledge of the Lord’s
Supper sufficient for its proper reception and a contrite heart that
trusts Jesus’ Word (1 Cor. 11:27–29); and
Whereas, Fellowship at the Lord’s Table is an act of confession
of faith (1 Cor. 10:17); and
Whereas, The LCMS, by adopting 1998 Res. 3-05, addressed the
document “A Declaration of Eucharistic Understanding and Practice”
by reaffirming 1995 Res. 3-08 and, thereby, 1967 Res. 2-19, officially
placing the entire Synod in opposition to the document; and
Whereas, Admission to Holy Communion without a regard for
confession of faith is neither faithful to God’s Word nor an act of
love (Rom. 16:17); and
Whereas, The practice of closed Communion was officially and
publicly taught and observed by the Early Church; and
Whereas, The practice of closed Communion is affirmed by our
Lutheran Confessions: “For we do not intend to admit to the sacrament and administer it to those who do not know what they seek or
why they come” (Tappert 447:2; also 575:32f, et al.); and
Whereas, The LCMS from its beginning in 1847 practiced closed
Communion (1943 version of the Small Catechism, question 326);
and
Whereas, The practice of closed Communion seeks to prevent
both a harmful reception of the Sacrament as well as a profession of
unity of confession of faith where this unity does not exist (1 Cor.
11:27–29; 1:10); and
Whereas, Disparity in the practice of the Lord’s Supper has created confusion and controversy in the Synod; and
Whereas, It is desirable that uniform practice that is in harmony
with the theology of the Lord’s Supper be followed in the Synod; and
Whereas, The 1983 report of the CTCR, Theology and Practice
of the Lord’s Supper, reaffirmed the biblical practice of closed
Communion as believed, taught, and confessed by the orthodox
Lutheran Church for centuries; therefore be it
Resolved, That the 2010 LCMS convention reaffirm its position
on fellowship and the practice of closed Communion; and be it further
Resolved, That articles based on the Scripture and the Lutheran
Confessions explaining why we practice closed Communion be written and published in our Synod’s and districts’ official publications,
(i.e. Reporter, The Lutheran Witness, district newsletters, etc.); and
be it finally
Resolved, That the implementation of this consistent practice be
a top priority of the Synod’s district presidents, who are responsible
for the supervision of the doctrine and practice of the pastors and congregations in their districts.
Salem
Taylorsville, NC
3-25

To Request a Study on Certain Theses
from Walther’s Church and Ministry
Whereas, The 2001 LCMS convention adopted Res. 7-17A, “That
the LCMS in convention reaffirm the decision of the 1852 convention

175

in recognizing C. F. W. Walther’s book The Voice of Our Church
on the Question of Church and Ministry as the official position of
the LCMS” and “That all pastors, professors, teachers of the church,
and congregations honor and uphold the resolutions of the Synod as
regards the official position of our Synod on church and ministry and
teach in accordance with them;” and
Whereas, The President of Synod noted in his “Report of the
President” to the 2004 convention that “Clear as these affirmations
[on church and ministry] might appear, disagreement nevertheless
exists within our Synod regarding their application. In more than a
few instances, there simply is lack of clarity and concurrence regarding the role, responsibility, authority, and accountability of both the
office of pastor and the role of laity in the church” (2004 Convention
Proceedings, p. 56); and
Whereas, The President of Synod noted in his “Report of the
President” to the 2007 convention that the topic of church and ministry, along with other issues, “are still matters of concern among
us in our Synod today” (2007 Convention Proceedings, p. 60); and
Whereas, Rather than being honored as the official position of the
LCMS, the following theses from The Voice of Our Church on the
Question of Church and Ministry continue to be debated:

• Concerning the Church, Thesis IV—“It is to this true church of believers and saints that Christ gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and
it is the proper and only possessor and bearer of the spiritual, divine,
and heavenly gifts, rights, powers, offices, and the like that Christ has
procured and are found in His church.”
• Concerning the Holy Ministry, Thesis IV—“The ministry is not a special or, in opposition to that of ordinary Christians, a more holy state,
as was the Levitical priesthood, but it is a ministry of service.”
• Concerning the Holy Ministry, Thesis VI—“The ministry of the Word
[Predigtamt] is conferred by God through the congregation as the possessor of all ecclesiastical power, or the power of the keys, by means
of its call, which God Himself has prescribed. The ordination of the
called [persons] with the laying on of hands is not a divine institution
but merely an ecclesiastical rite [Ordnung] established by the apostles; it is no more than a solemn public confirmation of the call.”
• Concerning the Holy Ministry, Thesis VII—“The holy ministry
[Predigtamt] is the power, conferred by God through the congregation as the possessor of the priesthood and all church power, to exercise
the rights of the spiritual priesthood in public office in the name of the
congregation.”
and

Whereas, An understanding of some that the holy ministry stands
apart from a mediated call (i.e., a call being conferred by God through
the congregation) has led to an understanding by some that those who
hold the Office of the Ministry of the Word have little or no accountability to the congregation, the congregation’s governing body, or the
congregation’s board of elders; and
Whereas, Such understanding often has led to conflict within congregations of the LCMS; therefore be it
Resolved, That a study document focusing on Thesis IV from “Part
1: Concerning the Church” and Theses IV, VI, and VII from “Part 2:
Concerning the Holy Ministry or the Pastoral Office” of Church and
Ministry, with special attention both on the theology and application
of these theses in a local congregation, be prepared for study, discussion, and use by district conventions, district pastors’ conferences,
circuit pastors’ conferences (Winkels), the pastors and congregations
of the LCMS, and by the seminaries of the Synod as part of their program for pastoral formation; and be it further
Resolved, That this study document also critique views of the
church and ministry that have gained unofficial acceptance by some
in our Synod but which contradict the theology and practice contained
in Walther’s Church and Ministry; and be it further
2010 Convention Workbook

2010 Convention.indb 175

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