LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 292

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292

THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS­­—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

CTCR Response to 2007 Res. 3-05 regarding
“Serial Prayer”

Membership
in Certain Fraternal Organizations

The Synod at its 2007 convention adopted Res. 3-05 “To Provide Further Discussion and Guidance on the Matter of Serial
Prayer.” This resolution reads as follows:

A Pastoral Approach

WHEREAS, In 2004 Res. 3-06A, The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod commended for study Guidelines for Participation in Civic
Events, a report of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations
(CTCR), “to help pastors, teachers, and church workers make decisions
about participation in civic events” (2004 Proceedings, p. 131); and
WHEREAS, Congregations of the Synod have requested further
clarification regarding serial prayer; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention assign to the CTCR the task
of providing further guidance for participation in civic events that includes the offering of serial prayer.

At its Dec. 11–13, 2008 meeting, the CTCR adopted the following response to this request by the Synod:

The Commission has carefully re-examined the discussion of “‘serial’ or ‘seriatim’ prayers” on pages 19–20 of its report Guidelines for
Participation in Civic Events (April 2004).* Although some “further
clarification” (cf. 2007 Res. 3-05) may be possible in terms of applying
the “conditions” discussed in this section of the report to various events
and situations that have arisen in the past, it is impossible to provide
specific guidance for any and all events that may arise in the future. We
simply cannot anticipate the precise nature, purpose, or context of every
occasion that may arise in the future or set forth specific parameters surrounding participation in these types of events beyond what is already
stated in the 2004 report. Ultimately, this is a matter that requires the
exercise of pastoral judgment at a particular time and place. When presented with such a situation, a pastor is, of course, urged to consult with
other pastors and advisors for counsel with regard to how to respond to
such requests within his particular context.

Adopted Unanimously by the CTCR
Dec. 13, 2008
*The text of the CTCR’s discussion of serial prayer on pages
19–20 of its 2004 report reads as follows:
The members of the Commission disagree about the issue of socalled “serial” or “seriatim” prayers involving representatives of different religious (Christian and/or non-Christian) groups or churches. Some
members of the Commission believe that under no circumstances is it
permissible for LCMS pastors to participate in any type of an event in
which various Christian and/or non-Christian leaders “take turns” offering prayers, holding that such an activity by its very nature constitutes
“joint prayer and worship.” The majority of the Commission believes
that in some instances it may be possible and permissible for LCMS
pastors to participate in such an event as long as certain conditions are
met (e.g., when the purpose of the event in question is clearly and predominately civic in nature, and when it is conducted in such a way that
does not correspond to the LCMS understanding of a “service”; when
no restrictions are placed on the content of the Christian witness that
may be given by the LCMS pastor; when a sincere effort is made by
those involved to make it clear that those participating do not all share
the same religious views concerning such issues as the nature of God,
the way of salvation, and the nature of religious truth itself).
It should be noted in this connection that all members of the Commission agree that, understood from a Christian perspective, prayer
is always in some sense “an expression of worship.” The question is
whether it is possible under any circumstances for an LCMS pastor to
offer a prayer in a public setting involving a variety of religious leaders
without engaging in “joint prayer and worship.” Some believe that this
is not possible. The majority believes that it may be possible depending
on such factors as how the event is arranged and understood and how the
situation is handled by the pastor in question, in order to make it clear
that “joint prayer and worship” is not being conducted or condoned.

The Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR)
has prepared this document as a basic initial resource for pastors,
church workers, and lay leaders as they inform congregational
members about questions and concerns that may arise regarding
membership in certain fraternal organizations. In previous evaluations of specific fraternal societies the CTCR has noted with appreciation that these organizations are typically “engaged in many
commendable humanitarian efforts … and social opportunities that
contribute significantly to the common good of our society.”1 This
word of commendation stands. The primary concern of this document, however, has to do with participation in lodge rituals and
ceremonies that involve a Christian in a contradictory confession
regarding central truths of the Christian faith: the doctrines of the
Trinity, the person and work of Christ, and/or justification by grace
through faith in Christ alone. Such a contradictory or inadequate
confession occurs most specifically when a generic Supreme Being
is invoked in religious rituals apart from any reference to Jesus
Christ and/or when the saving work of Christ is denied by teachings that assert or imply that living a moral life together with lodge
membership assures an eternal reward.2
The Historic Position of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod
“[I]t is taught that we cannot obtain forgiveness of sin and righteousness before God through our merit, work, or satisfactions, but
that we receive the forgiveness of sin and become righteous before
God out of grace for Christ’s sake through faith when we believe
that Christ has suffered for us and that for his sake our sin is forgiven and righteousness and eternal life are given to us” (AC IV,
1–2). With these words the Augsburg Confession expresses what
the Apology of the Augsburg Confession identifies as “the most
important topic of Christian teaching” (Ap IV, 2). In the Lutheran
church the doctrine of justification by grace through faith has been
identified historically as the doctrine upon which the church stands
or falls.
The Ecumenical Creeds emphasize that a right confession of
the doctrine of the Trinity is equally essential to the Christian faith.
“Whoever wants to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic faith
… that we worship one God in trinity and the Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance” (Athanasian
Creed, 1, 4).3
In light of the centrality of the doctrines of the Trinity and
the work of Christ—as well as other theological and pastoral
concerns—The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) has
historically taken a strong position in opposition to pastors and
congregations allowing congregational members to have “membership or participation in any organization that in its objectives,
ceremonies, or practices is inimical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
or the faith and life of the Christian Church.”4 In practice this position has been applied with reference to lodges and other fraternal
organizations which in their initiation rituals, prayers, and other
religious ceremonies (e.g., funeral services) require a Christian—
by participation in such ceremonies—publicly to compromise his
or her confession of faith in the Triune God and in the doctrine of
salvation only through faith in Christ. Accordingly, upon the dissolution of the LCMS’s Commission on Organizations at the LCMS’s
2001 convention,5 the bylaws of the Synod charge the CTCR with

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