LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 375

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UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
Whereas, It is the duty of Synod to “aid congregations to develop
processes of thorough Christian education and nurture and to establish agencies of Christian education such as elementary and secondary
schools and to support synodical colleges, universities, and seminaries” (Constitution, Art. III); and
Whereas, The Wyoming District in convention, in Res. 3-022015, has memorialized the Synod to establish a program for training
classical Lutheran teachers; and
Whereas, Concordia University Chicago has created a classical
liberal studies program that draws on the strength of a broad variety
of Concordia University Chicago programs, including music, theology, and languages, as well as the quality of worship life on campus,
and is uniquely positioned to create a center for classical Lutheran
education, which is not currently being undertaken by any other CUS
institution; and
Whereas, The establishment of a program designed to train prospective Lutheran teachers would greatly strengthen the service of
Concordia University Chicago to the Synod and help ensure the flourishing of Christian education in the Synod; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention endorse the classical liberal studies program at Concordia University Chicago for the training
of classical Lutheran educators as ministers of religion—commissioned within the CUS, including a strong core of courses in the
Scriptures, the Confessions, and the traditional liberal arts, history,
literature, and languages of Western civilization, supplemented by
practical pedagogical experience; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod provide funding for such work of
$150,000 within the coming triennium, with a report by the president of the CUS or his representative to be given at the 2019 Synod
convention on the progress thereof.
Board of Regents
Concordia University Chicago
7-22

To Instruct CUS Institutions to Teach Synod
Position on Church and Ministry
Whereas, It is vitally important to church life that not only the
relationships between congregations and pastors be healthy but also
the relationships between and among congregations, pastors, and
other professional church workers such as Lutheran school teachers,
deaconesses, directors of Christian education, directors of Christian
outreach, directors of family life ministry, directors of parish music,
parish assistants, and certified lay ministers; and
Whereas, Such healthy relationships have their foundation in
sound biblically based and Gospel-centered theology; and
Whereas, Our Synod declared Dr. C. F. W. Walther’s presentation on church and ministry at the Synod’s 1851 convention and
his resulting book of the next year, The Voice of Our Church on the
Question of Church and Ministry, to be its doctrinal position on the
matters covered; and
Whereas, As recently as 2001, the Synod reaffirmed Walther’s
book, The Voice of Our Church on the Question of Church and
Ministry as its official position; and
Whereas, This book addresses not only the church and the Office
of the Ministry (Predigtamt) but also the other “ecclesiastical and
sacred” offices in the church which stem from this office (see Thesis
VIII on the Ministry); therefore be it
Resolved, That the Carrollton Circuit Forum memorializes the
Synod to instruct the institutions of the Concordia University System

375

to recommit themselves to teaching our Synod’s doctrinal position
on these matters, especially as they train students in all church work
preparation programs.
Carrollton Circuit Forum
Missouri District
7-23

To Request Alternate Route for Teacher
Certification and LCMS Roster
Rationale
There is only one primary route to Synod training and official
(roster) recognition of teacher credentials in The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod (LCMS), and that route passes through state (civil
government) certification. This route expresses our desire to be subject to the governing authorities (Rom. 13:1–7) and to engage the
world in carrying out Christ’s mission. In the past, this route was
deemed to be biblically faithful by our Synod under the assumption
that the teaching methodology and content required by the several
states for certification would not conflict with the doctrine and practice of the LCMS. The Synod’s benevolent dependence upon civil
government, based upon this assumption, has become increasingly
tenuous in recent years due to the dominant methodological and
content assumptions of a civilization that is increasingly alienated
from Christian morality and norms: that is, progressive and unbiblical assumptions about human nature; evolving understanding of the
nature and role of marriage, fatherhood, and motherhood; uniformitarian and anti-biblical presuppositions concerning the origin of the
creation and of man in particular; and the like.
The Supreme Court ruling on Obergefell v. Hodges, with its
requirement of state conformity to an alien definition of marriage,
threatens to unravel the Synod’s dependence upon the state even further. As the testimony before the Supreme Court and the minority
opinions in this ruling indicate, benefits bestowed by state and federal government upon religious institutions may soon become forfeit
for those religious institutions that do not conform to this alien definition of marriage. These lost benefits could include such things as
the withdrawal of state recognition of our schools, certification of our
teachers, vouchers, tax exemptions, and student loans.
Whether or not these consequences follow, this is an opportune
time for the LCMS to research and develop an alternate route to
teacher certification that does not pass through or depend upon the
authority, dictates, or ideology of local, state, and federal governments. The Synod has competent expertise in the field of education
and is far better qualified than state or federal governments to establish the standards, content, and level of education required for teachers
to be competent in our Lutheran schools; therefore be it
Resolved, That the President of the Concordia University System,
in consultation with the President of Synod, appoint a committee
whose task it is to develop a proposal for an alternate route toward
LCMS-recognized teacher certification leading to placement on the
roster of the LCMS; and be it further
Resolved, That this committee examine the presuppositions and
foundations required to prepare teachers who are equipped to deliver a
uniquely Lutheran education thoroughly grounded in Holy Scriptures
and the Lutheran Confessions, rich in the content of our historically
Christian culture, and prepared to engage their students with the language, reasoning, and creative expression needed today; and be it
further
2016 Convention Workbook