LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 402

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402

STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION

11-43

To Adopt Four-Year Convention
and Terms-of-Office Cycle
Resolved, That the English District memorialize the 2016 convention to amend the Synod’s Constitution and Bylaws to adopt a
four-year cycle of conventions and terms of four years for its officers.
English District
Farmington, MI
11-44

To Amend Constitution to Grant Lay Vote
to Every Congregation
Preamble

When Jesus directs those attempting to admonish an erring
brother, He states that the final attempt of such admonition is to take
the matter before the church (Matt. 18:17). To that assembly Jesus
predicates the authority to exercise the Office of the Keys saying,
“And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as
a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind
on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 18:17b−18). This God-given authority is not limited by the size of a congregation; for Jesus goes on to
add a clear promise to be with even the smallest assembly or congregation. “Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about
anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among
them” (Matt. 18:1920).
The Lutheran church in general and the LCMS in particular have
always held the autonomy of the congregation in high esteem. The
Confessions of the Lutheran church testify to the authority given
by Christ to the church as recorded in the Scriptures. Particularly,
the above mentioned verses of Matthew 18 are cited in the Treatise
on the Power and Primacy of the Pope defending the church’s right
of calling ministers (Tr. 24, Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions).
Later it is made clear that this authority comes down to each congregation: “Therefore when the regular bishops become unwilling to
administer ordination, the churches retain their own right [to ordain
ministers]. Where the Church is, there is the authority to administer
the Gospel” (Tr. 66−67).
When the question of church and ministry was raised in the early
days of our Synod’s history, Pastor C. F. W. Walther expressed the
urgency of clarifying the scriptural position on the matter, in part
because of its implications for church polity (cf. Walther’s preface
to the first edition of Church and Ministry, especially pages xvii–xix
in the 2012 edition edited by Matthew C. Harrison and published by
CPH). Because of the divine institution of the church and the Office
of the Holy Ministry, the LCMS has consistently upheld the temporal right of a congregation to have a say in the business of the Synod,
and this is not limited to pastoral representation, but has also included
the laity. In recent times, the voice of the congregation has been heard
through the voting of two delegates appointed by a congregation to
represent her at district conventions as well as circuit forums where
delegates to Synod conventions are elected.
However, even though we acknowledge the God-given authority
of each congregation, our Synod has not allowed certain congregations to be represented equally in the affairs of our Synod. As we
walk together we have muted the voices of many congregations by
2016 Convention Workbook

calling a “dual or multiple-congregation arrangement served by the
same pastor” a “parish” and limiting each parish in such a context
to one pastoral and one lay vote (CCM Opinion 03-2327, “Voting
Rights of Congregations”). In one extreme case, four congregations served jointly by two pastors have been allowed a total of two
votes at district meetings (CCM Opinion 09-2545, “Voting Rights of
Congregations”).
By disenfranchising certain congregations who hold membership
in the Synod, we have acted inconsistently on a number of levels.
• Though we confess no divinely appointed form of church polity, denying some congregations the right to the same representation that other
congregations have in matters of the Synod is at best at a disconnect
with our theological understanding of a congregation’s embodiment
of the catholicity of the Church.
• In some matters of the Synod that are dealt with on a congregational
level, every congregation is allowed to speak for herself. However,
in other matters, multiple congregations served jointly by one or
more pastors are required to come together and speak with one voice,
thereby reducing the value of each congregation’s voice.
• In regard to voting at district conventions, the term parish has come
to mean a “dual or multiple-congregation arrangement served by
the same pastor,” but the majority of the times parish is used in the
Handbook it is used synonymously with the term congregation, for
example, in the following titles: “director of parish music” and “parish assistant.” Such servants of the church are certainly not limited to
settings where two or more congregations have come together to call
a pastor.
• Furthermore, if the term parish is used consistently, we must also reevaluate whom we elected to the CTCR, seeing as Bylaw 3.9.5.1
requires “two ordained ministers who are parish pastors” (emphasis
added).
Independent Shared
Voice
Voice
Representation at District conventions
X
Representation at Circuit Forums

X

Election of circuit delegates to Synod
Convention

X

Vote on Amendments to Synod
Constitution

X

Nominate Synod Officers including
Synod President
Voting for Synod President

X

Establishing necessary number of
congregations for electoral circuits

X

X

The problems created by such a situation are only intensified when
the congregations making up a multiple-congregation setting lie in
different circuits or even districts.
Some would claim that allowing each congregation in a multipoint parish a vote at district conventions would throw off the balance
between laity and clergy. Historically, the Synod has allowed for
an equal number of pastoral and lay voting delegates; however, no
great effort has been made to ensure that an equal number of lay
and pastoral delegates actually attend the convention of Synod. The
constituting convention of Synod in 1847 consisted of 16 voting delegates. Of those only 4 were lay delegates. A year later there were 6
voting lay delegates and 25 voting pastoral delegates. That was a significant imbalance, but there is no evidence that anyone was bothered
by it, since the opportunity was given for significant lay participation
along with the clergy.
If there are 509 multipoint parishes including 1,051 congregations as of 2013, granting a voting representation could create an
additional 542 lay votes at district conventions. Given that there are