LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 428

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428

ECCLESIASTICAL SUPERVISION AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION
in the call of the whole Church, which was the concern of Luther, the
Confessions, and all previous dogmaticians;

•

A district president or circuit counselor interfering in the ministry
of a pastor by talking with members and hearing complaints against
him without his knowledge or presence. This action, whether purposeful or accidental, is a violation of due process and of the minister’s call;

•

The issuing of a “temporary call” by a congregation either at the
bequest of the district or on its own;

and
Whereas, The number of pastors who have been unbiblically
removed by their congregation and or district president is growing,
even though specifics are often almost impossible to give due to the
fact that the parties involved are reticent to go on record in fear of
being permanently banned from receiving a call; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention call all Synod and district
presidents and officials and all pastors and congregations to uphold
the divinely ordained pastoral office by no longer dismissing pastors
without cause; and be it further
Resolved, That district presidents give priority to men who have
been unbiblically removed when suggesting names to congregations
calling a pastor, even including them with the list of candidates from
the seminaries who receive calls through the placement process; and
be it further
Resolved, That, where district officials interfere in the office of
pastor in a given congregation and encourage members to do likewise,
they be admonished to desist in such activity and seek the pastor’s
and congregation’s forgiveness; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod in convention move to correct all such
ungodly activity and through proper catechesis at the local and Synod
level that the Church at large recognize the gift of the pastoral office
to the Church by her Bridegroom, even her Lord Jesus Christ—all in
faithfulness to His words to her in Matthew 28:18−20.
Zion
Chippewa Falls, WI
12-33

To Require District Presidents to Provide Church
Worker Information When Requested
Whereas, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has a congregation-Synod polity in which the individual congregation’s
right of self-government is protected by Article VII of the Synod’s
Constitution; and
Whereas, One of the most important rights of congregations is
their authority to call, elect, and ordain ministers of the church (see
Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, 66–67); and
Whereas, Both Martin Luther and C. F. W. Walther asserted that
a bishop, superintendent, or district president “should confirm the
one whom the congregation chose and called; if he does not do it,
he [the elected man] is confirmed anyway by virtue of the congregation’s call,” thus proving that the right of calling and electing rests
with the congregation and is not shared with the district president (see
Luther’s Works AE 39:312 [Philadelphia: Fortress, 1970] and C. F. W.
Walther, Church and Office [Saint Louis: CPH, 2012], p. 217); and
Whereas, The calling and electing authority of the congregation does not exclude the seeking of counsel from the respective
district president (LCMS Bylaw 2.5.1; Walther, Church and Office,
p. 215, quoting Treatise, 14), but such counsel cannot infringe on the
rights of the congregation to choose its own church worker within
2016 Convention Workbook

the parameters set by the Constitution (Art. VI 3) and the Bylaws
(2.5.2); and
Whereas, In the past triennium, at least one district president has
infringed on the rights of the congregations in his district by refusing
to give them information about church workers whom they were considering for a call, resulting in severe prejudice against such church
workers; therefore be it
Resolved, That all district presidents shall deliver to calling congregations or schools on a timely basis the information that they
request about church workers, such as their Pastor Information Form
(PIF) and Self Evaluation Tool (SET); and be it further
Resolved, That when calling congregations or schools discover
that their district president has refused to cooperate with them in the
calling process, they are encouraged to consult with the Secretary
of the Synod, their regional vice-president, and/or the President of
the Synod, so that their needs may be met in the calling process and
their rights as a Christian and Lutheran congregation be maintained.
Holy Cross, Albany, OR; Christ, Trego, WI
12-34

To Improve Transparency of Council
of Presidents Procedures and Meetings
Whereas, The Council of Presidents is directed by Bylaw
3.10.1.2 to counsel with one another on matters regarding the doctrine and administration of the Synod, its regions, and its districts, and
to edify and support one another in the work they share; and
Whereas, The Synod has also entrusted significant additional
responsibilities to the Council of Presidents, including matters of
adjudication, candidate placement, and roster status; and
Whereas, The Council of Presidents currently maintains a handbook of procedures that assists it in its work; and
Whereas, The handbook of procedures is not currently a public document, even though it and the related activities of the Council
of Presidents relating to church workers have significant impact on
every member of the Synod (both called church workers and the congregations they serve); and
Whereas, Similar procedural documents used by districts of the
Synod and by circuit visitors are not uniformly available; and
Whereas, It is right that the work of God’s kingdom be done
with openness toward all, to enable rostered members of the Synod
to understand the standards and procedures by which they are to be
measured and judged, and to enable congregations to understand the
processes by which they are to walk together; and
Whereas, God’s Word says in 2 Corinthians 6:11–12, “We have
spoken freely to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open. You are not
restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections”; and
Whereas, Insofar as Christian love permits, it is right that the processes of the Synod and its districts be made known to those to whom
they apply; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Council of Presidents’ handbook of procedures
and any similar procedural documents now or hereafter in use for the
general administration or governance of the Council of Presidents,
each district, and circuit visitors be provided to the Commission on
Handbook to be made publicly available; and be it further
Resolved, That the minutes of each meeting of the Council of
Presidents, redacted only as privacy requires for matters relating to
specific persons, be provided to the Secretary of the Synod no later
than the conclusion of the next regular meeting of the Council of