Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 2019 · 67th Convention, Tampa › Page 396
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 396

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

396

INTERNATIONAL WITNESS

government … in carrying out … its own ministry programs and
financial affairs”; and
WHEREAS, Synod Bylaw 3.8.3 deals only with who has authority
to send ministers of religion and other workers into Synod foreign
mission fields, and prior bylaws have been careful not to restrict
congregational activity specifically relating to whom congregations
could send funds overseas, and nothing in the current bylaws restrict
or could restrict the right of member congregations to (a) fund
ministries in foreign countries, or (b) send/fund congregation
members for service with organizations seeking to share the Gospel;
and
WHEREAS, 1983 Res. 5-37, “To Add Bylaw Paragraph to Board
for Mission Services” (Proceedings, 195), in amending the bylaws,
only dealt with who on behalf of Synod as a whole could send
missionaries at the expense of the Synod, and where the restriction
applied, it being a sending bylaw only, it was clearly not applicable
to congregations in any event; and
WHEREAS, CCM Op. 14-2724 referring to 2013 Res. 1-08, “To
Work Together in Mission,” (Proceedings, 103), called for a twofold response: First, “Resolved, That the Synod, by the next
convention, develop and provide a mission best practices policy
document for districts and congregations engaged in mission
projects to assist them to better carry out their mission and their life
together”, indicating that districts and congregations have and are
recognized to have mission work and practices of their own, and
because they have their own mission work and practices, the Synod
should assist and support those efforts by developing a bestpractices policy; and second, “that these best practices include
encouragement to districts and congregations to communicate their
international mission activities to the Synod’s Director of Church
Relations and Offices of National and International Mission for the
purposes of healthy coordination and stewardship” (emphasis
added), indicating that districts and congregations can have their
own mission activities and when they do they are encouraged to
communicate these activities to the Synod for coordination and
good stewardship; and
WHEREAS, CCM Op. 14-2724 states in part, “Congregations may
not send funds to mission societies and non-Synod entities for work
in foreign areas without taking into consideration policies
developed and determined for this purpose by the Board of
International Mission as the only sending agency”; and
WHEREAS, CCM Op. 14-2724 incorrectly restricts the mission
outreach of congregations and others to give bold witness by word
and deed to the love and work of God the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, and extend that Gospel witness into all the world; therefore
be it
Resolved, That the congregations of the LCMS be encouraged,
with much prayer and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to send
missionaries to foreign areas; and be it further
Resolved, That the LCMS affirms and encourages congregations,
auxiliaries, recognized service organizations, districts, and
individual members of the Synod, in their efforts to give bold
witness by word and deed, to the love and work of God the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, and extend that Gospel witness to all the world;
and be it further
Resolved, That nothing in the Bylaws of the Synod should ever
be interpreted to limit efforts by congregations, auxiliaries,
recognized service organizations, districts, and individual members
of the Synod, to give bold witness by word and deed to the love and
2019 Convention Workbook

work of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and extend that
Gospel witness to all the world, but only be interpreted as requesting
information which might allow Synod to support (and to assist in
connecting potential support for) congregations and individual
members, to assist in connecting potential mission partners, and to
provide best practices information which could assist the efforts;
and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod in convention overrule CCM Op. 142724, to be thereby declared null and void and of no effect; and be
it further
Resolved, That the President of Synod be directed to assure that
the provisions of Bylaw 3.9.2.2 (c) are followed with respect to this
resolution and any other resolution that becomes an overture to the
Synod asking for a CCM opinion to be overruled; and be it finally
Resolved, That also in our agreements in how we will work
together in the LCMS, things “be done in a fitting and orderly way”
(1 Cor. 14:40).
New Jersey District
Ov. 2-07

To Overrule Commission on Constitutional
Matters Opinion 14-2724
WHEREAS, The 2016 convention of the Synod, in its Resolution
12-14 (“Regarding the Right of an Accuser to Appeal When a
District President or President of the Synod Fails to Act or Declines
to Suspend,” 2016 Res. 12-14, Proceedings, 233) and according to
Bylaw 7.1.2, deferred its rightful legislative authority and directed
the Board of Directors (BOD) of the Synod to draft bylaws to
resolve a situation where, it claimed, “portions of the expulsion
processes of the Synod’s Bylaws are presently in an
unconstitutional state with respect to Constitution Art. XI B 1–3 and
Const. Art. XIII 2” (ibid.) ; and
WHEREAS, Four Synod districts, three district boards of directors,
one circuit, and seventeen Synod congregations adopted this
resolution, entitled “To Overrule CCM Opinion 14-2724”:
See 2019 Ov. 2-03, above, for the complete text of 2016 Ov. 2-04,
“To Overrule CCM Opinion 14-2724.”
and
WHEREAS, The above resolution appears in the 2016 Workbook
as Overture 2-04, thereby affirming its material accuracy; and
WHEREAS, LCMS Bylaw 3.9.2.2 (c) regarding the Commission
on Constitutional Matters says:
An opinion rendered by the commission shall be binding on the
question decided unless and until it is overruled by a convention
of the Synod. Overtures to a convention that seek to overrule an
opinion of the commission shall support the proposed action with
substantive rationale from the Constitution, Bylaws, and
resolutions of the Synod. All such overtures shall be considered
by the floor committee to which they have been assigned and
shall be included in a specific report to the convention with
recommendations for appropriate action. (emphasis added);
and
WHEREAS, No such report was given to the 2016 convention of
the Synod, as a report and a resolution (including the resolution
identified as Res. 2-06A in 2016 Today’s Business, pp. 348–50, that
was never brought to the convention floor) are the not the same
thing according to Bylaw 3.1.6.1 and Bylaw 3.1.6.2, which clearly