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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 520

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

FLOOR COMMITTEE REPORTS AND OVERTURES ASSIGNMENTS

520

10. Ecclesiastical Supervision and
Dispute Resolution
REPORTS
R1, R1.1, R1.2, R5, R6–6.2, R9, R58, R61, R62
OVERTURES
Ov. 10-01

To Clarify the Relationship of the Synod
to its Members Affirming Article VII
WHEREAS, Article VII of the Constitution of the Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod states regarding the relation between
Synod and its members:
1. In its relation to its members the Synod is not an ecclesiastical
government exercising legislative or coercive powers, and with
respect to the individual congregation’s right of self-government
it is but an advisory body. Accordingly, no resolution of the
Synod imposing anything upon the individual congregation is of
binding force if it is not in accordance with the Word of God or
if it appears to be inexpedient as far as the condition of a
congregation is concerned.
2. Membership of a congregation in the Synod gives the Synod no
equity in the property of the congregation.

and
WHEREAS, From the very beginning of our beloved Synod and
her districts, clear and correct instructions regarding our Synod’s
constitution and the relationship between the Synod and its
individual congregations were presented as follows (in the text of a
constitutional amendment submitted by the 1847 Synod convention
for congregational ratification, in Der Lutheraner ed. C.F.W.
Walther, vol. 3 no. 25, 136): “Since the Synod is only an advisory
body with respect to self-governance of the individual
congregation, no resolution of the former, if it imposes anything
upon the individual congregation, has binding authority on the
latter. So such a Synod resolution can only be binding if the
individual congregation has examined and willingly accepted and
affirmed it through an official resolution of the congregation. If a
congregation finds the resolution is not in keeping with God’s Word
or is not appropriate to its situation, she has the right to reject the
resolution”; and
WHEREAS, From the very beginning our national framework has
always been advisory. The Synod was structured as a visitational,
exhortational, and encouraging partnership focused on the bonds of
unity from our firm and loving connection to the Word of God. The
relation of the Synod to its members is described in its constitution,
Article VII, as the Augsburg Confession describes the Church in its
Article VII: “Our churches teach that one holy Church is to remain
forever. The Church is the congregation of saints (Ps. 149:1) in
which the Gospel is purely taught and the Sacraments are correctly
administered. For the true unity of the Church it is enough to agree
about the doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the
Sacraments. It is not necessary that human traditions, that is, rites
or ceremonies instituted by men, should be the same everywhere.
As Paul says, ‘One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father
of all,’ etc. (Eph. 4:5–6)”; and

2019 Convention Workbook

WHEREAS, C.F.W. Walther at the First Iowa District convention,
beginning August 20, 1879, delivered his essay on the Duties of an
Evangelical Lutheran Synod, where in Thesis II(a) he clearly and
correctly defines the relation of the Synod to its members as
follows: the Synod should not assume a dictatorial role over its
congregations but only help them in an advisory way; and
WHEREAS, We are commanded by scripture to “love our
neighbor as ourselves” (Matt. 22:39) “and to be his witnesses in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth”
(Acts 1:8), yes even into our own communities; and
WHEREAS, It is the local congregation that can best determine the
course and effectiveness of their ministry as they follow their
scriptural mandates quoted above; therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Northwest District in convention memorialize
the Synod in convention to affirm and uphold this resolution and to
re-affirm Const. Art. VII as true and right, clearly and correctly
defining the role of Synod and her districts in relation to the
individual congregations as advisory in nature, recognizing the
congregation’s right to self-governance and that the Synod and her
districts may not impose anything upon an individual congregation
that is inexpedient to the ministry of that congregation.
Northwest District
Ov. 10-02

To Amend LCMS Constitution Article XI
WHEREAS, The 2016 Synod convention in its Resolution 1214,“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 Proceedings, p. 233) and according to Bylaw 7.1.2,
deferred its rightful legislative authority and directed the Board of
Directors 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 Article XI B 1–3 and Const. Art. XIII 2”; and
WHEREAS, Res. 12-14 resolves, “That a consultation process
shall be designed by mutual agreement of the chairman of the
Council of Presidents and the President of the Synod, by which the
Council of Presidents shall have the opportunity to offer to the
Secretary of the Synod input as to proposed mechanisms to
implement expulsion processes consistent with and not
contradicting the Constitution of the Synod”; and
WHEREAS, Res. 12-14 states that the Commission on
Constitutional Matters (CCM) in Op. 16-2791 “has indicated
portions of the expulsion processes of Synod’s Bylaws are presently
in an unconstitutional state with respect to Const. Art. XI B 1–3 and
Const. Art. XIII 2,” such bylaws having been adopted by the Synod
in the 2004 convention, acting as the “principal legislative
assembly” (Bylaw 3.1.1) of the Synod; and
WHEREAS, In 2004, those Bylaws were regarded as constitutional
by the CCM prior to the convention, as they fulfilled their function
to “examine all reports, overtures, and resolutions of the Synod
asking for amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod
or which in any manner affect the Constitution and Bylaws, to
determine their agreement in content and language with the
Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod” (Bylaw 3.9.2.2.1) and to “be
represented at the meetings of national convention floor committees
considering constitution and bylaw matters to ensure that they are