LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1998, Page 271

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STRUCTURE, PLANNING, AND ADMINISTRATION 271

WHEREAS, The Rocky Mountain District convention approved a
resolution in June 1988 to “ask The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod in convention in 1989 to clarify through guidelines or By-
laws the requirements for full voting delegate status with regard to
pastors serving campus congregations but having their call through
their respective District’’; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Forum of the Rocky Flats Circuit requests
that voting status be granted to campus pastors and to any others
serving as called pastors of congregations which have a lay dele-
gate vote; and be it further

Resolved, That the Forum of the Rocky Flats Circuit recom-
mend that the voting status of the pastor of University Lutheran
Church, Boulder, be restored and the spirit of the Bylaws of the
Synod and of the District be honored.

Rocky Flats Circuit
Rocky Mountain District

7-102

To Approve Retired Pastors’ Eligibility to Vote

WHEREAS, The Holy Scriptures have stated that Christ has given
to His church gifts in the form of pastors and teachers (Eph.
4:11-14); and

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Confessions state that a person is “reg-
ularly called’’ when a congregation calls him to administer Word
and Sacraments among them; and

WHEREAS, Pastors who are retired according to the synodical
retirement and welfare plans still are called to small congregations
who often cannot afford the salary of a nonretired pastor; and

WHEREAS, These pastors are accredited, ordained, and called by
congregations to be their pastor; and

WHEREAS, The ruling which forbids each pastor delegate status
disenfranchises smaller congregations of a vote just because of
their financial abilities and the age of their pastor; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Kansas District petition The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod at its next convention to rescind the reg-
ulation which now prohibits these pastors from voting; and be it
further

Resolved, That this be among the first order of business at the
1998 synodical convention so that congregations and pastors not
be disenfranchised of their right of a vote.

Kansas District

7-103

To Make Assistant Pastors Voting Members of Synod

WHEREAS, The Constitution of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod, Art. V (Membership) states: “Advisory members only are
the following ... 2. Assistant pastors ...” which prevents any or-
dained minister of the Gospel who is designated an “assistant pas-
tor” from being able to vote at the District or synodical levels; and

WHEREAS, Such restrictions of voting status for an ordained
minister of the Gospel serving under the designation of “assistant
pastor” suggests a subordination of pastoral status; and

WHEREAS, The Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope
uses scriptural principles to argue against any sense of subordina-
tion among pastors, most notably stating:

1. ... In Luke 22:24-27 Christ expressly forbids lordship
among the apostles. For this was the very question the disciples
were disputing when Chnst spoke of his passion: Who was to
be the leader and, as it were, the vicar of Christ after his depar-
ture? Christ reproved the apostles for this error and taught them
that no one should have lordship or superionty among them but
that the apostles should be sent forth as equals and exercise the
ministry of the Gospel in common ... The same thing is taught
by a parable when, in a similar dispute concerning the kingdom,
Christ put a child in the midst of the disciples, signifying thereby
that there was to be no primacy among ministers, just as a child
neither seeks nor takes preeminence for himself.

2. According to John 20:21 Christ sent his disciples out as
equals, without discrimination, when he said, “As the Father has
sent me, even so I send you.” ... Wherefore he granted to none a
prerogative or lordship over the rest.

3. In Gal. 2:2, 6 Paul plainly asserts that he was neither or-
dained nor confirmed by Peter, nor does he acknowledge Peter
as one from whom confirmation should be sought. From this
fact he expressly argues that his call did not depend on the au-
thority of Peter. But he should have acknowledged Peter as his
superior if Peter had been his superior by divine right. He says,
however, that he at once preached the Gospel without consulting
Peter.

4. In 1 Cor. 3:4-8 Paul places ministers on an equality and
teaches that the church is above the ministers. Therefore he does
not attribute to Peter superiority or authority over the church or
the other ministers. ... This is to say that neither Peter nor the
other ministers should assume lordship or authority over the
church, nor burden the church with traditions, nor let anybody's
authority count for more than the Word, nor set the authority of
Cephas over against the authority of the other apostles;

and

WHEREAS, The definition of an ordained minister of the Gospel
is meant to fall under a historically and generally accepted defini-
tion such as:

For the public performance of the privileges and duties of
the Church in preaching the Gospel and administering the sacra-
ments Christ has instituted the ministerial office in the Church
(1 Cor. 12:29; Rom. 10:15; 2 Cor. 5:18; Matt. 28:19, 20; Eph.
4:11; Acts 20:28; John 20:21, 23; 1 Pet. 5:2) [A. L. Graebner,
Outlines of Doctrinal Theology, CPH): which would also apply
to the duties of an assistant pastor in the normal ministry of a
congregation; and

WHEREAS, There has traditionally been the understanding of an
equality among those men fulfilling the role of an ordained minis-
ter of the Gospel:

The incumbents of the ministerial office, either in one con-
gregation or in different congregations, are equal in rank among
themselves {with] no degrees in the ministry having been estab-
lished by the Head of the Church (Matt. 23:8; Acts 20:17, 28;
Titus 1:5, 7; 1 Pet. 5:1-3 [Ibid.});

therefore be it

Resolved, that the Synod in convention modify Art. V of the
Constitution to read:

B. Advisory Members

Advisory members only are the following:

1. Pastors whose congregations do not hold membership in the
Synod;

2. Ministers not in charge of congregations,

3. Professors at the Synod’s educational institutions;

4. Teachers of the Evangelical Lutheran Church;

5. Directors of Christian education;

6. Directors of Christian outreach;

7. Deaconesses;

8. Candidates for the office of ministry, or for that of a teacher
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, for directors of Christian edu-
cation, for directors of Christian outreach, or for deaconesses; and
be it further

Resolved, That any ordained minister of the Gospel currently
serving in the ministerial office as historically and regularly de-
fined in a congregation of the Synod, regardless of particular title or
designation, be allowed to vote on the District and/or synodical
level if so designated by the congregation.

Family of Faith
Houston, TX