LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 140

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140

RESOLUTIONS

(A motion to amend by inserting the following three resolves
before the final resolve failed: Resolved, That we commend and
thank the pastors who have served faithfully vacancies in the timetested and doctrinally sensitive position of vacancy pastor; and be it
further Resolved, That all things in the church be done decently
and in order; and be it further Resolved, That the Synod in convention direct that Intentional Interim Ministers not be installed
in the parishes they serve until the matter of “temporary calls” has
been addressed by the Synod; and be it further.” A motion to replace the words “temporary calls” with the words “service without
tenure” also failed. The resolution was adopted without amendment [yes: 994; no: 108]. The final resolve is added as required by
Res. 1-02, adopted by the convention at an earlier session.)

To Express Appreciation to CTCR,
Seminaries, and President for Statements
RESOLUTION 3-10
Overtures 3-63–68 (CW, p. 178–80)
WHEREAS, The Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ, calls us
to confess Him before men (Matt. 10:32) and to let our
lights shine before men that they may see our good deeds
and praise our Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16); and
WHEREAS, Representatives of a number of the Lutheran
Church bodies in the world and representatives of the pope
and the Roman Catholic Church jointly signed a document
entitled “A Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification”
on Oct. 31, 1999, in the city of Augsburg, Germany; and
WHEREAS, This document has been portrayed as resolving a key difference between the Lutheran Church and the
Roman Catholic Church that has separated the two communions since the days of the Lutheran Reformation in the
sixteenth century; and
WHEREAS, The doctrine of justification, without which
the entire Christian faith ceases to exist in any valid way,
is the heart of the Gospel and was at the very center of the
Reformation; and
WHEREAS, The Word of God clearly teaches that nothing
more than simple trust in Christ is necessary to save us
sinners and that to say that we must add something of our
own to what Christ has done for us (His holy life, sufferings, and death as our all-sufficient Substitute, and His victory over death on our behalf) is to rob Him of His glory and
to rob us sinners of the certainty of our peace with God; and
WHEREAS, The Joint Declaration has caused confusion
about the differences between the Lutheran confession and
the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church on the doctrine
of justification; and
WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in
1998 Res. 3-08A authorized its synodical President to request the CTCR to prepare an evaluation of “A Formula of
Agreement” and “A Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of
Justification”; and
WHEREAS, The synodical Constitution gives the synodical
President the power to “advise, admonish, and reprove” and
to “use all means at his command to promote and maintain
unity of doctrine and practice” (Art. XI B 3); and
WHEREAS, The President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, the sainted Rev. Alvin L. Barry, widely published a statement entitled “Toward True Reconciliation: A
Comment on Lutheran-Roman Catholic Relations,” in
which he clearly explains the true Lutheran position on the
doctrine of justification and has thus attempted to prevent
the public from having false perceptions of unity where it
definitely does not exist; and
200l Convention Proceedings

WHEREAS, The departments of systematic theology at the
Fort Wayne and St. Louis seminaries, the CTCR, and
LCMS President Barry remained faithfully true to both the
Lord Jesus Christ and the church in their responses to “A
Formula of Agreement” and “A Joint Declaration on the
Doctrine of Justification” in response to public media claims
about the resolution of differences between Roman
Catholics and Lutherans, which are of beneficial value to
the church; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention give thanks to
God for Dr. Barry’s bold stand in this confused world as he
spoke out clearly and openly about this issue and gave a
strong witness to the true Gospel; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod express formally its thanks
and ongoing support to both seminaries and the CTCR for
the work they have done in response to 1998 Res. 3-08A;
and be it further
Resolved, That the LCMS support its synodical President’s efforts to work together with representatives of the
Roman Catholic Church in arranging for discussions of
these issues between our two church bodies so that the day
may truly and finally come “when the pure Gospel of Jesus
Christ is proclaimed with one voice” and true reconciliation
is achieved; and be it further
Resolved, That the congregations of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod give thanks to God for justifying
us sinners by His grace alone through faith alone in Christ
alone; and be it finally
Resolved, That all action taken in this resolution shall be
used to help carry out “The Great Commission” and shall not
in any way detract or distract from the primary mission of
God’s kingdom here on earth. We will remember 1-02!
Action: Adopted (7)
(The resolution was adopted without amendment [yes: 936;
no: 156]. The final resolve is added as required by Res. 1-02,
adopted by the convention in an earlier session.)

To Undertake a Synodical Study of Book
of Concord
RESOLUTION 3-11
Overture 3-11 (CW, p. 159)
WHEREAS, Lutheran identity has come under question
within our postmodern society in which all truth is relative;
and
WHEREAS, Lutheran identity shapes the ecumenical and
mission agenda of the Lutheran Church within such a
world; and
WHEREAS, The question of Lutheran identity finds its definition within the confessional writings of the Lutheran
Church; and
WHEREAS, 2001 is the sesquicentennial of the first American edition of the Book of Concord; and
WHEREAS, The publication of each new English edition
of the Book of Concord within America has served as a catalyst for the revival of a confessional consciousness among
pastors and people and resulted in a church reinvigorated
for mission; and
WHEREAS, A new English edition, The Book of Concord:
The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, in
part a product of the labors of LCMS theologians and scholars, was published in 2000; and