LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 175

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STRUCTURE, PLANNING, AND ADMINISTRATION
incorporated into the Handbook by the Secretary of the
Synod:
The Commission on Theology and Church Relations
exists to assist the President of the Synod in matters of
church relationships and to assist congregations in
achieving the objectives of Art. III, 1 and 6, of the Constitution of the Synod.
The Commission on Theology and Church Relations
shall consist of 16 voting and 4 advisory members, to be
selected as follows:
1. The synodical convention shall elect two ordained
ministers who are parish pastors, one commissioned
minister who is a parish teacher, and two laypersons.
2. The Council of Presidents shall elect by ballot two ordained ministers (one of whom shall be a District
President) and two laypersons.
3. The St. Louis and Fort Wayne theological faculties
shall each appoint or elect two members of its faculty.
4. The President of the Synod, in consultation with the
Vice-Presidents, shall appoint two additional members.
5. The President shall appoint a member from the faculties of the synodical colleges.
6. The President and the First Vice-President of the
Synod shall be advisory members.
7. The presidents of the St. Louis and Fort Wayne seminaries shall be advisory members.
(a) Vacancies that occur in the positions that were
filled by appointment shall be filled by the same
appointing body.
(b) In the case of vacancies that occur in positions
that were filled by election of a national synodical convention, the appointing body shall be the
Board of Directors of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod, and they shall follow the nominating procedures as outlined in the Bylaws of
the Synod for synodically elected boards or commissions.
The commission shall assist the President at his request in discharging his constitutional responsibilities
for maintaining doctrinal unity within the Synod and
doctrinal integrity as he relates to other church bodies.
(a) It shall address itself to and evaluate existing fellowship relations for the purpose of mutual admonition and encouragement.
(b) When a church body applies for formal recognition of altar and pulpit fellowship with the
Synod, such recognition shall be proposed at a
synodical convention only after the approval of
the commission.
(c) When a synodical mission applies for formal
recognition as a self-governing partner church,
such recognition shall be proposed at a synodical
convention by the Board for Mission Services
with the approval of the commission.
The commission shall provide guidance to the Synod
in matters of theology and church relations.
(a) It shall bring matters of theology and church relations through special studies and documents to
the membership of the Synod and to conferences.
(b) It shall refer theological issues and questions to
the proper individuals or groups of individuals
for additional study.
(c) It shall suggest and provide studies of contemporary issues, including also current social issues,
as they affect the church and as the church may
affect such social issues.
(d) It shall foster and provide for ongoing theological education through institutes, seminars, and
other means.
(e) It shall obtain and study theological treatises,
conference papers, and similar documents and
studies.

175

The commission shall assist congregations and ordained and commissioned ministers of religion in fulfilling their commitment to witness publicly and privately to the one and only Gospel set forth in the Holy
Scriptures specifically as they carry out their responsibilities relating to membership in societies, lodges,
cults, or any organizations of an unchristian or antichristian character to which the Synod has declared
itself firmly opposed.
The commission shall
(a) provide information and counsel concerning organizations, philosophies, and worldviews about
which ordained or commissioned ministers and
congregations may make inquiry relative to objectives, tenets, programs, practices, or ceremonies;
(b) seek to explain the Synod’s concerns to any organizations that are involved in religion and have
unchristian or antichristian features, with the
goal of persuading them to abandon such features;
(c) prepare and disseminate periodic reports concerning new organizations, philosophies, and
worldviews, changes within existing agencies,
and developments relative to the world religious
scene in general;
(d) serve as the resource center for the Synod with
reference to information on religious agencies and
worldviews, publish study materials, and assist
pastors and congregations in providing counsel;
(e) assist the pastors and congregations of the Synod
in carrying out the policy of the Synod regarding
fraternal organizations as set forth in the following guidelines:
1. Pastors and congregations alike must avoid membership or participation in any organization that
in its objectives, ceremonies, or practices is inimical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ or the faith and
life of the Christian church. It is the solemn, sacred, and God-given duty of every pastor properly
to instruct his people concerning the sinfulness of
all organizations that
• explicitly or implicitly deny the Holy Trinity,
the deity of Christ, or the vicarious atonement;
• promise spiritual light apart from that revealed in the Holy Scripture;
• attach spiritual or eternal rewards to the
works or virtues of men; and/or
• embrace ideologies or principles that clearly violate an express teaching of the Holy Scriptures concerning the relationships of men to
one another.
2. The responsibility of diligent and conscientious pastoral care requires that pastors of the Synod do not
administer Holy Communion to nor admit to communicant membership members of such organizations who, after thorough instruction, refuse to sever
their affiliation with the organizations, since Holy
Communion expresses an exclusive spiritual relationship of the communicant to his Lord and to his
brethren (Matt. 10:32; 1 Cor. 10:16–17; 1 Cor. 11:25).
Earnest, continuous efforts should be put forth to
bring individuals to a clear-cut decision regarding
their contradictory confessions, in order that they
may become or remain communicant members of the
congregation, as the case may be.
3. The responsibility of conscientious pastoral care recognizes that a pastor will occasionally encounter an
exceptional case in which he is called on to administer Holy Communion to a person who is outwardly
connected with such an organization. Such exceptional cases ordinarily involve an individual who
• has accepted the pastoral care of the congregation and is being instructed by its pastor in an

200l Convention Proceedings