LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 150

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150 CONGREGATIONAL SERVICES

by virtue of their membership in the LCMS to use only doctrinally
pure agenda and hymnbooks (1998 Handbook of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod, Constitution, Art. VI); and

Wuereas, Many congregations and pastors have abandoned the
use of the orthodox, historic liturgies of the church and are, as a re-
sult, depriving many people from knowing, understanding, and
benefiting from these liturgies as well as the Gospel that these litur-
gies contain, proclaim, and convey; and

WHEREAS, Thousands of members of Lutheran congregations,
especially children, are growing up ignorant of these life-giving
liturgies; and

WHEREAS, In the historic liturgy of the church, the Bride pro-
claims to her youngest the faith he confesses even when he is her
oldest; and

WHEREAS, The historic liturgies of the church are a protection
for the pastor in his stewardship of the mysteries of God and for
which he will be called to give an account; and

WHEREAS, People will not defend what they do not appreciate,
and they will not appreciate what they do not know, and they will
not know what has been kept from them; therefore be it

Resolved, That congregations and pastors use the orthodox, his-
toric liturgies of the church in the divine services; and be it further

Resolved, That more presentations of “The Real Life Worship”
conferences be conducted throughout The Lutheran Church—Mis-
sourl Synod; and be it further

Resolved, That more presentations of the “Dying-to-Live” youth
conferences be conducted throughout The Lutheran Church—Mis-
souri Synod; and be it further

Resolved, That congregational leaders read and study The Un-
changing Feast, The Nature and Basis of Lutheran Worship by A.
L. Barry and Lutheran Worship: History and Practice by Concor-
dia Publishing House; and be it finally

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in con-
vention thank the Lord God Almighty for the rich heritage of the
Gospel-laced liturgies of the church and the great treasury of
hymnody in the church.

Our Redeemer
Emmett, ID

2-53

To Promote Use of Liturgical Orders and Hymns
WHEREAS, The church is in the world but not of the world; and

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Confessions identify the church as
being where the Gospel is purely preached and the Sacraments are
rightly administered: and

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Confessions maintain that we do not
abolish the mass but religiously maintain and defend it along with
its usual ceremonies (Apology XXIV); and

WHEREAS, We neither wish to give the impression that our wor-
ship is the same as the Roman Catholic nor the Reformed or Fun-
damentalist churches; and

WHEREAS, The entertainment model of worship fundamentally
displaces the rightly used means of grace and gives the impression
of unity with the Reformed churches; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention discourage the practice
of so-called “contemporary” or “alternative” worship in the con-
gregations of the Synod; and be it further

Resolved, That the approved hymnals of the Synod (most re-
cently Lutheran Worship, The Lutheran Hynmal, Hymnal Supple-
ment 98) be commended for regular use in their liturgical orders
and hymns in the congregations of the Synod: and be it finally

Resolved, That the seminaries of the Synod be directed to de-
velop a second required course (not merely an elective) in the his-
tory and theology of liturgy in their curricula.

Zion
Tomball, TX

2001 Convention Workbook

2-54

To Discourage Regular Use of Unapproved
Orders of Worship

WHEREAS, There has been a proliferation of newer orders of ser-
vice, usually referred to as contemporary orders; and

WHEREAS, Such orders of worship sometimes fail to include the
basic elements of the accepted principles of Lutheran worship; and

WHEREAS, Art. VI of our Constitution provided as a condition
for membership in the Synod “exclusive use of doctrinally pure
agenda, hymnbooks, and catechisms in church and school”; and

WHEREAS, The extensive use of such contemporary worship
forms slights the continuity of the present church with the saints
that have gone before and suggests that individuals can improve on
liturgies, prayers, and collects that have accumulated over the ages;
therefore be it

Resolved, That the congregations of the Synod be urged not to
use contemporary orders of worship on a regular basis unless these
have been approved by the Commission on Worship; and be it fur-
ther

Resolved, That in the regular worship services of the congrega-
tions, the orders of service found in Lutheran Worship, The
Lutheran Hymnal, and Hymnal Supplement 98 be used with a min-
imum of modifications.

Zion
Keamey, NE

2-55

To Restore Harmony in Lutheran Worship Practice

Wuereas, While certain aspects of worship may be considered
adiaphora, the confessional unity of congregations belonging to the
LCMS is both manifested and strengthened by harmony in worship
practice; and

WuerEas, For most of the Synod’s history, harmony in worship
practice has been the rule and has been considered a salutary and
commendable characteristic of orderly congregational life (cf. Ap
XV to distinguish proper and improper use of traditions); and

WHEREAS, Worship practices in the LCMS currently range from
low-church evangelical to high-church Eastern Orthodox forms.
with many variations in between; and

WHEREAS, There is clear evidence today of a concern and inter-
est, especially among younger people. regarding the substance and
form of worship; and

WHEREAS, Contemporary biblically grounded descriptions of
the characteristics of confessional Lutheran worship can serve as a
valuable resource for congregations and pastors as a basis for dis-
cussion and instruction, and ultimately as helpful guides for wor-
ship; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention request that pastors
meet regularly in their Circuits during the next triennium to discuss
confessional Lutheran worship practice in the light of available
public documents; and be it further

Resolved, That discussions be directed intentionally toward
restoring harmony in local Lutheran worship practices; and be it
further

Resolved, That the Circuits report through the Council of Pres-
idents to the next convention of the Synod on the level of consen-
sus reached; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod’s Commission on Worship be en-
couraged to continue its practice of producing worship materials of
the highest quality for congregational use, as well as documents for
study on specific aspects of Lutheran worship.

Concordia Seminary
St. Louis, MO