LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 194

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194 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

Resolved, That all pastors, other church workers, or congrega-
tions that believe women should be permitted to serve as pastors
register their opinion with their District President; and be it further

Resolved, That all who do so register and hold to the opinion
that women may be pastors be admonished pastorally by their Dis-
trict Presidents to repent of their sin and walk together with their
brothers and sisters who believe and practice the scriptural truth as
professed by the LCMS; and be it finally

Resolved, That those members who do not repent of their sin be
removed from membership in The Lutheran Church—Missourt
Synod according to the normal procedures of the Synod.

Lamb of God
Pleasant Prairie, WI

3-114

To Not Solve Pastoral Shortage
with Women’s Ordination

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is in the
midst of a trend of severe clergy shortage (cf. Reporter, Jan. 2000;
The Lutheran Hour broadcast of Feb. 27, 2000); and

WHEREAS, Certain studies and references have sounded the
alarm regarding various factors affecting this trend (eg., The Clergy
Killers by G. Lloyd Ridiger); and

WHEREAS, The membership of the LCMS does not have to look
far to witness infighting within congregations that takes its toll on
the parsonage, resulting in pastors who burn out before their time,
pastors and wives who break under these pressures, and children
of the congregation who conclude as they witness turmoil within
the leadership of congregations that the professional church worker
vocation is the last vocation ever to be considered; and

WHEREAS, There exists a great inconsistency of doctrine and
practice between congregations and pastors of the same LCMS,
causing confusion at best and suspicion and disunity at its worst,
therefore be it

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in con-
vention in 200] encourage her congregations to humble themselves
before the Lord in prayer and careful study of the Holy Scriptures
regarding the office of the ministry and the office of the pastor
(using the many resources already available); and be it further

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in con-
vention in 200] encourage her congregations to remain firm in
LCMS confessional heritage, be consistent in the doctrinal practice
of the means of grace, avoid letting petty differences become major
issues, and strive through inter-congregational communications,
such as Circuit pastoral conferences and Circuit convocations, to-
ward a greater support of pastors on all levels; and be it further

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in con-
vention in 2001 direct the structure in place (i.e., Circuit Counselor,
District President. Board of Adjudication, etc.) to step into congre-
galional matters in a timely way—so as to avoid giving the devil
opportunity—defuse potentially volatile matters, and not hold back
straightforward admonition to either pastor or congregational
members when they are out of line: and be it finally

Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in con-
vention in 2001 affirm an always committed scriptural approach to
this issue and not be tempted by the pressures of the world, seeking
to solve the problem of the clergy shortage by entertaining the un-
scriptural concept of women’s ordination, which will in effect split
the LCMS and, practically and spiritually speaking, cause greater
problems than already exist. (See the article by Ulla Hindbeck,
“Women and the Ministry,” Confessional Lutheran Research Soci-
ety Newsletter 21, Easter 199]. Hindbeck served as a pastor in the
church of Sweden unt] convinced by scriptural principles to sur-
render her office.)

Immanuel
Clovis, NM

2001 Convention Workbook

3-115

To Discontinue Gender Discrimination
in Pastoral Office

WHEREAS, The primary purpose of Holy Scripture is to create
saving faith in the mercies of God revealed in Jesus the Christ. so
that God’s reconciled people may live in love, mutual respect. and
service; and

WHEREAS, The Holy Scriptures can easily be misused when de-
scriptions of time and situation-conditioned matters are confused
with prescriptions for human behavior (for example, when it is in-
sisted that social values and practices accepted in one era, such as
slavery and the subjection of women, are still enforced in another
era when the cultural norms are the opposite); and

WHEREAS, The two passages that limited the roles of women in
New Testament times, specifically 1 Cor. 14:34-36 and | Tim.
2:11-12, reflect with clarity the social context of the time and are
therefore descriptive rather than prescriptive; and

WHEREAS, These descriptive limitations were thought to be nec-
essary to avoid offensive behavior that could jeopardize hearing
and receiving the Gospel; and

WHEREAS, In our time and social context we are called to do the
opposite for the sake of the Gospel, for we live in a time when it is
the exclusion of women from the pastoral office that gives offense,
alienates prospective believers, and impedes the work of the
Gospel; and

WHEREAS, Repeated requests to proceed with safe and open
study of this concern have been met with bombast and division;
therefore be it

Resolved, That the synodical President be responsible for set-
ting up a process for continuing education and discussion by and
for laity and clergy regarding this concern; and be it further

Resolved, That this convention go on record as being strongly in
favor of ending gender discrimination in the pastoral office so that
full use of all the gifts of all of God’s people may be accomplished;
and be it further

Resolved, That this resolution and a report on the process initi-
ated by the synodical President and noted above be sent to the
Commission on Theology and Church Relations of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod’s Board of Directors be directed to
submit a resolution to the 2004 synodica]l convention that gender
discrimination in the pastoral office be ended and full use of all the
gifts of all of God's people may finally be accomplished.

Trinity
Hudson, WI

3-116

To Eliminate Gender Discrimination

Wuereas, The purpose of the Bible is to create saving faith in
the mercies of God revealed in Christ, so that God’s reconciled
people may live in love and mutual respect; and

WHerEAS, The Bible is misused when time- and situation-
conditioned matters are posed as absolutes—e.g., when it is
insisted that social values and practices accepted when the Bible
was written and condoned by it, such as slavery and the
subjection of women, are still to be in force 20 centuries later;
and

WHEREAS, Passages that limit the roles of women in the New
Testament period (e.g., | Cor. 14:34-36 and 1 Tim. 2:11-12)
clearly reflect merely the social context of that time and are
therefore historically conditional; and

WHEREAS, In that context such restrictions were deemed
necessary to avoid offensive behavior that would have
jeopardized the hearing and acceptance of the Gospel (i.e., they
were tor the sake of the Gospel); and