LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 55

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REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
• Blue Ribbon Task Force on Ecclesiastical Supervision and Dispute Resolution—Reviewing and making
recommendations for revising and improving the provision of evangelical supervision, counsel, care, and protection for congregations, pastors, teachers, and other professional church workers and resolving disputes among
them. The recommendations of this very important task
force are included in its report in this Convention Workbook. Delegates will be considering specific recommendations of the task force, which will be presented by the
floor committee(s) to which this report has been assigned.
• Funding the Mission Task Force—A joint committee
of the Board of Directors and Council of Presidents held
meetings over a period of approximately 20 months to review and recommend to the Synod a strategy for funding
the national synodical mission and ministry. The unanimous recommendation of this task force was shared with
a number of District Boards of Directors, where it was received with less than unanimous enthusiasm.
Subsequently, the Board of Directors developed an alter
nate plan, sought and received input regarding it from
the Council of Presidents, which offered less than enthusiastic response. As a result of District convention resolutions, the floor committee to which specific resolutions
regarding funding the mission have been assigned will
consider a number of alternative approaches to secure
adequate funding for our national mission and ministry.
• Theological Convocations—To address the difficulties
and conflicts that have surfaced within the Synod in recent years, including the past triennium, I asked the
Commission on Theology and Church Relations, in consultation with the Council of Presidents, to plan and conduct a series of theological convocations throughout the
Synod. The purpose of these convocations is to address
matters of concern and disagreement in the Synod on the
basis of Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, in
an atmosphere of mutual respect and fraternal dialogue.
Convocations have now been held in all 35 Districts of the
Synod, with a second round of dialogues to be planned
and conducted in the next triennium.
It is my hope and prayer that these brief summaries of
specific initiatives of the past triennium, all designed to
strengthen our Synod, its congregations, and individual
members and to address the statistical decline of our Synod
during the past 30 years, will be informative and helpful to
convention delegates and congregations back home. By
God’s grace, I pray that His great blessings may abound in
our midst, as our faithfulness to God’s Word and Sacraments results in fruitfulness for His kingdom and His
church.
Synodical Solidarity in the Midst
of Synodical Conflict
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod celebrated its
157th birthday on April 26, 2004. Although this date went
largely unnoticed in many, if not most, of the congregations
of the Synod, it is a matter of rejoicing that God has chosen to shower upon this “synodical union” (LCMS Constitution Preamble) His grace, mercy, and peace since 1847.

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During its history, the Synod has experienced varying
degrees of harmony, concord, and peace. Throughout the
past three decades, those blessings of our gracious God
have been tried and tested. Many of us remember with
great sadness the conflict and division in the mid-1970s.
We thank God that our Synod, in spite of the challenges of
those years, was able to affirm and uphold the centrality of
the written Word of God, the Holy Scripture, as the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God, “the only rule and
norm of faith and of practice” (LCMS Constitution, Art. II).
In the past several years, however, including the past
triennium, divisiveness of other kinds has become manifest
among us. It has been obvious that not all in the LCMS are
in total agreement regarding some matters of doctrine and
practice. In addition, it seems obvious that not all in the
Synod are of one mind and spirit regarding the way in
which the Synod can fulfill God’s mission in the world in a
faithful and fruitful way. The following commentary will illustrate the specifics regarding some of these differences of
mind and spirit.
Close Communion
In my travels across the Synod, I have not encountered
disagreement in the doctrine of what the Lord’s Supper is.
With unanimity, we believe, teach, and confess the Real
Presence of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, received in, with, and under the bread and wine of Holy Communion, for the forgiveness of sin, the strengthening of
faith, and the assurance of life eternal through faith in
Christ. I do not believe that fundamental doctrinal disagreement concerning what the Lord’s Supper is exists in
the LCMS.
At the same time, significant disagreement exists in the
Synod regarding the policies of admission to Holy Communion, namely, who should be allowed or even encouraged to
receive the Sacrament at the altars of our LCMS congregations. Some believe that all baptized Christians who believe
in Jesus Christ, who are penitent, who accept the Real
Presence of our Lord’s body and blood, and who desire to
amend their sinful lives should be welcome at our altars.
Others believe that only members of LCMS congregations
and congregations of other church bodies with whom the
LCMS is in altar and pulpit fellowship should be communed at our altars, with no exceptions.
The official position of our Synod, which welcomes members of LCMS congregations and congregations of church
bodies with whom we are in altar and pulpit fellowship,
also understands this policy to include “the necessity of exercising responsible pastoral care in extraordinary situations and circumstances” in the communing of “Christians
who are member of denominations not in fellowship with
the LCMS” (1986 LCMS Convention Resolution 3-08).
There is significant disagreement about what constitutes
“extraordinary situations and circumstances,” which some
pastors and congregations interpret very broadly and others quite narrowly. This disagreement in practice has resulted in dissension and disharmony between pastors and
congregations of the LCMS, even though they are otherwise
agreed on the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper.
2004 Convention Proceedings