LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 5

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SYNODICAL REPORTS ar)

This disagreement in practice has resulted in dissension and dishar-
mony between pastors and congregations of the LCMS, even
though they are otherwise agreed on the doctrine of the Lord’s Sup-
per.
It is important to recall.the words of Francis Pieper, fourth Pres-
ident of the LCMS:

Christian congregations, and their public servants, are only the ad-
ministrants and not lords of the Sacrament....On the one hand, they are
not permitted to introduce ‘Open Communion’; on the other hand, they
must guard against denying the Sacrament to those Christians for whom
Christ has appointed it. (Christian Dogmatics, II, p. 381)

Church and Ministry

The authority of the pastoral office and the priesthood of all be-
lievers have been key elements of doctrine and practice of The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod since its formation in 1847.
Theses presented by C. F. W. Walther at the famous debates held in
Altenburg, Missouri, in 1841, were adopted, somewhat modified, at
the Synod’s 1851 convention, affirming the distinction between the
office of the pastor and the priesthood of all believers, including
the following:

* The holy ministry, or the pastoral office, is an office distinct from
the priestly office, which belongs to all believers.

* The ministry, or the pastoral office, is not a human ordinance, but
an office established by God Himself.

¢ The ministry of preaching is not an arbitrary office, but its char-
acter is such that the church has been commanded to establish it
and is ordinarily bound to it till the end of days.

¢ The ministry of preaching is not a peculiar order, set up over and
against the common estate of Christians, and holier than the latter,
like the priesthood of the Levites, but it is an office of service.

* Reverence and unconditional obedience are due to the ministry
of preaching when the preacher is ministering the Word of God.
However, the preacher may not dominate over the church; he has,
accordingly, no right to make new laws, to arrange indifferent
matters and ceremonies arbitrarily, and to impose and execute ex-
communication alone, without a previous verdict of the entire
congregation.

¢ According to divine right the function of passing judgment on
doctrine belongs to the ministry of preaching. However, also the
laymen have this right, and for this reason they also have a seat
and vote with the preacher in church courts and councils.

¢ The ministry of preaching is conferred by God through the con-
gregation as holder of all church power, or of the keys, and by its
call, as prescribed by God. The ordination of those called, with
the laying on of hands, is not by divine institution but is an apos-
tolic church ordinance and merely a public, solemn confirmation
of the call.

Clear as these affirmations might appear, disagreement never-
theless exists within our Synod regarding their application. In more
than a few instances, there simply is lack of clarity and concurrence
regarding the role, responsibility, authority, and accountability of
both the office of pastor and the role of laity in the church.

The position of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod on the
doctrine of church and ministry is succinctly summarized in a pre-
sentation entitled, “The LCMS on the Lay Performance of Pastoral
Functions” by Dr. Samuel Nafzger, Executive Director of the
CTCR, in the following three points:
1.God gives the Office of the Keys or all church power

immediately and originally to all Christians (i.e., the church).

2. The pastoral office has been instituted by God for the sake of
good order in the church for the public (i.e., in behalf of and
with accountability to the church) preaching of the Gospel and
for the public administration of the Sacraments.

3. Since the Office of the Keys has been given by Christ
“immediately” and “originally” to all Christians, lay people
may be asked in cases of necessity and emergency situations to
perform pastoral functions. But this should be done only in the
prolonged absence of a rightly called pastor, lest there be a

“weakening of the pastoral ministry with all its benefits.”
May our gracious God bless both the pastoral office and the
priesthood of all believers!

Traditional and Contemporary Worship

In the past few decades, numerous congregations of the LCMS
have introduced “contemporary” worship forms and music in addi-
tion to and, in some instances, even in place of traditional liturgies
and hymnody. The conditions of membership in the Synod require
“Exclusive use of doctrinally pure agenda, hymnbooks, and cate-
chisms in church and school” (LCMS Constitution, Art. VI). This
presents a dilemma, since our Synod has not specifically stipulated
what these “doctrinally pure” contemporary worship resources for
use by our congregations and professional church workers must be.
The specific wording of our Constitution in this regard is:

The Synod, under Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, shali—
Encourage congregations to strive for uniformity in church prac-
tice, but also to develop an appreciation of a variety of responsible
practices and customs which are in harmony with our common profes-

sion of faith. (LCMS Constitution, Art. HI 7)

The result is that congregations search for and, in some cases,
implement, worship resources that do not always measure up to our
common understanding of being “doctrinally pure.” At the same
time, some traditional worship resources, while considered “doc-
trinally pure,” are perceived by some as being “rote” or “routine,”
depriving some worshipers of a variety in worship they sincerely
desire and appreciate.

Many who read these words can perhaps identify with my own
experience, which includes attendance at “contemporary” worship
services that contain all the necessary ingredients of a truly
Lutheran service, and some other services that miss the mark in
that regard. At the same time, some “traditional” worship services
miss a different mark in that while “doctrinally pure,” they fail to
communicate Law and Gospel in understandable, meaningful ways
to worshipers whose concerns and burdens in life are quite different
from those of our forefathers.

Whether traditional or contemporary, worship services in con-
gregations of the LCMS must employ doctrinally pure resources
for the basic elements of distinctively Lutheran Christian worship.
Although neither the Order of Matins nor the Order of Vespers
(two of my favorites) in The Lutheran Hymnal includes a standard
invocation, confession, absolution, or creed, those elements of wor-
ship, along with hymns or songs of praise, Scripture readings,
Christ-centered sermon or homily, prayer, and benediction are al-
ways appropriate and desired.

The bottom line is that the precise form of our worship in and of
itself is not a matter of divine mandate in which specific worship
forms are either commanded or forbidden by God. The proper uti-
lization of any form must always provide a proper setting for re-
ceiving the divine gifts of God and giving praise and glory to our
triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

May such God-pleasing worship flourish in the congregations
of our Synod!

Participation in Events or Services with Other
Christians or Non-Christians

The LCMS Constitution includes as requirements for member-
ship in the Synod, “Renunciation of unionism and syncretism of
every description, such as: (a) serving congregations of mixed con-
fession, as such, by ministers of the church; (b) taking part in the
services and sacramental rites of heterodox congregations or of
congregations of mixed confession; (c) participating in heterodox
tract and missionary activities” (LCMS Constitution, Art. VD.

The question of whether or when it is appropriate to participate
in an event or service at which non-LCMS participants are also pres-
ent, along with the general question of how we should relate to peo-
ple outside the LCMS, especially in the rapidly changing world and

2004 Convention Workbook