LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 77

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SYNODICAL REPORTS 77

not cite the Treatise as the source or foundation for its statement
regarding ordination as an ecclesiastical practice. The citation of
the Treatise—or of any confessional writing for that matter—is for
the purpose of providing a corroborating witness to the historic po-
sition of our church based on Scripture alone. Sometimes there are
many witnesses that can be cited, sometimes only a few witnesses.
Sometimes the witnesses are clear and unequivocal, at other times
they are less so. If the Treatise provides something less than an
ironclad “proof text” at this point, the Brief Statement’s statement
about ordination is not thereby undermined. “Now the ministry of
the Word and sacraments,” writes Martin Chemnitz, “has divine
promises, and the prayer at ordination rests on these, but these
promises are not to be tied to the rite of the imposition of hands,
about which there is neither a command of Christ nor such a
promise as there is about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper” (Exami-
nation II, p. 695; cf. Holsten Fagerberg, A New Look at the
Lutheran Confessions 1529-1537, tr. Gene Lund (St. Louis: Con-
cordia Publishing House, 1972], p. 249).

In expressing his opinion that the Brief Statement’s usage of
Treatise 70 is “improper,” therefore, the submitter of this “dissent”
has not provided evidence to persuade the Commission that what
the Brief Statement says about ordination is in error or is in need of
revision.

Adopted September 16, 2003

4. Expression of Dissent to the LCMS Position on the Ordination of
Women

In a letter dated December 22, 1999, an LCMS pastor submitted
a study titled “Theses on Women in the Church” “as a dissent to
the official position of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
concerning women’s ordination as expressed in the September
1985 document [CTCR’s Women in the Church].” At its September
2002 meeting the Commission adopted the following response:

Dissent on the Ordination of Women

In December 1999, [a pastor of the Synod] forwarded to the
Commission on Theology and Church Relations a paper titled
“Theses on Women in the Church: Resources in Dialogue with
“Women in the Church: Scriptural Principles and Ecclesial Prac-
tice’—A Report of the Commission on Theology and Church Re-
lations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.” In a cover let-
ter Pastor [ ] indicated the following: “I herewith submit this paper
to the Commission on Theology and Church Relations as a dissent
to the official position of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
concerning women’s ordination as expressed in the September
1985 document. It is also a dissent against the denial of the utiliza-
tion in ministry of gifts the Spirit gives to God’s people for ministry
regardless of gender.”

In acknowledging the receipt of this request, the Executive Di-
rector of the Commission, for the purposes of clarification, pointed
out the following to Pastor [ ]: “Although the CTCR’s 1985 report
Women in the Church has been commended by the Synod in three
successive Synodical Conventions (1986 Res. 3-09; 1989 Res. 3-
14; 1992 Res. 3-04), the Commission on Theology and Church Re-
lations’ reports do not determine the official position of the Synod.
The Synod’s official position that the Scriptures clearly teach that
‘only men may hold the pastoral office’ was most recently reaf-
firmed at the Synod’s 1998 Convention in Resolution 3-25A ‘To
Affirm Position of Synod That Only Men May Hold the Pastoral
Office.’” The Executive Director further indicated that he was for-
warding this paper to the Commission with the understanding that
Pastor [ ] was submitting it as a formal dissent to the position of
the Synod within the provisions of Bylaw 2.39C of the Handbook
of the Synod. At its February 2000 meeting the Commission for-
mally placed this expression of dissent on its agenda for response in
keeping with its policy for dealing with expressions of dissent.

The Commission on Theology and Church Relations, follow-
ing a thorough review of this paper (including the nature and extent
of the evidence provided and the method of argumentation), has
concluded that the author has not provided sufficient biblical evi-
dence for his claim that the Synod’s position on the ordination of
women is in need of revision. While some of the issues raised do
warrant serious and extended study (and such work is on the Com-
mission’s larger agenda), it remains the conviction of the Commis-
sion that the position of the Synod “that only men may hold the
pastoral office” (1998 Res. 3-25A) rests on a solidly biblical foun-
dation and that this position is fully consistent with the Synod’s
historic understanding of the nature and authority of the Scriptures
and of Lutheran principles of biblical interpretation (hermeneutics).
Adopted September 18, 2002

II. Church Relations
A. Position Statement on Altar and Pulpit Fellowship

At its April 2001 meeting the CTCR asked that the President of
the Synod be approached with a request that the CTCR be asked
to prepare a position paper addressing issues of declaring altar and
pulpit fellowship with other Lutheran churches, taking into account
the situation of emerging churches. President Kieschnick requested
that the Commission undertake this assignment. At its April 2003
meeting the Commission adopted, as a document in process for
sharing with the Synod’s sister churches for input, “Protocol for
Entering into Declaration of Altar and Pulpit Fellowship in The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.”

B. Inter-Lutheran Relationships
1. International Lutheran Council

The International Lutheran Council is a worldwide association of
29 established confessional Lutheran church bodies that proclaim the
Gospel of Jesus Christ on the basis of an unconditional commitment
to the Holy Scriptures as the inspired and infallible Word of God and
to the Lutheran Confessions contained in The Book of Concord as the
true and faithful exposition of the Word of God.

The ILC exists for the purpose of encouraging, strengthening
and promoting confessional Lutheran theology and practice cen-
tering in Jesus Christ. To this end, the ILC: provides opportunities
for the study of contemporary theological issues; gives mutual sup-
port and encouragement to the heads of member church bodies; en-
courages and assists member churches in planning for mission out-
reach; strengthens theological education through conferences of
theologians and seminary teachers; facilitates communication be-
tween confessional Lutheran churches of the world through the
publication of ILC News; and, facilitates the preparation and publi-
cation of confessional Lutheran literature.

The ILC is not a church body and does not carry out churchly
functions, nor is church fellowship with all member bodies neces-
sary for membership. It does not intend to prescribe any course of
action for its members. It rather seeks to assist and strengthen its
member church bodies in their confessional witness and mission.

Serving as officers of the ILC during the present biennium are:
Dr. Ralph Mayan (President of Lutheran Church—Canada), Chair-
man; Bishop Diethardt Roth (Bishop of SELK in Germany), Vice-
Chairman; and Dr. Carlos Winterle (President of the TELB in
Brazil), Secretary. An Executive Committee made up of the three
officers and four additional representatives representing the six
world areas (Africa, East Asia, Europe, Latin America, North
America, and Southeast Asia and Australia) is responsible for im-
plementing the objectives of the ILC.

At the request of the ILC and with the concurrence of the
LCMS Board of Directors and of the CTCR, Dr. Samuel Nafzger
serves as its Executive Secretary. Rev. Peter Ahlers, President of

2004 Convention Workbook