LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 282

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

282 STRUCTURE, PLANNING, AND ADMINISTRATION

Art. If of its Constitution and shall ordinarily cite the pertinent pas-
sages of the Scriptures, the Lutheran Confessions, and any previ-
ously adopted official doctrinal statements or resolutions of the
Synod,” and “may be adopted for the information, counsel, and
guidance of the membership” (Bylaw 1.09 b); therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention affirm that properly
adopted doctrinal resolutions, drawn as they are from the Scriptures
and the Lutheran Confessions and reflecting the Synod’s collective
understanding of the same, are until such time as the Synod amends
or repeals them authoritative in all matters involving the confes-
sional position of the Synod, including expulsion of members from
membership in the Synod or the retention of their membership and
deliberations concerning District and Synod resolutions.

Immanuel
Danville, IL

7-96

To Revise Bylaw on Doctrinal Statements

Wer eas, Art. II of the Constitution of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod states: “The Synod, and every member of the
Synod, accepts without reservation:

¢ The Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament as the written
Word of God and the only rule and norm of faith and practice;

¢ All the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as
a true and unadulterated statement and exposition of the Word of
God, to wit: the three Ecumenical Creeds (the Apostles’ Creed,
the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed), the Unaltered Augs-
burg Confession, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the
Smalcald Articles, the Large Catechism of Luther, the Small Cat-
echism of Luther, and the Formula of Concord”; and

WHEREAS, Art. VIII C of the same Constitution also states: “All
matters of doctrine and conscience shall be decided only by the
Word of God”; and

WHEREAS, The Formula of Concord, with reference to Dr. Mar-
tin Luther’s Opera Latina (Latin Works) states that the Reformer
himself “expressly asserts by way of distinction that the Word of
God is and should remain the sole rule and norm of all doctrine,
and that no human being’s writings dare be put on a par with it, but
that everything must be subjected to it” [FC SD Rule and Norm 9};
and

WHEREAS, Bylaw 1.09 b in The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod Handbook provides for the adoption of doctrinal resolutions
“for the information, counsel, and guidance of the membership” of
the Synod; and

WHEREAS, Bylaw 1.09 c provides for the adoption of doctrinal
statements “to set forth in greater detail [than doctrinal resolutions}
the position of the Synod especially in controverted matters”; and

WHEREAS, Both doctrinal resolutions and doctrinal statements
may be adopted by a simple majority of the vote of the delegates to
a convention of the Synod (Art. VIII C), though. doctrinal state-
ments (but not doctrinal resolutions) must be submitted to the con-
gregations of the Synod for ratification (Bylaw 1.09 c 5); and

WHEREAS, The provision in the Bylaws that the Synod may
amend (1.09 c 8) or repeal (1.09 c 9) such doctrinal statements in-
dicates, by its very existence, that in spite of an intention to con-
form to the Scriptures and the Confessions, such statements may
possibly go beyond and be out of harmony with the confessional
basis of the Synod; and

WHEREAS, Bylaw 1.09 c 7 requires that such doctrinal state-
ments are to be “honored and upheld”; and

WHEREAS, Bylaw 2.39 c calls upon members of the Synod to
“honor and uphold” resolutions of the Synod, and, as the context
clearly indicates, this is a reference to doctrinal resolutions; and

WHEREAS, Bylaw 2.39 c also makes provision for “revision or
recision” of such doctrinal resolutions; and

WHEREAS, The Bylaw provision that the Synod, in convention,
may amend or repeal such doctrinal statements or resolutions indi-
cates by its very existence that such statements or resolutions may

potentially go beyond or be out of harmony with the confessional
basis of the Synod; and

WHEREAS, Resolution 2-12, adopted by the 1971 convention of
the Synod resolved, “that the Synod understand Art. II of its Con-
stitution as permitting, and at times even requiring the formulation
and adoption of doctrinal statements,” and further “that the Synod
reaffirm its position . . . that such statements . . . pursuant to Art. II
of the Synod’s Constitution [are] binding on all members,” thereby
effectively elevating doctrinal statements and doctrinal resolutions
to equal status with the confessional basis of the Synod; and

WuereEAS, Resolution 2-12 of the 1971 convention interpreted
the phrase “to honor and uphold” to mean “‘to abide by, act, and
teach in accordance with”; and

WHEREAS, This interpretation has been incorporated into Bylaw
1.09 c 7; and

WHEREAS, The Synod in 1962, in repealing Res. 9 of the 1959
convention “acknowledged that ‘a resolution which declares every
synodically adopted doctrinal statement (past and future) binding
upon its members is unconstitutional “ since “theoretically, at least,
such a resolution might bind its members to doctrines taught neither
by the Scriptures nor the Confessions” and would “in effect amend
Article II of the Constitution by extending the confessional basis be-
yond the Bible and the Symbols” (Res. 6-01); therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod reaffirm the pertinent sections of Res.
6-01 of the 1962 convention; and be it further

Resolved, That the interpretation of “honor and uphold” as “to
abide by, act, and teach in accordance with” be deleted from Bylaw
1.09 c 7; and be it further

Resolved, That no resolution of the Synod can supersede the
clear provision of Art. II of the Constitution that the Scriptures of
the Old and New Testaments are the only rule and norm of faith
and practice, and that they are correctly expounded in the confes-
sional writings of the Lutheran church; and be it further

Resolved, That Bylaw 1.09 c 7 be revised to read: “Such
adopted and ratified doctrinal statements shall be regarded as the
position of the Synod and shall be ‘accepted and used as helpful
expositions and explanations’ (FC SD Rule and Norm 10)”; and be
it finally

Resolved, That any doctrinal resolutions adopted at the conven-
tions of the Synod be regarded as “helpful expositions and expla-
nations” for the “information, counsel, and guidance” of the
Synod’s membership.

Trinity
Roselle, IL

To Clarify Terminology When Offering
Documents to Synod

Wuereas, Our walking together as a Synod assumes a willing-
ness to guide and be guided by one another, as well as to carry out
those actions of the Synod that are binding upon us all; and

WuerEAS, Numerous statements, documents, and studies by a
variety of sources (the President’s Commission on the Sanctity of
Life, the Commission on Theology and Church Relations, synodi-
cal conventions, and others) either seek to offer guidance or are in-
tended to be binding; and

WHEREAS, Such statements, documents, and studies are often
officially offered to the church by actions of the synodical conven-
tion; and

WuereaS, There has been a wide variety of terminology used
by recent conventions to offer these to the church: “be adopted,”
“commend for reference and guidance,” “commend for study and
encourage responses,” “be commended for study,” “be commended
for study and guidance,” “be commended for use,” “be distributed
and discussed,” “that members be urged to study the document,”
“urge that the report be studied by the members, asking them to re-
spond” (to cite only a few examples); and