LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 186

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

186

LATE OVERTURES

L8-72

To Condemn Lawsuits and Encourage
Repentance and Use of Dispute
Resolution Process
Whereas, God has clearly stated in 1 Cor. 6 His intent
that brothers in the faith not enter into lawsuits against
one another: “If any of you has a dispute with another, dare
he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before
the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the
world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will
judge angels? How much more the things of this life! Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as
judges even men of little account in the church! I say this to
shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you
wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother goes to law against another—and this in
front of unbelievers! The very fact that you have lawsuits
among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be
cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and
you do this to your brother” (1 Cor. 6:1–8); and,
WHEREAS, Some members of our Synod initiated a lawsuit against our church and our elected leaders, commonly
named the Anderson lawsuit, suggesting in it that not only
our President and First Vice-President “for their own personal gain embarked upon a scheme to perpetuate themselves in office by evading and avoiding the official Missouri
Bylaws of the LCMS” (see point 7 of the Anderson lawsuit),
but also members of the Council of Presidents and district
boards of directors, insofar as they complied with “sham requests” for exceptions solicited by our President and First
Vice-President (see point 11 of the Anderson lawsuit); and
WHEREAS, This lawsuit is groundless and seeks to overturn elections and resolutions voted on by a convention delegate majority in the 2004 convention; and
WHEREAS, This is not only an unscriptural action for
Christians but also a waste of over $480,000 of Synod’s mission money and personnel; therefore be it
Resolved, That the 2007 convention of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod condemn this lawsuit against our
church; and be it further
Resolved, That we encourage these pastors and congregations to repent of their error and truly “build the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:12) by living as
Christians in word and deed; and be it finally
Resolved, That these fellow Christians be encouraged to
work within our dispute resolution process to resolve any
disagreements they have with the decisions the majority of
our delegates made in the 2004 convention.
Trinity
Roselle, IL

longer be considered an orthodox Lutheran church body
(Res. 3-21A); and
WHEREAS, There remain many areas where significant
changes have occurred in the doctrine and practice of the
ELCA where our Synod in all its entities has yet to respond, and where decades-old agreements with the ELCA’s
predecessor bodies remain in effect as if these changes
never took place; and
WHEREAS, It is an insufficient response merely to express disappointment or declare the ELCA to no longer be
an orthodox Lutheran church body, while continuing to
maintain joint ministries that bear witness that there are
no differences between our two church bodies; and
WHEREAS, As long as joint campus ministry arrangements exist between the ELCA and The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), our LCMS college students will be subject to heterodox doctrine and pastoral
care; and
WHEREAS, Given the nature of the fellowship agreements
that the ELCA has entered into, ELCA college students can
now receive pastoral care from various other denominational campus ministries, making agreements no longer a
necessity; and
WHEREAS, The retreat from traditional, confessional
Lutheranism has been unfolding in the ELCA and its predecessor bodies for decades, with the ELCA showing no
signs of returning to doctrinal orthodoxy by their joint participation with the LCMS; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Wyoming District commend our
faithful LCMS campus pastors and other workers serving
in campus ministries for maintaining confessional integrity
in providing genuine Lutheran Word and Sacrament ministry to those college students under their spiritual care;
and be it further
Resolved, That the Wyoming District memorialize the
2007 convention of the LCMS to declare that our Synod will
no longer engage in joint campus ministry of any description with the ELCA; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Wyoming District memorialize the
2007 convention of the LCMS to mandate that the President and Vice-Presidents of Synod oversee and supervise
all districts, and any corresponding boards, commissions,
or associations of Synod in detaching themselves from
every vestige of joint campus ministry with the ELCA
where joint work is being conducted on any level in the
Synod no later than Dec. 31, 2009.
Wyoming District
L3-105

To End Practice of Licensing
Lay Deacons for Word
and Sacrament Ministry

L1-18

To End Joint Campus Ministry
with ELCA
WHEREAS, Synod in convention (2001) declared that the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) can no
2007 Convention Proceedings

Rationale
Article XIV of the Augsburg Confession states, “Concerning church government it is taught that no one should
publicly teach, preach, or administer the sacraments without a proper [public] call” (Kolb/Wengert, p. 46).