LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 139

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2. DISTRICT AND CONGREGATIONAL SERVICES

2-01

To Organize Theological Conferences on Worship

WuereaS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod gathers to
walk together in the Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions;
and

WHEREAS, In our walking together we have agreed to exclusive
use of doctrinally pure agenda and hymnbooks, and to develop and
deepen an understanding and love for the Lutheran heritage in
Christian worship; and

WHEREAS, There may be congregations in the LCMS that are
using neither Lutheran hymns nor Lutheran liturgies; and

WHEREAS, The language of our hymns and liturgy has histori-
cally been not only one of the things that have bound us together,
but also formed the basis for the way in which we speak of our
common faith; and

WHEREAS, Some have observed tension in our walking together
which may be in part because we do not understand each other
clearly and in part because we are not talking to each other regu-
larly; and

WHEREAS, Conflicts and disputes are not God’s will, for we are
one body in Christ, called not only to make disciples, but to make
peace; and

WHEREAS, Resolution 3-04 of the 2004 LCMS convention rec-
ognized the importance of theological conferences “‘promoting hon-
est dialogue, greater understanding, and growing consensus on dif-
ficult and sensitive issues” and encouraged districts to hold such
conferences which strengthen “our agreement in doctrine, and [fos-
ter] a faithful and responsible application of this doctrine’’; there-
fore be it

Resolved, That Iowa District West plan and hold theological
conferences which deepen our understanding and love for the
Lutheran heritage in Christian worship and which examine the way
we worship and why we do what we do, that we may grow in our
worship, that we may grow in our understanding, that we may grow
in our faith, that we may grow in grace, and that we may grow in
the way we walk together; that the conferences include pastors,
commissioned ministers, and laypeople; and be it further

Resolved, That lowa District West in convention memorialize
the Synod, thanking it for showing leadership in organizing theo-
logical conferences and encouraging it to hold “model” theologi-
cal conferences in the area of worship which foster unity and un-
derstanding; and be it finally

Resolved, That lowa District West in convention thank the hym-
nal committee of the Commission on Worship for the preparation
of the new Lutheran Service Book, for the fine conferences they
have put on, and the hard work they put in to try to bring us closer
together in our worship.

Iowa District West

2-02

To Urge Following Scripture, Confessions,
and Constitution re Worship

WHEREAS, St. Paul prayed for the Christians in Rome that God
would “give you a spirit of unity among yourselves . . . so that with
one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 15:5—6); and

WHEREAS, God in His Word repeatedly forbids His people to
add to or to subtract from what He has commanded (Deut. 4:2;
Deut. 12:32; Prov. 30:6); and

WHEREAS, Our Lutheran Confessions call for freedom in things
neither commanded nor forbidden by God, “{W]e unanimously be-
lieve, teach and confess that ceremonies or ecclesiastical practices
that are neither commanded nor forbidden in God’s Word, but have
been established only for good order and decorum, are in and of
themselves neither worship ordained by God nor a part of such
worship. ‘In vain do they worship me’ with human precepts
(Matt. 15 [:9)” and “the community of God in every place and at

139

every time has the authority to alter such ceremonies according to
its own situation, as may be most useful and edifying for the com-
munity of God” (FC Ep X 3, 4); and

WHEREAS, Our Lutheran Confessions also call on us to be cau-
tious, “Of course, all frivolity and offense must be avoided, and
special consideration must be given particularly to those who are
weak in faith” and “We believe and teach, and confess that no
church should condemn another because it has fewer or more ex-
ternal ceremonies not commanded by God, as long as there is mu-
tual agreement in doctrine and in all its articles as well as in the
right use of the holy sacraments, according to the familiar axiom,
‘disagreement in fasting does not destroy agreement in faith.’” (FC
Ep X 5, X 7); and

WHEREAS, Our Lutheran Confessions further say, “It is not nec-
essary for the true unity of the Christian church that uniform cere-
monies, instituted by human beings, be observed everywhere” (AC
VII 3 and 4) and “Diversity in fasting does not dissolve unity in
faith” (AC XXVI 44); and

WHEREAS, In our covenant of love with one another in the
LCMS as expressed in our Synod’s Constitution and Bylaws we
have historically commended each other “to strive for uniformity in
church practice but also to develop an appreciation of a variety of
responsible practices and customs which are in harmony with our
common profession of faith’ (LCMS Constitution, Art. III 7); and

WHEREAS, There are so many sources for worship material read-
ily available today, many of which come from theologically weak
perspectives at best, leading to the danger of congregations using
false or misleading hymns and songs and prayers; and

Wuereas, Lutheran worship emphasizes both the teaching of
justification and the response of praise in the congregation; there-
fore be it

Resolved, That we strongly remind and encourage our pastors
and worship directors to guard the doctrinal content of worship ma-
terials very closely and carefully as God directs in His Word
(1 Tim. 4:16); and be it further

Resolved, That we remind each other of the promise we have
made to use “doctrinally pure agenda, hymnbooks, and cate-
chisms,” (LCMS Constitution, Art. VI 4) both to preserve the truth
and for the sake of good order; and be it further

Resolved, That we reaffirm our commitment both to unity in
practice and to developing an appreciation of a variety of responsi-
ble practices and customs which are in harmony with our common
profession of faith; and be it further

Resolved, That we urge all congregations to consider adopting
and using the Synod’s new hymnal, Lutheran Service Book, and its
accompanying resources as soon as is feasible; and be it finally

Resolved, That we urge the President of the Synod, the Council
of Presidents, the seminaries, universities, colleges, and the Com-
mission on Worship to continue to find ways to foster discussion
among groups with diverse viewpoints for the purpose of building
greater understanding of our theology of worship and fostering fur-
ther discussion of worship practices that are consistent with sound
Lutheran theology and practice.

Northern Illinois District

2-03

To Urge Congregations to Seek Uniformity
in Worship Practice

WHEREAS, We recognize that worship is an integral part of the
Christian life as St Paul writes: “Let the word of Christ dwell in
you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom,
singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness
in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16); and

WHEREAS, St Paul prayed for the Christians in Rome that God
would “give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow
Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 15:5—6); and