LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 140

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140 DISTRICT AND CONGREGATIONAL SERVICES

Wuereas, The Lutheran Confessions say, “For this is enough
for the true unity of the Christian church that there the Gospel is
preached harmoniously according to a pure understanding and the
sacraments are administered in conformity with the divine Word. It
is not necessary for the true unity of the Christian church that uni-
form ceremonies, instituted by human beings, be observed every-
where. As Paul says in Ephesians 4[:4-5]: ‘There is one body and
one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,
one Lord, one faith, one baptism’” (AC VII 2-4; Kolb-Wengert
edition); and

WHEREAS, Our Confessions recognize the benefits of uniformity
in worship when they say, “Nevertheless, we teach that liberty in
these matters should be exercised moderately, so that the inexperi-
enced may not take offense and, on account of an abuse of liberty,
become more hostile to the true teaching of the gospel. Nothing in
the customary rites may be changed without good reason. Instead,
in order to foster harmony, those ancient customs should be ob-
served that can be observed without sin or without proving to be a
great burden” (Ap XV 51; cf AC XV 1-3; Ap XV 1; Ap XXVIII
17); and

WHEREAS, Our Confessions could affirm “that among us noth-
ing in doctrine or ceremonies has been accepted that would contra-
dict either Holy Scripture or the universal Christian church” (AC
Conclusion 5) and that “no novelty has been introduced that did
not exist in the church in days of old, [for] no noticeable change
has occurred in the public liturgy of the Mass” (AC XXIV 40); and

WHEREAS, Our doctrine and teaching shapes and forms the way
we worship, and our worship ceremonies influence our doctrine
and teaching in the church; and

WHEREAS, One of the chief reasons for forming the synodical
union, now called The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, was “to
strive after the greatest possible uniformity in ceremonies” (1854
Constitution Art. TV 10); and

WHEREAS, The LCMS lists as one of its objectives to “Encour-
age congregations 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” (Constitution Art. III 7); therefore be it

Resolved, That the South Dakota District memorialize the
Synod that we remind one another of the promise we have made
of “Exclusive use of doctrinally pure agenda, hymnbooks, and cat-
echisms” (Constitution Art. VI 4), both to preserve the truth and
for the sake of good order; and be it further

Resolved, That, out of love for each other, congregations of the
LCMS be strongly urged to seek as much uniformity in ceremonies
as possible; and be it further

Resolved, That congregations be encouraged seriously to con-
sider using the new Synod hymnal, Lutheran Service Book, for the
sake of uniformity in ceremonies among the congregations of
Synod; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod would “build greater understanding
of our theology of worship and foster further discussion of worship
practices that are consistent with that theology” (2004 Res. 2-04);
and be it finally

Resolved, That the President of the Synod, the Council of Pres-
idents, the seminaries, universities, and colleges, and the Commis-
sion on Worship 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 further dis-
cussion of worship practices that are consistent with sound
Lutheran theology and practice.

South Dakota District

2-04

To Commend Commission
on Worship for New Hymnal

WHEREAS, The Commission on Worship has spent many years
in gathering, testing, and developing a new hymnal, Lutheran Ser-
vice Book, for use in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod; and

WHEREAS, The Commission on Worship has also developed and
made available all of the accompanying companions to the hym-
nal, including the Agenda, the Altar Book, the Hymnal Accompani-
ment, the Liturgy Accompaniment, the various Lectionaries, the
Pastor’s Companion, the Lutheran Service Builder and other re-
sources for use in the church; therefore be it

Resolved, That the 2007 LCMS convention give thanks and
praise to God for the work of the Commission on Worship and to
all who were involved in the many steps that made Lutheran Ser-
vice Book and the accompanying volumes possible and available;
and be it further

Resolved, That the 2007 LCMS convention urge and encourage
all members of the Synod to purchase, implement, and use
Lutheran Service Book in their churches, homes, and lives together;
and be it finally

Resolved, That the 2007 LCMS convention stand and give all
thanks and praise to God by singing “Blest Be the Tie That Binds”
(LSB 649):

Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love; The felow-
ship of kindred minds is like to that above.

Before our Father’s throne we pour are ardent prayers; Our fears,
our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares.

We share our mutual woes, our mutual burdens bear, And often for
each other flows the sympathizing tear.

When here our pathways part, we suffer bitter pain; Yet, one in

Christ and one in heart, we hope to meet again.

From sorrow, toil, and pain, and sin we shall be free And perfect
love and friendship reign through all eternity.

Our Savior

Pratt, KS

2-05

To Make New Hymnal Resources
Available in Print Form

WHEREAS, The recently published Lutheran Service Book (LSB)
has been well received throughout the Synod as an accepted hym-
nal of the Synod during the past triennium and is being widely uti-
lized; and

WHEREAS, Extensive additional worship resources for congre-
gations have been built into the Lutheran Service Builder, the com-
puter software edition of the Lutheran Service Book project, that
are not currently included in any in-print LSB resource; and

Whereas, Not every congregation of the Synod has the office
capacity to utilize the Lutheran Service Builder computer program,
yet many congregations might wish to have such helps as a con-
cordance to the LSB hymn corpus, expanded biblical references for
LSB hymns, and other resources currently available only to those
congregations which purchase of the Lutheran Service Builder
computer program package; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Commission on Worship of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod make available in print form all re-
sources of the LSB project that currently are accessible only
through the purchase of the Lutheran Service Builder computer
program, subject to commission analysis of feasibility and respec-
tive of copyright matters; and be it further

Resolved, That each congregation in the Synod be encouraged
to incorporate the extensive resources of the Lutheran Service Book
and its supporting materials into its worship and devotional life.

Christ the King
Newtown, CT