LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 180

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180 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

the order of creation as put forth in the clear Word of God (1 Cor.
11:3, 7-10; 14:33-35; 2 Tim. 2:11-13); and

WHEREAS, The historic doctrine and practice of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod (as set forth by our church fathers) does
incorporate the order of creation when considering the services of
women in the church; and

WHEREAS, Said resolution and report could be misinterpreted as
a change in the doctrine and practice of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod; and

WHEREAS, Despite the arguments of the CTCR Report The Ser-
vice of Women in Congregational and Synodical Offices (1994) and
with Guidelines for Congregations (2005), the text of the Holy
Scriptures remains clear and unambiguous, and there is no reason
to believe that the “authority” and “submission” the Scriptures
speak of in the above-cited passages should be limited only to the
pastoral office; therefore be it

Resolved, That the South Dakota District in convention praise
God in recognition of the faithful service of the people of God, both
men and women, throughout the history of the Church; and be it
further

Resolved, That the South Dakota District of the LCMS memo-

rialize The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to restudy 2004
Res. 3-08A in a way that takes into account the clear scriptural
teaching of the order of creation found in Genesis 2 and 3; and be it
further

Resolved, That the results of this study be communicated to
member congregations of the LCMS and the need determined for
revision (if any) to 2004 Res. 3-08A; and be it finally

Resolved, That the implementation of 2004 Res. 3-08A be sus-
pended until the study and revisions (if any) have been completed.

South Dakota District

3-75

To Review the Service of Women
in Reference to Order of Creation

WHEREAS, Confusion has arisen over the issue as to how the
doctrine of the Order of Creation affects the service of women in
the local congregation; and

WHEREAS, In 2004 Res. 3-08A the Synod affirmed conclusions
from a 1994 report of the CTCR to which five members recorded a
dissenting opinion (1995 Workbook, pp. 310-313; CTCR, The Ser-
vice of Women in Congregational and Synodical Offices, Septem-
ber 1994); and

WuerEAS, In 1995 Res. 3-06A the Synod directed the CTCR to
study the 1994 report and the dissenting opinion, and to do so “in
consultation with the faculties of the seminaries”; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Rocky Mountain District memorialize the
Synod to assign the CTCR to critically review, in consultation with
the faculties of its seminaries, the doctrine of the Order of Creation
in reference to the service of women in the work of the local con-
gregation and that it be required to present its report to Synod, in-
cluding open letters from both seminaries.

Rocky Mountain District

3-76

To Apply the Order of Creation
to Humanly Established Offices

WHEREAS, The Holy Scriptures teach the order of creation in
| Tim. 2:11-—14, “A woman should learn in quietness and full sub-
mission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over
a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve.
And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was
deceived and became a sinner” and | Cor. 14:34—-35, “...women

_ Should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak,

but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire

about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for
it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church”; and

WHEREAS, Up until 1969, the Missouri Synod, along with other
members of the Synodical Conference, taught and practiced on the
basis of 1 Cor. 14:34-35 and 1 Tim. 2:11-12 that a woman was not
to have authority over a man by either participation in congrega-
tional meetings, nor by holding a congregational office; and

WHEREAS, 1969 Res. 2-17 in granting women the right to vote
in congregational meetings and to hold some congregational of-
fices of service specifically made provision that women could serve
only in those instances that do not involve “a violation of the order
of creation.” This 1969 resolution still maintained the order of cre-
ation be applied to both the pastoral office (point 1, not listed here)
and other humanly established offices. It stated in point 2, “The
principles set forth in such [biblical] passages, we believe, prohibit
holding any other kind of office or membership on boards or com-
mittees in the institutional structures of a congregation, only if this
involves women in a violation of the order of creation....” And in
point 4, “...provided the polity developed conforms to the general
Scriptural principles that women neither hold the pastoral office
NOR ‘exercise authority over men’” (emphasis ours); and

WHEREAS, The 1970 CCM opinion based on 1969 Res. 2-17
supplied this model paragraph for congregations to adopt: Women
of appropriate age “‘may hold voting membership in the congrega-
tion and serve as officers and as members of boards and commit-
tees as long as these positions are not directly involved in the spe-
cific functions of the pastoral office (preaching, the public
administration of the Sacraments, church discipline) and as long as
this service does not violate the order of creation (usurping author-
ity over men). Accordingly, they shall not serve as pastor, as a
member of [the board of elders or ‘ corresonding board
directly involved in the functions of the pastoral office’] as chair-
man or vice-chairman of the congregation, or as chairman of

”,

; and

WHEREAS, The 1985 CTCR report Women in the Church re-
stricted the scriptural prohibition (that “a woman is not to have au-
thority over a man” as it had been applied to both the pastoral of-
fice and other humanly established offices) saying that it only
applied to the exercise of the pastoral office; and

Wuereas, A CTCR 1985 minority report of five LCMS profes-
sors disagreed with the 1985 CTCR report Women in the Church.
They wrote: “first, the treatment of terms such as ‘teaching,’ ‘exer-
cising authority,’ etc., and second the understanding of the doctrine
of the order of creation.... Simple equation of teaching with the pas-
toral office seems too facile for this text.... The issues surrounding
the verb authenteoo (‘to exercise/usurp authority”) are very diffi-
cult and simply must be handled, as the Report does not.... This is
especially true in the case at hand, when the current Report puts
forth positions which are at odds with the official position adopted
by the Synod. Our fundamental concern, however, is that in an im-
portant matter such as this we study seriously and reverently the
Word of God as his faithful people” (CTCR Minority Report,
1985); and

WHEREAS, The 1994 CTCR report The Service of Women in
Congregational and Synodical Offices, authorized by 1989 Res. 3-
13A, no longer applied the teaching of order of creation outside the
pastoral office and concluded that women may serve “‘in all offices
of the congregation, including that of chairman, vice-chairman and
elder, and district and synodical boards and commissions” provided
that they don’t involve the public accountability for the
function[ing] of the pastoral office”; and

WuerEAs, The 1995 LCMS convention did not accept the 1994
report, but told the CTCR to continue to study the issues in con-
sultation with the faculties of the seminaries and to “address con-
cerns regarding the priesthood of all believers, the order of creation,
and the Greek word authentein”; and

WHEREAS, Without another study being produced, the 2004
LCMS convention approved Res. 3-08A, “To Affirm the Conclusions
of the 1994 CTCR Report: The Service of Women in Congregational
and Synodical Offices,” which resolved, “that women...may not serve
in the office of pastor nor exercise any of its distinctive functions, and