LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 281

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SYNOD STRUCTURE AND GOVERANCE 281

Pasadena, CA; Immanuel, Leland, MI; Faith, Huntington
Beach, CA; Zion, Embarrass, WI; Crown of Life, San
Antonio, TX

8-61

To Allow Congregations to Retain Time-Honored
Language in Constitutions

WHEREAS, The constitution of a congregation of the Pacific
Southwest District is a critical document for congregational gov-
ernance and self-understanding; and

WHEREAS, The Committee on Constitutions of the PSW District
has been established to provide wise and godly counsel to lead con-
gregations to craft a document that is both workable and reflective
of our Lutheran ethos; and

WHEREAS, The Committee on Constitutions of the Pacific
Southwest District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has,
in recent years, required congregations seeking to amend their con-
stitutions to remove descriptive words regarding the nature of Holy
Scripture (like “inspired,” “inerrant,” and “revealed’”) from the
Confessional Standard section of their constitutions before receiv-
ing the committee’s approval; and

WHEREAS, The Committee on Constitutions bases this require-
ment on the precept that these descriptive words go “beyond the
Synod’s confessional standard”; and

WHEREAS, Scripture itself, as well as our Lutheran Confessions
and the public teaching of our LCMS, clearly advocates the use of
these words when articulating the nature of Scripture; and

WHEREAS, These words have been retained in the constitutions
of congregations within the PSW District for generations without
question; and

WHEREAS, The Secretary of the LCMS has informed the Board
of Directors of the PSW District that the use of such wording
“should be allowed to continue to stand”; and

WHEREAS, This removal requirement has caused some congre-
gations in our district to refrain from amending their constitutions;
and

WHEREAS, The action of the Committee on Constitutions has
had the unfortunate consequence of casting doubt on our com-
monly held doctrine of Holy Scripture; therefore be it

Resolved, That the PSW District memorialize the 2007 Synod
convention to instruct the CCM to clarify their document “Guide-
lines for the Constitution and Bylaws of a Lutheran Congregation”
so that the inclusion of orthodox and time-honored verbiage to de-
scribe our Lutheran doctrine in the Confessional Standard section
of a congregation’s constitution that is not used in Synod’s Con-
fessional Standard section does not, thereby, mean that the congre-
gation’s own standard has “gone beyond” the Synod’s confessional
standard.

Pacific Southwest District

8-62

To Allow Congregations to Include/Retain Standard
Language Describing the Nature of Holy Scriptures
in Their Constitutions

WHEREAS, The constitution of a congregation of the LCMS is
an indispensable document for congregational self-understanding
and governance; and

WHEREAS, Constitutions of LCMS congregations, LCMS rites of
ordination for pastors and installation of church workers (LW Agenda,
p. 211; LSB Agenda, p. 179), and confessional statements of Synod
(Art. I of A Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri
Synod; A Statement of Scriptural and Confessional Principles (1973),
www.lcms.org/graphics/assets/media/LCM S/astatement.pdf) have
included the descriptive words revealed, inspired, or inerrant as stan-
dard, time-honored language that details the position of Holy Scrip-
ture (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; | Cor. 2:9-13; | Cor. 14:37; Acts

24:14; Psalm 19:7; Rom. 3:2; 1 Thess. 2:13; John 8:31-32; John
17:20; John 10:35; 2 Cor. 13:3; 1 Peter 1:12) and the position of
our Lutheran Confessions (Large Catechism, Part 4: Of Baptism,
paragraph 57); and

WHEREAS, District constitution committees of the LCMS, charged
by the Synod’s CCM to judge whether new or revised constitutions of
congregations in their district are “in harmony with Holy Scripture,
the Confessions, and the teachings and practices of the Synod,” have
now prohibited congregations seeking approval of their submitted
constitution and bylaws from including such descriptive words as
revealed, inspired, or inerrant in the confessional subscription sec-
tion of their constitution, judging inclusion of such language as being
in violation of Guidelines for the Constitution and Bylaws of
a Lutheran Congregationand “go [ing] beyond the Synod’s own
confessional standards” (www.Icms.org/graphics/assets/media/CCM/
GUIDELINES %20for%20Web.pdf); and

WHEREAS, The recent opinion of the CCM (www.l|cms.org/
graphics/assets/media/CCM/CCMMin9-06.pdf) has left no other
avenue of appeal for congregations seeking inclusion or retention of
this descriptive language in their constitutions; and

WueREAS, Pastors ordained into the holy ministry of The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod are called on to publicly con-
fess that the canonical Scriptures are “the inspired Word of
God and the only infallible rule of faith and practice” (LSB Agenda,
p. 165); and

WHEREAS, When Evangelical Lutheran congregations are
established they are called on to confess publicly that the Holy
Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are “the inspired Word
of God”; therefore be it

Resolved, That Synod in convention affirm that the descriptive
words revealed, inspired, and inerrant do not go beyond the
Synod’s confessional standards; and be it further

Resolved, That the 2007 Synod convention direct the CCM not
only to cease directing congregations seeking approval of their con-
stitutions and bylaws to remove such descriptive language from
their confessional standards paragraph, but also to encourage con-
gregations to retain such time-honored language that describes in a
clear and helpful way the nature of the books of the Old and New
Testament, and be it further

Resolved, That Guidelines for the Constitution and Bylaws of a
Lutheran Congregation be revised to reflect the freedom LCMS
congregations have previously enjoyed faithfully to describe the
nature of Holy Scripture in the confessional standards paragraph of
their constitutions using the descriptive words revealed, inspired,
and/or inerrant; and be it finally

Resolved, That Art. II Confession of the Constitution of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod be amended to read: “The
Synod, and every member of the Synod, accepts without reserva-
tion: 1. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament as the
inspired and inerrant Word of God and the only rule and norm of
faith and practice.”

Fairmont Circuit 23 Forum
Minnesota South District

8-63

To Overrule CCM Opinion 06-2477 and Correct
Misapplication Opinions 04-2412, 03-2352, and 98-2135
WHEREAS, The 2006 Pacific Southwest District (PSW) conven-
tion resolved as follows:

Resolved, That the Committee on Constitutions of the PSW Dis-
trict cease altogether forcing congregations, new or old, to re-
frain from using descriptive, orthodox words regarding Scrip-

ture, such as “inspired,” “inerrant,” or “revealed” in the
“Confessional Subscription” section of their constitutions; and
be it further

Resolved, That the Committee on Constitutions of the PS W Dis-
trict joyfully encourage congregations of our district to retain
said language; and be it further