LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 369

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THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 369

The Service of Women in Congregational
and Synodical Offices

A Report of the Commission on Theology
and Church Relations
of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Introduction

In 1968 the Commission on Theology and Church Relations
(CTCR) completed work on “a detailed and exhaustive study of the
entire question of woman suffrage” and of “‘the matter of full mem-
bership of women on synodical boards, commissions, and commit-
tees.” This study included a thorough examination of foundational
passages of Scripture that determine the church’s practice with re-
spect to the service of women: Gal. 3:26—-29, 1 Cor. 11:2-16, 1 Cor.
14:33b-38, and | Tim. 2:11-15.

On the basis of this study titled Woman Suffrage in the Church,
the 1969 synodical convention adopted Resolution 2—17 “To Grant
Woman Suffrage and Board Membership.” This resolution states:

Those statements of Scripture which direct women to keep silent in the

church and which prohibit them to teach and to exercise authority over

men, we understand to mean that women ought not to hold the pastoral
office or serve in any other capacity involving the distinctive functions
of this office.

The resolution then concludes with these words:

We therefore conclude that the Synod itself and the congregations of the

Synod are at liberty to alter their policies and practices in regard to

women’s involvement in the work of the church according to these de-

clarations, provided the polity developed conforms to the general Scrip-
tural principles that women neither hold the pastoral office nor “exercise
authority over men.”

Following the 1969 synodical convention, the President of the
Synod asked the Commission on Constitutional Matters (CCM) to
“give guidance to those congregations which desire to incorporate”
these conclusions in their constitutions. In response to this request
the CCM issued an opinion, subsequently reaffirmed by the Synod
in convention, in which it suggested that revised congregational
constitutions include provisions that women should not serve as
pastor, as members of “the board of elders or corresponding board
directly involved in the functions of the pastoral office,” and as
chairman or vice-chairman of the congregation. The CCM con-
cluded its response to the President’s request for guidance with
these words:

In offering the suggestion below to the congregations the Commission

on Constitutional Matters is restricting itself to the position which

the Synod has taken in this matter (de iure humano rather than de iure
divino, by human right rather than divine right) at this point. It is there-
fore assumed that the Synod may further define its position in the fu-
ture, thereby making it necessary perhaps to refine the suggestions being

offered herewith. (1971 Convention Workbook, 244)

Nineteen years following the issuing of the CCM’s opinion, the
Synod in its 1989 convention adopted Res. 3-13A “To Study and
Clarify Service of Women in Congregational and Synodical Of-
fices.” In this resolution the Synod asked that the “CTCR, in con-
sultation with the Council of Presidents, prepare a study on the
eligibility of women for service in all offices of the congregation,
including that of chairman, vice-chairman, and elder and District
and synodical boards and commissions where their official function
would in effect involve public accountability for the function(ing)
of the pastoral office.”

The CTCR’s response to this assignment was The Service of
Women in Congregational and Synodical Offices, originally pub-
lished in the December 1994 issue of the Reporter.* The members
of the Synod were urged by the 1995 synodical convention to study
this report and to present their responses to the Commission. The

2004 synodical convention adopted a resolution affirming the con-
clusions of the 1994 CTCR report (see Appendix A). Immediately
following this convention, the CTCR authorized this publication of
The Service of Women in Congregational and Synodical Offices as
a separate document.

The Commission has also included in this publication, upon the
request of the President of the Synod, a document titled “Guidelines
for the Service of Women in Congregational Offices.” These guide-
lines were prepared by a Special Task Force appointed by the Pres-
ident to assist congregations in making changes in their
constitutions in conformity with the conclusions of The Service of
Women in Congregational and Synodical Offices.

Included as appendices in this booklet are two additional docu-
ments. The first is the Commission’s 2004 response to a request
from the Minnesota South District for an opinion regarding women
serving in the “congregational offices of Executive Director/Presi-
dent or Assistant Director/Vice President.” This opinion is included
as Appendix B.

Samuel H. Nafzger, Executive Director
Commission on Theology and Church Relations
December 2004

Note

* The Service of Women in Congregational and Synodical
Offices, adopted by the Commission on Theology and Church
Relations in November 1994, was also printed in the 1995
Convention Workbook, together with a “Dissenting Opinion” and
with a “Response to the Dissenting Opinion.” See pages 310-317.
These are also included online at www.lcems.org/cter.

I. The Service of Women in Congregational
and Synodical Offices:

The CTCR’s Assignment

A. The Service of Women

The Scriptures without qualification affirm that all believing
Christians, both men and women, are priests of God (1 Peter 2:9;
Rev. 1:6). Through Baptism God has made them all, equally and
without distinctions of importance or value, members of the one
body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12—13; Gal. 3:27-28; Rom. 12:5). No one
is baptized to be either man or woman. To the members of the “royal
priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9) of believers belong all of the rights, priv-
ileges and responsibilities which Christ has given to His church on
earth (1 Cor. 3:21,22; Matt. 16:13-19; 18:17-20; John 20:22,23;
Matt. 28:18-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-25; Treatise 24). By the mercies of
God, His priests are exhorted to present themselves “as a living sac-
rifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is [their] spiritual wor-
ship” (Rom. 12:1).

In their various callings, Christian men and women alike have
received from their Lord the high privilege and responsibility of
serving each other and their neighbor, as He has served them (Mark
10:45; John 13:15). In their relationship to one another as follow-
ers of Jesus and members of His family, all questions of rank or au-
thority and the insistence on individual “rights” must be set aside
(Mark 10:35—-45; John 13:16—17). Rather, in their common life to-
gether, they are to give themselves to each other in humble and lov-
ing service (Phil. 2:1-4), seeking ways in which they might
encourage each other to good works (Heb. 10:24).

When we speak, therefore, of the service of women in the church
we are referring in the first instance to nothing else than the com-
mon work that belongs to all Christians which they faithfully and
joyfully accomplish until the Lord comes (Phil. 4:4-7).

2007 Convention Workbook