LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 373

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THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 373

Drickamer, tr. [St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1981], 141).
See E. Eckhardt, “Vorsteher,” in Homiletisches Reallexikon (v-z)
(St. Louis: Success Printing Company, 1917), 219-22; Theodore
Graebner, Handbook for Congregational Offices (St. Louis: Con-
cordia Publishing House, 1939), 1-44.

It has been consistently maintained by Missouri Synod theolo-
gians that the office of elder is not divinely mandated, but an office
created by the church following apostolic precedent. Eckhardt’s Re-
allexikon states that to have elders in the congregation is not for-
bidden, nor is it a sin to abolish them (Vol. v—z, 219). Theodore
Graebner writes, “The Lutheran contention is that the office of el-
dership, the deaconship (diaconate is the better English word), was
not divinely appointed, not instituted by God’s command, as is the
office of the ministry” (Handbook, 9).

10. This request was forwarded to the Commission by the Task
Force on Conflict Resolution in February 1993.

11. Martin Franzmann, Romans (St. Louis: Concordia Publish-
ing House, 1968), 274.

12. 1969 Resolution 2-17 “To Grant Woman Suffrage and
Board Membership,” Convention Proceedings, 88-89.

13. See 1971 Convention Workbook, 244.

14. 1981 Resolution 3-11 “To Urge Completion of Study on
Women’s Role in the Church,” Convention Proceedings, 158.

15. 1986 Resolution 3-09 “To Reaffirm Position of LCMS on
Service of Women in the Church,” Convention Proceedings, 144.

16. Women in the Church, 46.

17. 1989 Convention Proceedings, 188.

Guidelines for the Service of Women
in Congregational Offices

Background

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, at its 62nd Regular
Convention (July 10-15, 2004) adopted a resolution which affirms
its understanding that the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Con-
fessions permit women to hold all humanly established congrega-
tional and synodical offices, so long as these offices do not call upon
the holders of these offices to “perform those functions that are dis-
tinctive to the public exercise of the ministry of Word and Sacra-
ments” or to carry out “official functions [that] would involve public
accountability for the function of the pastoral office.”' This deci-
sion was based on a report issued by the Synod’s Commission on
Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) in 1994 and which the
Synod had commended for study throughout the Synod at its 1995
convention.”

Following the 2004 convention, President Gerald Kieschnick
appointed a task force made up of two representatives from the
CTCR, two representatives from the Commission on Constitutional
Matters, and one District President to prepare “guidelines for con-
gregations and District constitutional committees to follow in re-
vising congregational constitutions and bylaws to permit women to
hold all congregational offices so long as their assigned responsi-
bilities do not include distinctive functions of the pastoral office.”

In response to this assignment the task force offers the follow-
ing guidelines and recommendations which summarize the actions
and statements previously adopted by the Synod which present its
understanding of what the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Con-
fessions teach about the service of women in the church.

Scriptural and Confessional Basis

The conclusions of the CTCR’s report The Service of Women in
Congregational and Synodical Offices, affirmed by the Synod, are
based on the following principles presented in the Scriptures and
the Lutheran Confessions:

1. The Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions teach that
the office of the public ministry (pastoral office) is the only

divinely established office in the church (Matt. 28:18-20;
John 20:22-23; Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 12:28-29; Eph. 4:11;
1 Peter 5:1; Titus 1:5; AC XIV; Ap XIII; Treatise 67-72;3 see
also 1969 Res. 2-17).

2. The Holy Scriptures teach that women are not to hold the
office of the public ministry (pastoral office) or to perform
those functions (see 4 below) that are distinctive to the public
exercise of the ministry of Word and Sacraments, nor are they
to carry out official functions [that] would involve public
accountability for the functions of the pastoral office
(1 Corinthians 14; 1 Timothy 2).4

3. The Augsburg Confession states that “according to the Gospel
the power of the keys or the power of bishops [pastors] is a
power and command of God to preach the Gospel, to forgive
and retain sins, and to administer and distribute the
sacraments” (AC XXVIII, 5; cf. 8-9, 21 etc.).5

4. Neither the Scriptures nor the Lutheran Confessions provide a
detailed list of the activities required of pastors in the
congregations they “are called to serve.” Intrinsic to this
office, however, are the following functions: 1) preaching in
the services of the congregation; 2) leading the formal public
services of worship; 3) the public administration of the
sacraments; and 4) the public administration of the office of
the keys.’

5. The Synod, based on its understanding of what the Scriptures
and the Lutheran Confessions teach, has adopted resolutions
which permit women to vote in congregational assemblies
(without any limitations on the matters on which they may
vote) and to read the Scriptures in public worship services,
thereby indicating that these activities are not distinctive
functions of the pastoral office nor do they constitute “official
functions {that] would involve public accountability for the
function of the pastoral office.”

Sample Paragraph for Congregational Constitutions

In light of the above understanding of what the Scriptures teach
about the service of women, the task force has prepared the fol-
lowing sample paragraph for inclusion in the constitutions of LCMS
congregations that wish to permit women to hold all congregational
offices that are not directly involved in carrying out specific func-
tions of the pastoral office or in public accountability for the func-
tioning of this office:

Women who have reached the age of __{(1) _ may serve as officers
and as members of all boards and committees of this congregation which
do not call upon them to carry out the specific functions of the pastoral
office (preaching in or serving as the leader of the public worship ser-
vice, the public administration of the sacraments, the public exercise of
church discipline.) Accordingly, a woman shall not serve as pastor of
this congregationoras_____(2)

(1) The age given shall be at the least the required age established by

state law of not-for-profit organizations.

(2) Here shall be listed those positions or offices which call for their

holders to carry out the specific functions of the pastoral office as listed

in this sample paragraph.

Recommendations

The task force encourages congregations to take into account the
following recommendations made by the Synod itself in its offi-
cially adopted resolutions and by the CTCR in its opinions as they
consider changes to their constitutions:

1. That the term “elder,” in view of the use of this term in the
Scriptures, in the history of the church, and in the Synod’s
history, be reserved for that humanly instituted office in the
congregation which has as its assigned duty the assisting of

2007 Convention Workbook