LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 375

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THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 375

WHEREAS, The Commission on Constitutional Matters (CCM)
in 1970 issued an opinion (“by human right rather than divine
right”) which has been reaffirmed by the Synod at subsequent con-
ventions that a woman “‘shall not serve ..., as chairman or vice-
chairman of the congregation’; and

WHEREAS, The CCM, in this opinion, indicated that the Synod
“may further define its position in the future”; and

WHEREAS, The Synod at its 1989 convention requested “that
the CTCR, in consultation 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 of-
ficial function would in effect involve public accountability for the
function(ing) of the pastoral office” (Res. 3-I3A, Proceedings,
p. 118); and

WHEREAS, The Commission on Theology and Church Rela-
tions (CTCR) completed its 1994 report on The Service of Women
in Congregational and Synodical Offices, in which the Commission
concluded on the basis of the Scriptures that women may not “as-
sume responsibility for or carry out in behalf of the congregation
(that is, ‘publicly’), and in the stead of Christ, those functions in the
local congregation that would involve them in the exercise of au-
thority inherent in this authoritative public teaching office in the
church [pastoral office]”; and

WHEREAS, This 1994 report also stated that “these considerations
imply and even require, that in determining the eligibility of women
for services in all congregational, District, and synodical offices, at-
tention be given to the functions attached to a given office. As the
Commission stated in the 1985 report on Women in the Church, ‘For
other offices [other than the office of public ministry of Word and
sacraments] we have no express “thus saith the Lord” and everything
depends on the functions assigned to these offices’”; and

WHEREAS, The Commission on Theology and Church Rela-
tions has stated in a recent (April 2004) opinion requested by the
Minnesota South District that “the Scriptures clearly teach that God
has given the pastoral office and the exercise of pastoral authority
to men and not to women” and that “Scripture does not prohibit
women who possess the requisite gifts from holding these humanly-
established offices, assuming that the occupants of these offices do
not ‘perform those functions that are distinctive to the public exer-
cise of the ministry of Word and sacraments,’ or carry out ‘official
functions [that] would involve public accountability for the func-
tion of the pastoral office’; and

WHEREAS, The Commission in this same opinion counseled
that congregations, in filling these offices, keep in mind the family
structure and encourage “men not to neglect their leadership re-
sponsibilities in their congregations. Since the church encourages
husbands to exercise their God-given headship in a God-pleasing
way at home”; therefore be it

Resolved, That the CTCR be commended for its work in this
area; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod affirm that women on the basis of the
clear teaching of Scripture may not serve in the office of pastor nor
exercise any of its distinctive functions, and that women may serve
in humanly established offices in the church as long as the functions
of these offices do not make them eligible to carry out “official func-
tions [that] would involve public accountability for the function of
the pastoral office”; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod urge the members of the Synod, in
making decisions regarding which offices women may hold, to bear
in mind the CTCR’s counsel that congregations organize “them-
selves in ways that complement and reinforce the family, for the
church is the ‘household of God’ (1 Tim. 3:15)”; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod encourage men not to neglect their
leadership responsibilities in their congregations; and be it finally

Resolved, That the members of the Synod considering changes
regarding the service of women in congregational offices consult
with neighboring LCMS congregations, recognizing that in matters
of Christian liberty, Christians are called, above all, to do what ed-
ifies the church, respecting the consciences of others.

Action: Adopted (10)

(As discussion began, a substitute resolution, the text of Over-
ture 3-97 (CW, p. 194) was introduced but failed to be accepted
for consideration. During extended discussion, an amendment was
offered to strike all words in the second resolve after the word
church and replace with except congregation elders, congregation
presidents, and communion assistants. After the chair ruled that
this amendment constituted a substitute motion, the motion failed
[Yes: 472; No: 605]. After debate was ended but prior to the vote
on the main motion, a request that the following response from the
Executive Director of the Commission on Theology and Church
Relations be recorded in the minutes was granted: “According to
these guidelines, this resolution does not give permission to women
to preach in our Synod’s congregations.” The resolution was
adopted as presented [Yes: 576; No: 520]. A following motion to
allow delegates to record their negative votes also carried [Yes:
639; No: 348].)

Note

* 2004 Convention Proceedings, 132-33.
Appendix B

The Service of Women in Congregational Office of Executive
Director/President or Assistant Director/Vice President!

Introduction

In response to a request from the Synod in 1989 (Res. 3-13A
“To Study and Clarify Services of Women in Congregational and
Synodical Offices”), the CTCR in 1994 adopted a report titled The
Service of Women in Congregational and Synodical Offices. A dis-
senting opinion to this 1994 report was issued and signed by five
members of the CTCR, and the CTCR Executive Committee then
issued a response to the dissenting opinion.

The Commission has been requested by the Minnesota South Dis-
trict of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to make a recom-
mendation to the Synod regarding “the appropriateness of women
serving as Executive Director or President or Assistant Director or
Vice President of congregations.” Our intent is not to rehearse the con-
tents of the reports and documents referred to above. They are avail-
able in the 1995 Convention Workbook. Rather, our intent is to offer
the congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod some
further reflections for consideration as they make their decisions re-
garding the service of women in congregational offices.

We reaffirm the two key emphases made in the 1994 report The
Service of Women in Congregational and Synodical Offices. First,
the Scriptures clearly teach that both men and women have been
baptized into the one Christ and into His one body, the church (Gal.
3:18). Christ did not create a separate men’s church or a separate
women’s church. All the rights, privileges and responsibilities
given by Christ to His church on earth belong to the members of
His church, both Jew and Greek, both slave and free, and both male
and female. This means that all members, both male and female,
should fully participate in the everyday life of their congregation,
Christ’s church in that place.

Second, “we must remain faithful to biblical teaching regarding
the uniqueness of God’s gift of the pastoral office, and the divinely
given requirements which circumscribe it.”? The Scriptures clearly
teach that God has given the pastoral office and the exercise of pas-
toral authority to men and not to women. For over nineteen cen-
turies Christendom has recognized this truth. Only during the

2007 Convention Workbook