LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 191

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Theology and Church Relations
Whereas, The responsibility of pastors as stewards of the mysteries of God is not as hirelings or pleasers of any man or group of
men, but as servants of Christ, it being required of stewards that they
be faithful (2 Tim. 4:3–4; 1 Cor. 4:1–2) as they keep watch over souls
as those who will have to give an account (Heb. 13:17); and
Whereas, The primary objective of the Synod is, “under Scripture
and the Lutheran Confessions,” to “conserve and promote the unity
of the true faith (Eph. 4:3–6; 1 Cor. 1:10), ” etc. (Constitution, Art.
III 1); and
Whereas, District presidents shall “especially exercise supervision over the doctrine, life, and administration of office of the
ordained and commissioned ministers of their district and acquaint
themselves with the religious conditions of the congregations of their
district” (Constitution, Art. XII 7); and
Whereas, The President of the Synod “has the supervision
regarding the doctrine and the administration of” all officers, districts, and district presidents (Constitution, Art. XI B 1); therefore be it
Resolved, That the pastors of our Synod be exhorted, as duty
bound by office before the almighty God, to whom they will have to
give an account for the souls entrusted to them, to teach, exhort, practice, and defend closed Communion, communing only those who have
been “examined and absolved” (AC XXV, AP XXIV); who are neither living in open, unrepentant sin, nor under the ban; who have been
taught and confess not only the true doctrine of the Lord’s Supper but
all doctrines as taught in the Small Catechism; who eat and drink at
the Lord’s table as those who gladly hear and believe whatsoever their
Lord teaches, professing no doctrine contrary to that taught where
they commune; and whose church membership reflects said confession, except in rare, temporary, and extraordinary cases of pastoral
discretion; and be it further
Resolved, That the congregations and congregants of our Synod be
exhorted, in the fear of God and love of the pastors He sends so that
they may serve “joyfully, and not sadly” (Heb. 13:17), both to support
and uphold the practice of closed Communion in our congregations,
and to refrain from communing at altars of differing confessions,
as a matter of conscience and Christian truthfulness and also out of
concern for the true unity of the church in oneness of teaching; and
be it further
Resolved, That the district presidents of our Synod be exhorted,
as true ecclesiastical supervisors and as men who will also have to
give account for the ministry committed to their care, to teach, exhort,
defend, and further the practice of closed Communion among the
members (congregations and pastors) committed to their care; and
be it further
Resolved, That the President of the Synod be exhorted, as the
ecclesiastical supervisor of the entire Synod, to see that the district
presidents apply themselves faithfully to this task; and be it further
Resolved, That the CTCR and the seminaries of our Synod be
exhorted to continue to produce edifying materials for the teaching
and practice of closed Communion in our fellowship; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Montana District in convention memorialize
the 2013 LCMS convention to adopt this resolution as its own.
Montana District; MN North District
4-57

To Remind That Closed Communion Flows
from Christian Love
Whereas, The practice of closed Communion flows from love for
unbelievers, not wishing for them to receive harm from partaking of

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the body and blood of Christ (see 1 Cor. 11:27, 29: “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord. … For he who eats
and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge
the body rightly” [NASB]); and
Whereas, The practice of closed Communion flows from love for
believers who do not believe the body and blood of Jesus are physically present in the bread and wine (again see 1 Cor. 11:27, 29); and
Whereas, The practice of closed Communion flows from the
character of the Lord’s Supper as the Sacrament of unity, as taught
by St. Paul in 1 Cor. 10:16–17, and from love for all Christians, not
wishing for any Christian to be deceived into thinking that true unity
in Christ can be achieved outside the truth of God’s Word and the
teachings of our Savior (see John 8:31–32; Matt. 28:18–20a; Rom.
16:17); and
Whereas, The practice of closed Communion, especially the
exercise of the Office of the Keys to exclude the impenitent sinner,
flows from love for the man trapped in his sin (see 1 John 3:7–9; Gal.
6:1); therefore be it
Resolved, That the pastors, congregations, and officials of our
Synod continually be reminded that the faithful practice of closed
Communion flows from Christian love and not dislike or feeling of
superiority; and be it further
Resolved, That the Southern Illinois District in convention submit
this overture to the 2013 LCMS convention.
Southern Illinois District

4-58

To Use “Closed Communion” to Describe LCMS
Communion Practice
Whereas, The term “close Communion” has only recently been
used in the LCMS and is derived from Baptist sources who deny the
real presence of Christ’s body and blood, for whom the term implies
degrees, fractions, or levels of closeness in Communion1; and
Whereas, The term “closed Communion” is the term the church
has historically used to describe the confessional integrity of its
Communion practice; and
Whereas, The term “closed Communion” reflects the language
of the Holy Scriptures (“the door was shut” (Matt. 25:10); “I will give
you the keys of the kingdom” (Matt. 16:19); “Strive to enter through
the narrow door” (Luke 13:25–30); and is confessed in the Large
Catechism V 2: “We have no intention to admit to it and give it out to
those who do not know what they seek there or why they come” (see
also Preface II 2)2; and
Whereas, The practice of “closed Communion” flows out of the
fact that the Supper “is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ” (Small Catechism) and out of our love for those who may
unwittingly receive the Holy Sacrament to their judgment (1 Cor.
11:29); and
Whereas, Closed Communion was literally practiced in the liturgies and perhaps reflected even in the architecture of the early
Church3; and
Whereas, Our congregations, by virtue of their membership in
the LCMS, are in fact confessionally bound to the practice of closed
Communion; and
Whereas, Our pastors have a biblical and confessional duty as
stewards of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4:2) who will give an account
for their stewardship (Heb. 13:17); therefore be it

2013 Convention Workbook