LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 181

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RESOLUTIONS
8

Parochial Schools
To Encourage and Strengthen the Lutheran
Ethos of Our LCMS Early Childhood Centers,
Elementary Schools, and High Schools
RESOLUTION 8-01A
President’s Report, Part II (TB, pp. 21–31)
Whereas, The Holy Scriptures and the Small Catechism are
foundational for our faith and life in Christ; and
Whereas, Luther was concerned that “all the people are supposed to be Christians, have been baptized, and receive the Holy
Sacrament even though they do not know the Lord’s Prayer, the
Creed, or the Ten Commandments and live like poor animals of
the barnyard and pigpen. What these people have mastered, however, is the fine art of tearing all Christian liberty to shreds” (Small
Catechism, Preface); and
Whereas, The prefaces to the Small and Large Catechisms
enjoin both the teaching and understanding of the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer as foundational for the
Lutheran ethos in the Christian congregation, home, and school;
and
Whereas, The Word of God and the catechism teach us how to
receive God’s gifts in the Divine Service, how to pray, how to confess, how to forgive, and how to live where God has called us, with
faith in Christ and love to the neighbor; and
Whereas, The congregations and schools of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) are bound to the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions for the teaching of the faith
and the practice of that faith; and

Whereas, The increasing presence of non-Lutherans in our
schools presents an opportunity to evangelize them, calling them
to repentance and faith in Christ, so that they may be buried with
Christ by Baptism into death in order that they, too, might walk in
newness of life (Rom. 6:4); and
Whereas, For the mission of the Church, it is imperative that
we confess the Christian faith before the world in all aspects of our
life, especially to those whom God has placed in our charge; and
Whereas, Trained rostered and nonrostered Lutheran teachers in our LCMS schools daily integrate theology in their teaching,
model the Christian life, rightly apply Law and Gospel for the
admonition and comfort of their students, and ultimately help
them attain the fullness of maturity in Christ (Eph. 4:13); and
Whereas, The Lutheran ethos of our schools would greatly benefit from their dedicated non-Lutheran teachers receiving further
catechesis in the Lutheran faith; and
Whereas, The National Lutheran School Accreditation (NLSA)
process recognizes the importance of the Lutheran ethos in our
schools; therefore be it
Resolved, That all pastors, administrators, teachers, and parents
in the schools of the LCMS continue to build a Lutheran ethos in
their schools, characterized by the following:
1. Daily use of the Scriptures, prayer, Luther’s Small Catechism, and the hymnal in the instructional and devotional life of their students at school and at home;

Whereas, The purpose of the liturgy and the hymnody of the
Church is to teach us what we need to know about Christ (AC
XXIV); and
Whereas, Our Synod has always placed a high value on
doctrinally sound hymnals and agendas for teaching the faith
(Constitution, Art. VI); and
Whereas, Lutheran Service Book is a blessing to our Synod and
has been joyfully received in many Lutheran schools as the basis of
their worship and catechesis; and
Whereas, The Bible, the catechism, and the hymnal are central
to the Lutheran ethos and are God’s gifts to us that we might lovingly and clearly confess the Christian faith to children and families
of our schools, believers and unbelievers alike; and
“8. Parochial Schools”

Committee 8 Chairman Dean Nadasdy
U P O N T H I S R O C K • Resolutions

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