LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — October 21-22, 2002, Page 25

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The dissenter, therefore, should not be forced to act contrary to his conscience so long as it is governed by
his understanding of God’s will. Nor should he be expelled from the Synod and thereby be denied his
right as a member of the Synod to the dissent process. However, the consciences of others as well as the
collective will of the Synod must also be respected. If his congregation believes otherwise regarding an
issue that impacts congregational life, or if the collective will of the Synod has been stated by convention
action to be clearly otherwise, these also are to be respected. The dissenter may not under such
circumstances act according to his conscience during the duration of the dissent process. A different
solution must be found, one that respects the conscience of the dissenter as well as the consciences of
others and the collective will of the Synod.
Resolution 3-05 of the 1975 convention includes the following paragraph:
To the person troubled in his conscience, the Synod says: “If a member cannot for
conscience sake accept a doctrinal resolution of the Synod, he has the obligation and
opportunity through mutually approved procedure to challenge such a resolution with a view
of effecting the changes he deems necessary. Failing in that, he is completely free by reason
of his wholly voluntary association with the Synod to obey his conscience and disassociate
himself from the Synod. Meanwhile every member of the Synod is held to abide by, act, and
teach in accordance with the Synod’s resolutions” (Milwaukee Resolution 2-21, 1971
Proceedings, p. 119).
94. Use of the Term “Ministry” in Constitutions of Congregations (02-2307)
A member of a District Committee for Constitutional Matters, in an e-mail letter dated September 26,
2002, requested clarification of an issue surfaced by the committee’s review of a congregation’s
constitution. Said congregation has expressed interest in renaming all of its boards “ministries.” He notes
in his letter that this use of the term “ministry” is not the normal use of the term in the Synod. The
Secretary of the Synod, to whom the letter was addressed, forwarded the letter to the Commission for a
response, as suggested in the letter.
Question:

Should the use of the term “ministry” in place of more traditional language such as “board”
be allowed to stand in a constitution of a congregation that is a member of the Synod since it
does not match the normal use of the term in our Synod and in the Book of Concord? Has this
situation come up in other parts of the Synod, and, if so, was this terminology allowed to
stand in a constitution where it might conflict with definitions in the Book of Concord?

Opinion: Congregations are bound by the processes set forth in the Constitution and Bylaws of the
Synod, as previously discussed in this Commission’s opinion 99-2157. That opinion identified in
particular four areas of self-government which historically have been recognized by the Synod: “(a) The
calling of pastors, teachers, etc., from a list of those accredited by the Synod itself; (b) The owning and
maintaining of congregational property without granting any rights of it to the Synod; (c) Church
discipline; and (d) The administration of a congregation’s programming and financial affairs.”
One area for which a congregation voluntarily gives up its right of self-government for the sake of
continued membership in the Synod is that of the approval of amendments to its constitution and bylaws.
According to Bylaw 2.03 b, “A member congregation which revises its constitution and bylaws or adopts
a new constitution or bylaws shall, as a condition to continued eligibility as a member of the Synod,
submit such revised or new constitution and/or bylaws to the District President, who shall refer such to
the District’s constitution committee for review to ascertain that the provisions are in harmony with Holy
Scripture, the Confessions, and the teachings and practices of the Synod.”

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