LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — May 24, 1993, Page 1

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The Commission on Constitutional Matters is being asked to respond to the following question as stated
by the district president:
If a pastor of the LCMS admits to being involved with a female member of his congregation in a
relationship:
1.

Characterized by frequent, regular and lengthy phone calls from pastor to parishioner;

1.

That began when pastor told parishioner he was attracted to her and that she should "be
sure and never leave that door open";

1.

That included conversations about their future plans, hopes, dreams, sex and marriage;

1.

That involved physical contact, including meeting in parking lots, driving around together,
kissing privately and in public;

1.

That was justified by the pastor's statements that "God brought us together for a reason ... If
God didn't want us to be together, he would never have brought us together. . .

Does the relationship constitute a violation of the requirement of Article VI that conditions of
membership in the Synod require "the blamelessness of the life of such" and does this activity
constitute “... having given offense by an ungodly life ...”, as referenced in Article XII?
The Commission on Constitutional Matters is also being asked to respond to the following question as
stated by the pastor involved in the case:
The question of the CCM in both these references is this: If a pastor of the LCMS admits to a fantasy
relationship in which he got "too close" to a female parishioner, and going "overboard to the—to the
point of we—we were caring too much about each other," but (a) who never had a sexual encounter
with this parishioner, and (b) to reconcile with his own wife and attempted to reconcile with the
parishioner and her husband to the point that he was able to testify that "I mean, although I am
praying too, you know, that their marriage is—is better. I mean [my wife] and I, I mean, our marriage
is as strong as is ever been."
Then does this relationship constitute a violation of the requirement of Article VI that conditions of
membership in the Synod require "the blamelessness of the life of such" and does this activity
constitute “. . . having given offense by an ungodly life . . .," as referenced in Article XII?
The opinion of the Commission on Constitutional Matters to the above stated questions is as follows:
Article VI of the Constitution establishes "blamelessness" as a criteria for acquiring and holding
membership in the Synod. The Commission on Constitutional Matters holds that the term ". . . as also
the blamelessness of the life of such" in Article VI 3 refers to the life of those enumerated in Article
VI 3, namely, pastors, teachers and deaconesses. It is beyond the authority of the Commission on
Constitutional Matters to elaborate on what is encompassed in the word “blamelessness.” Since
"blameless" is a biblical reference (1 Timothy 3:2), such a request should be addressed to the
Commission on Theology and Church Relations.
Article XII 7 of the Constitution and Bylaw 4.73 authorize a district president to exercise supervision
over the doctrine, life and administration of office of a pastor in his district. Article XII 8 empowers a