LCMS Commission on Constitutional Matters — Minutes St. Louis, Missouri — August 17, 2000, Page 2

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Bylaw 3.409, and (2) continuing education enrichment, which does not fall under that bylaw. Article III
of the Synod’s Constitution provides that
The Synod, under Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, shall –
3. Recruit and train pastors, teachers, and other professional church
workers and provide opportunity for their continuing growth;
Bylaw 3.409 gives the Board for Higher Education “overall responsibility to provide for the education of
ordained and commissioned ministers and other professional church workers for the Synod by supervising
and coordinating the activities of the Synod’s colleges, universities, and seminaries as a unified synodical
system through their respective boards of regents.” While these institutions may well provide post-degree
continuing education programs, the obvious intent of the bylaw, and the primary mission of the Concordia
University System and our seminaries, is to provide education that leads to a degree. Nothing about the
bylaw suggests that these institutions are to be the exclusive source for post degree continuing education,
nor that the Board for Higher Education should have responsibility for supervising all sources of postdegree continuing education. Indeed, it is apparently a reasonably common practice for continuing
education for professional church workers to be obtained from other sources than these. There is no
prohibition against rostered church workers, congregations or Districts establishing or promoting
continuing education programs and offering them to anyone within the Synod. Such programs would be
subject to inquiry by the person with ecclesiastical supervision over the person or entity which offers the
program.
Question 3:

“If a District, Seminary, or official Board of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod were to enter into an agreement with a heterodox church body or a heterodox
organization or enterprise to train pastoral candidates, ordained ministers, or
commissioned ministers, would that stand in violation of any of Synod’s bylaws,
such as Bylaw 4.07e or 3.409? (And if it is possible for a District, Seminary, or
official Board of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to be in violation of such a
Bylaw, then which entity is responsible for determining whether the agreement
stands contrary to the expressed Constitution, Bylaws, and confession of doctrine
and practice of the Synod and what entity would address concerns raised by
members of Synod?)”

Opinion: If this question refers to undergraduate or seminary training of church workers, such an
arrangement would be impermissible under Bylaw 3.409 as explained above. With respect to postgraduate continuing education, the Commission observes that Article VI of the Synod’s Constitution
requires that members of Synod renounce “unionism and syncretism of every description.” The examples
given in that article, especially “participating in heterodox tract and missionary activities” would also
forbid joining with a heterodox church body for the purpose of training church workers. Oversight of such
activities would reside with the individual who had ecclesiastical supervision of the individual or entity
engaged in such activities.
160. Questions Re Actions of District and LCEF (00-2189)
A District President in a series of letters and communications with the Commission raised a series of
questions regarding the rights of Districts and of the Lutheran Church Extension Fund over against a nonsynodical entity and its leadership. After discussion that extended over a period of several meetings the
Commission responds as follows.

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