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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 60

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

9. Unity in Doctrine and Uniformity and Variety in
Practice: Study Document (2019 Res. 5-11)
2019 Res. 5-11 tasked the CTCR with preparing a report on the
relationship between unity in doctrine and uniformity and variety
in practice, the current language for which is stipulated in Article
III 7 of the Synod Constitution. After discussing the constitutional
history of this issue, the commission produced a study document
that examined disputes over adiaphora in three distinct periods of
church history and the lessons they may teach us for reconciling
disputes over adiaphora in the present. The commission unanimously adopted this study document at its October 2025 meeting.
It is included in the Workbook appendix.

10. Deacons, Evangelists, and the Office of the Holy
Ministry in the New Testament (2023 Ov. 5-48)
2023 Ov. 5-48 asked the CTCR to produce a document that “defines and distinguishes the New Testament terms used for the Office
of the Public Ministry and its auxiliary offices, including special
discussion of the offices of deacon and evangelist.” The convention referred this overture to the CTCR, which opted to accept it
as an assignment. The commission produced a draft that explored
the different New Testament terms related to the Office of the Holy
Ministry and offered suggestions for how they might be best used
in the future to avoid confusion. The commission approved this
special study at its December 2025 meeting. The report is included
in the Workbook appendix.

11. Proper Administration of the Lord’s Supper: Some
Practical Matters (2023 Res. 5-15)
2023 Res. 5-15 asked the CTCR to take up concerns related
to upholding the proper elements and reverential administration of
the Lord’s Supper, including the use of prefilled communion cup
and wafer sets and the use of non-wheat hosts and grape juice. The
commission unanimously approved a report addressing these concerns at its December 2025 meeting. The report is included in the
Workbook appendix.

12. Abortion—A Continuing Crisis: Update to 1984’s
Abortion in Perspective (2023 Res. 11-04)
2023 Res. 11-04 asked the CTCR to update its 1984 guidance
on abortion in light of recent developments, which include the 2022
Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade, the rise of
medication abortion, and the use of fetal tissue in vaccines, among
others. At its February 2026 meeting, the commission unanimously
approved a document that addresses the changing nature of abortion in our current legal, political, and medical climate; a theology
of life rooted in Scripture and Luther’s catechisms; and practical
direction for clergy, congregations, and advocacy in the civil realm.
The report was not published in time for inclusion in the Workbook,
and so it will be included in the 2029 Workbook.

B. Work in Progress and Standing Assignments
The CTCR has numerous assignments on its agenda requested by convention action and underway but not completed in time
for the submission of materials for publication in the convention
Workbook. Additionally, the CTCR has multiple standing assignments stemming from convention resolutions that did not specify
a particular response but urged the commission to consider how it
might respond as circumstances necessitate or asked it to monitor
developments.
2026 Convention Workbook

1. Apostolic Succession (Bylaw 3.9.5.2.1 [a])
Synod Bylaw 3.9.5.2.1 (a) directs the CTCR to “bring matters
of theology and church relations through special studies and documents to the membership of the Synod and to conferences.” In conversations with partner churches and prospective partner churches
in various contexts internationally, it came to the CTCR’s attention
that there are differing perspectives on the issue of apostolic succession and whether (or in what sense) apostolic succession is compatible with a biblical and confessionally Lutheran understanding
of the doctrine of the ministry. Differing teachings and practices in
this regard have at times caused confusion in our wider fellowship
and have the potential to do so in the future. The commission is
presently considering a draft that addresses apostolic succession
from a historical, biblical, and confessionally Lutheran perspective.
The commission intends to complete work on this report by the end
of the triennium, though not in time for inclusion in the Workbook.

2. Third Commandment (2023 Res. 4-06)
2023 Res. 4-06 directed the CTCR to produce a study of the
biblical, confessional, and practical dimensions of the Third Commandment, along with an accompanying Bible study. The commission is presently considering a report that treats the relevant Old
Testament and New Testament passages, Luther’s catechisms, and
a series of practical questions related to the Third Commandment’s
applicability to Christian worship. The Commission intends to
complete work on this report by the end of the triennium, though
not in time for inclusion in the Workbook.

3. Church and State in Contemporary Society (2023
Res. 11-05)
2023 Res. 11-05 directed the CTCR to produce a document on
church, state, and the Christian love of neighbor in an increasingly
secularized society. Since the commission has an extensive document on the topic in its 1995 Render unto Caesar, which it still
considers applicable today, the CTCR decided to produce a supplement to the 1995 report that summarizes its basic theological
and practical guidance, then applies that guidance to a number of
changing political circumstances the church has faced in the intervening thirty years, including those surrounding abortion, same-sex
unions, religious liberty, the conscription and military service of
women, and illegal immigration. It is expected that the new report
will be completed by the end of the triennium, though not in time
for inclusion in the Workbook.

4. Contemporary Racism and Racist Ideologies (2023
Res. 11-02A)
2023 Res. 11-02A urged the Synod to utilize the 1994 CTCR
document on racism, Racism and the Church, but also directed the
CTCR to examine contemporary “movements, methodologies, and
ideologies that divide people by race.” The CTCR assigned this
project to its executive committee, which examined the topic and
related issues, including the constantly evolving forms of and debates over racism in American culture. After considering the ongoing relevance of its 1994 document and the general nature of the
request from the 2023 convention, the commission has decided to
place this request on its permanent agenda as a standing assignment, which would allow it to address those new “movements,
methodologies, and ideologies” as they arise and as the commission
deems appropriate.