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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 218

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
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218

THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
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would therefore have especially grave concerns about the possibility of an
ordained woman being elevated to these important leadership positions in the
church. Once again, it is the proponents of women’s ordination who should
object most strenuously to this clear restriction of women’s service in
important positions of leadership merely to seek to appease those who hold a
position that (the proponents believe) cannot be justiﬁed by Scripture.

cannot help but wonder (and one is even obligated to seriously ponder) what
other differences and disagreements can and will be tolerated on critical
“matters of faith, doctrine and life,” all for the sake of a pragmatic, institutional
“unity” that cannot possibly be sustained in any meaningful way.

Concluding Remarks
Article 2 (“Confession”) of the Constitution of the LCA states:
The Church accepts without reservation the Holy Scriptures of the Old
and New Testaments, as a whole and in all their parts, as the divinely
inspired, written and inerrant Word of God, and as the only infallible
source and norm for all matters of faith, doctrine and life. (2.1)
Tragically, the 2024 “Way Forward” proposal renders this confession
meaningless. As noted earlier, WFDF rightly frames the impasse in the LCA as
rooted in a disagreement about what the inspired, inerrant and infallible Holy
Scriptures teach on the question of the ordination of women. Some in the LCA
are convinced that the Scriptures clearly prohibit the ordination of women;
others are convinced that the Scripture passages in question “cannot be used
this way.” If members of the LCA truly believe what they confess in Article 2 of
the LCA’s Constitution, namely, that the Scriptures are “the only infallible
source and norm for all matters of faith, doctrine and life,” then they would
have to insist that this profound disagreement over what the Scriptures teach
cannot be allowed to stand. The disagreement must be resolved, in one way
or another, on the basis of the church’s “only infallible source and norm.”
What WFDF says, however, is that what Scripture says or doesn’t say on this
matter doesn’t really matter. Those who are convinced that it teaches one
thing and those who are convinced that it teaches the opposite thing can
nonetheless live together in peace and harmony, as “one church with one
teaching on ordination” (10). Perhaps the most damning aspect of WFDF is
the utter disrespect it shows to Scripture itself while giving lip service to the
LCA’s strong and clear confessional article. If the LCA can accept and tolerate
contradictory convictions about what Scripture teaches about ordination, one

We noted at the outset of this evaluation the clear, consistent and well-known
position of the LCMS on this issue. We also indicated that our primary goal in
this document has been to evaluate WFDF on its own terms, not on the basis
of the LCMS position. However, lest there be any question or doubt, the CTCR
ﬁrmly and unanimously believes that the LCMS position on the ordination of
women is fully in accord with the teaching of Scripture and the Lutheran
Confessions. For those interested in knowing more about what the LCMS
believes and teaches in this regard, and why, we are providing in Appendix B a
selected list of resources that further explicate the position of the LCMS on
this issue. In brief, that position honors (1) the enduring truth and goodness of
the order of creation within the family and within Christ’s Church, (2) the
male-only Old Testament offices of prophet, priest, and king fulﬁlled in the
Son of God Incarnate, (3) the Son’s own institution of His Office of the Holy
Ministry (limited to qualiﬁed men—1 Cor. 14:34-35, 1 Tim. 2:11-12), and (4) the
Holy Spirit’s gift of the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God as the sole
authority for the Church’s doctrine and practice, which also offers many
excellent testimonies of the godly service of women.
Finally, the CTCR is compelled to offer a sincere and fraternal word of
consolation, support and encouragement to those in the LCA who remain
committed to the LCA’s historic, Scripture-based position on the ordination of
women, who are therefore also deeply troubled by this proposal, and who
have been placed in a terrible position by the LCA’s decision to prioritize
pragmatic institutional “unity” over genuine theological agreement and true
unity in doctrine and practice. Some will undoubtedly be compelled by their
consciences to leave the LCA despite all the attendant sacriﬁces and
challenges that will entail. Others will undoubtedly make the equally difficult
decision to remain, even if they cannot accept any or all of the assumptions,
claims and promises of WFDF and will thus inevitably be thrust into assuming
a posture of in statu confessionis of some sort, likely without any clear
understanding of what that means in this situation or what implications or
consequences it might have on “the way forward.” We pledge our heartfelt

APPENDIX A
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prayers and any feasible support we can offer to those who ﬁnd themselves in
either of these painful, unenviable positions.
Adopted Unanimously
Commission on Theology and Church Relations
December 6, 2024

WAY FORWARD
Detailed Framework

Prepared for Convention of General Synod 2024
Approved for publication in the Book of Reports
by General Church Board and College of Bishops
19 July 2024

2026 Convention Workbook