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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 296

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

INTERNATIONAL WITNESS

296

Resolved, That the BIM conduct this work with appropriate
consultation and submit a written summary of its findings and any
recommendations to the 2029 Synod convention.
Board for International Mission
Ov. 2-04

To Promote Divine Call Opportunities for Ethnic
Immigrant Institute of Theology Pastors
WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod pastors who
are trained through the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology
(EIIT), but who do not have a Masters of Divinity (M.Div.), often
do not qualify for job positions as foreign missionaries (including
to their country of origin) that are created by the Board for
International Mission (BIM); and
WHEREAS, It is the responsibility of the Office of International
Mission (OIM) to recruit and recommend candidates to the BIM for
divine calls (Bylaw 3.8.3); and
WHEREAS, Scripture teaches us that it is our Lord’s desire to
increase the number of workers sharing the Gospel: “And [Jesus]
said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out
laborers into his harvest’” (Luke 10:2); and
WHEREAS, Scripture also teaches us that the sending of God’s
laborers is indeed a global outreach: “you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”
(Acts 1:8); and
WHEREAS, We as a Synod confess that to do so effectively
requires that pastors are sent in a proper manner: “Our churches
teach that no one should publicly teach in the Church, or administer
the Sacraments, without a rightly ordered call” (AC XIV); and
WHEREAS, EIIT trained pastors possess the unique cultural
knowledge and language skills to serve with great impact amongst
their native peoples; therefore be it
Resolved, That the BIM be encouraged to develop inclusive job
descriptions (where appropriate) for missionaries that would allow
EIIT trained pastors not yet possessing an M.Div. to qualify for
more opportunities to engage in Word and Sacrament ministry with
overseas populations; and be it further
Resolved, That the OIM be encouraged to recruit broadly from
among all categories of ordained pastors in good standing and
recommend them to the BIM for divine calls.
Our Savior
Laurel, MD
Ov. 2-05

To Amend Bylaws to Protect
Divine Calls of Missionaries
WHEREAS, One of the objectives of Synod is to “extend [the]
Gospel witness into all the world” (Const. Art. III 2); our Lord
states: “behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the
fields; for they are white already to harvest.” (John 4:35 KJV); and
WHEREAS, The sending and support of missionaries is therefore
a vital objective of our Synod; and
WHEREAS, It is also an objective of the Synod to “Provide
protection for congregations, pastors, teachers, and other church

2026 Convention Workbook

workers in the performance of their official duties and the
maintenance of their rights” (Const. Art. III 9); and
WHEREAS, Called pastors at local congregations are protected by
the doctrine of the Divine Call, explained by the Commission on
Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) to mean that a pastor can
be removed rightfully from his call only for teaching false doctrine,
offensive conduct (which may include, among other things, neglect
of, or inability to perform, official duties), or scandalous life
(LCMS CTCR, Theology and Practice of “the Divine Call”
[adopted February 2003], 25); and
WHEREAS, The CTCR has also recognized in its report that due
process must be followed in removing a man from a call;
additionally, pastors serving in certain capacities—for example, as
seminary professors—are granted express protection in the Synod
Bylaws against arbitrary removal from their calls without just cause
(Bylaw 3.10.5.7.5); and
WHEREAS, Missionaries serving the Synod, called by the Board
for International Mission (BIM), are not granted express bylaw
protection, nor do the current BIM policies provide for due process
for missionaries before the BIM can terminate their calls and
effectively end their mission service; and
WHEREAS, Consistent with 1 Peter 2, Matthew 18, and other
Scripture passages, the mission boards of the Synod should set a
good example in their conduct and treatment of their called
missionaries, and institute a formal requirement for good cause
before terminating the call of any missionary, and ensuring due
process, fairness, and an opportunity to be heard before any such
decision is implemented, with appropriate right of appeal through
the Synod’s dispute resolution process; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod grant called missionaries serving the
BIM protection in their Divine Calls by revising the Synod Bylaws
to require good cause before terminating the call of any missionary,
and ensuring due process, fairness, and an opportunity to be heard
before any such decision is implemented, with appropriate right of
appeal through the Synod’s dispute resolution process; and be it
further
Resolved, That the Synod in convention overturn any part of the
CTCR Report, Theology and Practice of “the Divine Call,” that
holds that the Divine Call of a missionary in service to the Synod is
of lesser tenure or protection than the call of a local parish pastor.
St. Paul, Brookfield, IL; Circuit 24 (Sedalia), Missouri District
Ov. 2-06

To Give Thanks for
LCMS Ministry to the Armed Forces
WHEREAS, From the Civil War through both World Wars, Korea,
Vietnam, and more recent areas of conflict, Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod (LCMS) pastors, serving honorably and with
distinction as military chaplains, bring the Good News of Jesus
Christ to those protecting our great nation; and
WHEREAS, Some chaplains serve on forward bases in harm’s
way; others, onboard ships maintaining vigilant watch over the
seven seas; yet others walk the flight line on isolated air bases,
engaging airmen as they load fighter aircraft for combat operations
on matters of faith and family; and