Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 2026 · 69th Convention, Phoenix › Page 318
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 318

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

318

LIFE TOGETHER

side, we unanimously reject and condemn all the following errors
… That the external visible elements of bread and wine in the holy
sacrament should be adored” (FC Ep VII 40 [Tappert]; emphasis
added); and
WHEREAS, Chemnitz rejects “the carrying about, the reservation,
and the adoration of the bread, all of which are beyond the usage
instituted by Christ” (Martin Chemnitz, The Lord’s Supper, J. A. O.
Preus, tr. [CPH, 1979], 50; emphasis added); and
WHEREAS, While it has been a Lutheran custom that the
congregation kneels during the entire Words of Institution
(Friedrich Lochner, The Chief Divine Service [CPH, 2020], 253), it
has not been a Lutheran custom until the late 20th century that the
presiding minister would elevate the host and cup and then kneel to
adore them; and
WHEREAS, Teachers of the Synod have repeatedly rejected this
practice throughout our history, such as when Eugene Klug and
Otto Stahlke call the adoration of the “external visible elements of
bread and wine” (FC Ep VII 19; SD VII 126) “false adoration”
(Eugene F. Klug and Otto F. Stahlke, Getting into the Formula of
Concord [CPH, 1977], 115); and
WHEREAS, This practice has not been in any of the Synod’s
hymnals; and
WHEREAS, Despite this, the adoration of the host is practiced in
several of our congregations, educational institutions, conventions,
and convocations of the Synod today; and
WHEREAS, Regarding the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, our Lord
Jesus Christ told us to baptize in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19); and
WHEREAS, St. Paul writes that there is one baptism (Eph. 4:5);
and
WHEREAS, There is no reference in the New Testament to people
splashing water in remembrance of their Baptism; and
WHEREAS, Dipping and making the sign of the cross in holy
water is a practice of the Roman Catholic Church; and
WHEREAS, In the Small Catechism, Luther writes that the water
in Baptism is plain water unless it is combined with the Word of
God in an actual Baptism, and that we remember our Baptism
through daily contrition and repentance (SC IV, Holy Baptism); and
WHEREAS, The practice of placing a baptismal font or basin at
the entrance of the church and encouraging worshippers to dip their
fingers and make the sign of the cross was not practiced in the
Lutheran church until the late 20th century; and
WHEREAS, Until recently, baptismal fonts were dry unless there
was a baptism; and
WHEREAS, There is nothing special about the water in a
baptismal font unless it is being used to baptize; and
WHEREAS, This practice has also crept into many congregations,
educational institutions, conventions, and convocations of the
Synod in the last several years; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Commission on Theology and Church
Relations (CTCR) be requested to study the practices of Eucharistic
adoration and the dipping of fingers in the baptismal font,
examining them in light of Holy Scriptures, the Lutheran
Confessions, and the historic practice of the church; and be it further
Resolved, That the CTCR report its findings and
recommendations to the Synod in convention; and be it finally

2026 Convention Workbook

Resolved, That congregations, educational institutions,
convocations, and conventions of the Synod be encouraged to
refrain from these practices pending the report.
Benediction
Milwaukee, WI
Ov. 4-30

To Condemn Delivery of Children’s Sermons
in Divine Service by Laity
WHEREAS, Children’s sermons in the Divine Service are often
delivered by laity; and
WHEREAS, Our Confessions state that no one should publicly
teach, preach, or administer the Sacraments without a proper
[public] call (AC XIV); and
WHEREAS, The delivery of children’s sermons in the Divine
Service has the character of public teaching and preaching and
includes as its audience not only the children to whom the sermon
is directly addressed, but also the adults present; therefore be it
Resolved, That the North Dakota District in convention condemn
the delivery of children’s sermons in the Divine Service by laity;
and be it further
Resolved, That the Praesidium of the district rebuke
congregations that make use of laity to deliver children’s sermons
in their Divine Service; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod in convention condemn the delivery of
children’s sermons in the Divine Service by laity.
North Dakota District
Ov. 4-31

To Honor and Guard Chief Divine Service
of Local Congregation
WHEREAS, The Chief Divine Service is the primary time and
place in which the faithful gather to receive the Lord’s gifts, His
holy Word and Sacraments, in a particular locale (Heb. 10:25; SC
1, Third Commandment; Matt. 18:20); and
WHEREAS, In the Chief Divine Service, offered and delivered is
the forgiveness of sins, and thereby life and salvation; and where
and when the Lord’s Supper is celebrated, our Lord’s very body and
blood are present upon the altar, distributed, and received; therefore,
to be absent from this gathering is a grave thing not to be taken
lightly, both due to the need for our own faith to be constantly
strengthened and due to our neighbors’ need for our presence,
encouragement, and support; and
WHEREAS, The devil and the world delight to keep the faithful
away from the Chief Divine Service, offering any number of
alternatives, many of which are not sinful in and of themselves, but
are still unbecoming of the Church due to their conflict with the
principal gathering of her people and with her Lord’s service to her
there; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod and its districts, congregations,
auxiliaries, and recognized service organizations not offer other
activities or events of general interest and intentional appeal,
including (but not limited to) conventions, conferences, speakers’
presentations, educational programs, camps, meals, fundraisers, and
anniversary observances, that conflict with the Chief Divine
Services of those congregations that are proximate to the activity or