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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 341

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

THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
doctrine, is clearly contrary to the Word of God, which clearly
teaches that women are not to be called and ordained into, nor carry
out the public functions of, the pastoral office (1 Tim. 2:12; 1 Cor.
14:34). (To be clear, SELK as such has not adopted this position,
but continues to work to overcome a dissensus, not at present
regarded as church divisive, in which both sides acknowledge the
other to believe its position is scriptural.)
The actions of the SELK follow a pattern that has occurred most
recently in the Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA), which
continued discussions and voted on six occasions to ordain women
until eventually a majority was achieved in 2024. This pattern has
been recognized by, among others, Dr. Matthew Becker, then an
ordained minister in the LCMS, who in 2010 asserted that clear
majorities of the SELK favored women’s ordination, and predicted
that the SELK and the LCA would ordain women. Becker criticized
Synod President Matthew Harrison’s efforts to dissuade the Japan
Lutheran Church (JLC) from ordaining women (Matthew Becker,
“Women’s Ordination and LCMS Partner Churches,” Transverse
Markings: One Theologian’s Notes, Dec. 7, 2010,
matthewlbecker.blogspot.com/2010/12/womens-ordination-andlcms-partner.html). The parallels between the SELK and the LCA
are also recognized by another liberal voice in the Synod (Karl
Wyneken, “Let’s Include Women in the Pastoral Office,” The
Daystar Journal, Aug. 21, 2016, thedaystarjournal.com/letsinclude-women-in-the-pastoral-office). Sadly, President Harrison’s
faithful and fraternal efforts were unsuccessful as the JLC did adopt
women’s ordination and as a result, the 2023 Synod convention
recognized that the Synod was not in fellowship with the JLC (2023
Res. 5-07).
SELK Bishop Hans-Jörg Voigt has asserted “The convention is
striving for clarity on the [women’s ordination] issue.” However,
clarity and unity must be grounded firmly on pure doctrine, not on
an agreement to disagree. The SELK states that “a majority of its
members currently [emphasis added] consider it impossible for the
practice of the ordination of women and the rejection of this practice
to coexist on equal terms in the SELK” (Matthew Block, “SELK
Pastoral Convention Offers Clarity on Ordination,” Aug. 14, 2025,
ilcouncil.org/2025/08/14/selk-pastoral-convention-offers-clarityon-ordination). Notably absent from the SELK’s public statements
is the assertion that a dual system cannot exist because the
alternative—women’s ordination—is false doctrine.
The SELK is already promoting female pastoral assistants, deacons,
and theology professors, and is unable to advance a clear theological
justification for the limitation of the Office of the Holy Ministry to
men.
WHEREAS, Holy Scripture clearly teaches that women are not to
be called and ordained into, nor carry out the public functions of,
the pastoral office (1 Tim. 2:12; 1 Cor. 14:34); and
WHEREAS, The SELK officially approves of and practices the
service of women as pastoral assistants, deacons, and theology
professors, and has voted by a strong majority that advocacy of full
women’s ordination is to be the topic of cooperation and respect
rather than condemning it as false doctrine not to be tolerated in the
church of God; and
WHEREAS, The Synod recognizes with deep sadness and regret
that differences in doctrine and practice exist between the Synod
and the SELK; and
WHEREAS, Twenty-five years of formal and informal doctrinal
discussions in the SELK have neither resolved the issue of women’s

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ordination in favor of the scriptural position, nor offered any basis
for assuming that it will be resolved in the foreseeable future; and
WHEREAS, The Synod understands altar and pulpit fellowship to
be a gift of God that exists by His grace on the basis of complete
agreement in doctrine and practice; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod affirm the inerrancy, inspiration,
clarity, and authority of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19–21);
and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod with deep sorrow and regret declare
that it can no longer recognize altar and pulpit fellowship with the
SELK; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod acknowledge and express deep regret
over its own shortcomings and failures in not giving adequate
attention to these theological concerns, and repent especially of its
own actions causing confusion and lack of clarity on the issue of
women’s ordination, including without limitation installing women
as chaplains and allowing vested women deacons in the Divine
Service; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod herewith commit itself to openly and
eagerly pursuing further doctrinal discussions with the SELK
should the SELK at any time be open to such discussions, in the
hope that by God’s grace our church bodies might once again attain
complete agreement in doctrine and practice and once again enjoy
the gift of God-given and God-pleasing altar and pulpit fellowship.
St. Paul
Brookfield, IL
Ov. 5-09

To Reconsider Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with
The American Association of Lutheran Churches
WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS)
declared altar and pulpit fellowship with The American Association
of Lutheran Churches (AALC) at its 2007 convention (Res. 3-01);
and
WHEREAS, The AALC has in recent years received into its
membership numerous pastors and congregations that are former
LCMS members, including pastors removed from the LCMS roster
for cause; and
WHEREAS, The Synod recognizes fellowship with partner
churches on the basis of agreement in doctrine and practice; and
WHEREAS, In these matters, the AALC has raised doubts about
its agreement with the LCMS and its willingness to work together
as a partner church; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention call the AALC to
repentance for its failures in ecclesiastical supervision and church
relations and urge them to rectify these errors; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod dissolve its fellowship with the AALC
at the 2029 Synod convention unless those errors have been
rectified in advance of that convention to the satisfaction of the
President of the Synod as the chief ecumenical officer of the Synod.
Circuit 13 (Indiana)
English District

2026 Convention Workbook