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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 349

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

THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
WHEREAS, The practice of In vitro fertilization (IVF) involves
the creation of human embryos outside the womb, often resulting in
the destruction or indefinite freezing of embryos, which contradicts
the biblical teaching on the sanctity of human life and proper
context for procreation; and
WHEREAS, The practice of IVF undermines biblical
understanding, reducing the child to a product of human will and
technological manipulation rather than seeing and receiving the
child as a gift from God (Gen. 30:2; Psalm 127:3); and
WHEREAS, The use of IVF introduces a separation between the
procreative and unitive aspects of marriage, thereby undermining
the integrity of the marital union as God intended it (Gen. 2:24; Eph.
5:31–33; LC I 206–9); and
WHEREAS, The practice of IVF often involves surrogacy, which
is the rental of another woman’s womb, also undermining the
integrity of the marital union as God intended it; and
WHEREAS, IVF commodifies human life, treating embryos as
objects to be used, purchased, stored, or discarded rather than
recognizing them as persons created in the image of God (Gen. 9:6),
deserving of dignity, protection, and all the rights thereof; and
WHEREAS, IVF commonly uses gametes (sperm and eggs) taken
from a third party, thus violating the one flesh union and depriving
the child of his natural right to his biological mother and father; and
WHEREAS, The desire for children is good, right, and godly, but
Scripture teaches that sinful means may not be used to procure a
good end; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Wyoming District affirm children conceived
by IVF are created in the image of God; and be it further
Resolved, That the district condemn the practice of IVF as
contrary to the teachings of Scripture, the tradition of the Church,
the sanctity of human life, and the one flesh union; and be it further
Resolved, That the district urge its members to uphold the
biblical understanding of procreation as a sacred act within the
marital union, rejecting practices that treat human life as a
commodity or a product of human will; and be it further
Resolved, That the district commit to educating its members
about the ethical and theological problems and spiritual dangers
surrounding IVF and surrogacy, encouraging them to seek
alternatives that respect the sanctity of life and the God-given
dignity of all human beings; and be it further
Resolved, That pastors of the district be exhorted to provide
pastoral counseling and absolution for those who have engaged in
the practice of IVF; and be it finally
Resolved, That the entire pastorate of the Synod be encouraged
to do the same.
Wyoming District
Ov. 5-22

To Believe, Teach, and Confess Missio Dei
Rationale
Holy Scripture does not present God as static or withdrawn, but as
living, active, and outward-moving in love. From the first chapters
of Genesis to the sending of the Son, the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit, and the sending of the baptized into the world, Scripture
bears witness to a single, unifying motif: God is a sending God. This
sending is not peripheral to who God is. It belongs to His very heart.
The theological term Missio Dei—the mission of God—does not

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introduce a new theme into Scripture, nor does it impose a modern
agenda upon the biblical text. Rather, it serves as a lens that reveals
Scripture’s coherence, center, purpose, and direction. When read
through this lens, the Bible emerges not as a collection of
disconnected doctrines or moral instructions, but as the unified
testimony to God’s gracious movement toward His fallen creation
in Jesus Christ.
Much has been written about the church’s decline in the modern
world. Attendance is measured, programs are evaluated, and
strategies are revised. Yet these concerns, while not insignificant,
fail to name the deeper issue confronting the church today.
Whenever the church relegates its mission focus and priorities to
activities, duties, and performances, it is guilty of being
disconnected from the Missio Dei. It will be marked by distractions,
disruption, and a disassembly from Christ’s apostolic authority,
priority, and promises. The crisis of the church is not fundamentally
numerical, cultural, or institutional, but theological and
obediential—a resistance to God’s sending Word that shapes how
Scripture itself is to be read. This crisis appears whenever mission
becomes optional, the church turns inward, identity becomes based
in human sentiment, and the Gospel becomes transactional. As a
result, the church throughout history has frequently come to
understand herself as a religious institution with its own mission,
rather than as a sent body of believers—a people who exist because
God sends the baptized in Christ.
Therefore be it
Resolved, That we as a Synod believe, teach, and confess that the
Missio Dei—the mission of God—belongs to God alone, flows
from His eternal love, and finds its center, fulfillment, and authority
in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the One sent by the Father
for the life of the world (John 3:16–17); and be it further
Resolved, That we as a Synod believe, teach, and confess that
God is a sending God, and that His sending does not begin with
human need or cultural crisis, but with His own being and will, so
that from the sending of the Son, to the sending of the Spirit, to the
sending of the baptized, God reveals Himself as the Lord who goes
out in love to seek, save, and restore who and what is lost; and be it
further
Resolved, That we as a Synod believe, teach, and confess that the
Missio Dei is the primary lens through which Holy Scripture is
rightly read and understood; because Scripture itself is the unified
testimony of God’s sending heart—revealing who He is, what He
has done in Christ, and how He sends His people into the world;
and be it further
Resolved, That we believe, teach, and confess that Jesus Christ
is the Sent One and the Sending One, vested with all authority to
forgive sins and give life, so that all doctrine finds its center in the
Gospel—that we are freely justified for Christ’s sake through
faith—and all other teachings are either antecedent to this truth or
flow from it; and be it further
Resolved, That we as a Synod believe, teach, and confess that
according to the Gospel all the baptized in Christ are co-heirs and
co-associates with Christ, not by merit or office, but by grace alone,
and are enjoined in God’s mission through Christ and for His sake
alone; and be it further
Resolved, That we as a Synod believe, teach, and confess that the
church exists because God sends, and that the church remains the
church only insofar as she lives from the Gospel and is sent into the
world in love, truth, humility, and hope; and be it further
2026 Convention Workbook