Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 2026 · 69th Convention, Phoenix › Page 364
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 364

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

364

PASTORAL MINISTRY AND SEMINARIES

for preaching, teaching, catechesis, pastoral care, evangelism, and
defense of the faith; and
WHEREAS, The Church benefits when pastors are formed to
handle the Word of God with confidence rooted in direct textual
study rather than dependence upon external aids alone; and
WHEREAS, Our Lord commands His Church to love God not only
with heart and soul but also with mind (Matt. 22:37), and St. Paul
exhorts ministers to “rightly handl[e] the word of truth” (2 Tim.
2:15); and
WHEREAS, St. Paul pronounces the very words of Scripture and
indeed every word of Scripture as “God-breathed and useful” (2
Tim. 3:16 NIV) and himself declares and defends the Gospel of
Christ with arguments based on the precise wording of the sacred
Scriptures; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Luther warned that the devil himself seeks to
deprive the Church of the biblical languages: “We do not see many
instances where the devil has allowed [Greek and Hebrew] to
flourish by means of the universities and monasteries; indeed, these
have always raged against the languages and are even now raging.
For the devil smelled a rat, and perceived that if the languages were
revived a hole would be knocked in his kingdom which he could
not easily stop up again. Since he found he could not prevent their
revival, he now aims to keep them on such slender rations that they
will of themselves decline and pass away. They are not a welcome
guest in his house, so he plans to offer them such meager
entertainment that they will not prolong their stay. Very few of us,
my dear sirs, see through this evil design of the devil” (Luther’s
Works 45:358); and whereas Dr. Luther perceived that nothing less
than the Gospel itself was at stake: “In proportion then as we value
the gospel, let us zealously hold to the languages. For it was not
without purpose that God caused his Scriptures to be set down in
these two languages alone—the Old Testament in Hebrew, the New
in Greek” (ibid., 359); and
WHEREAS, Dr. C.F.W. Walther envisioned thus regarding his
seminary in 1883: “In this house, neither the word of man nor the
wit and wisdom of man, but rather the Word of God and the entire
Word of God, and that which serves the elucidation and application
of that Word, shall be studied with unwearied diligence, day after
day, from the first rays of the morning until late after nightfall” (cf.
C.F.W. Walther, “1883 Dedication Address,” Concordia Journal
15 no. 3 [July 1989]: 224); therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod seminaries, across all their programs,
maintain and enhance courses of study that attend to careful,
thorough study of Holy Scripture and ensure that all pastors
certified for ordination demonstrate strong knowledge of and glad
reception of “the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures of the Old and
New Testaments as the … only true standard or norm by which all
teachers and doctrines are to be judged” (FC SD, Comprehensive
Summary, 3); and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod reaffirm and encourage the seminaries
to maintain and deepen rigorous instruction in the original
languages of Holy Scripture, emphasizing direct translation and
exegetical engagement with the biblical text; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod encourage the seminaries to resist
trends toward reduced or merely introductory engagement with the
biblical languages in pastoral formation; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod seminaries be commended and
encouraged to double down on forming pastors who are capable of

2026 Convention Workbook

independent, faithful handling of the scriptural text in the original
languages for the sake of the Church’s preaching and teaching; and
be it further
Resolved, That the Synod seminaries instill in our future pastors
those habits and disciplines that maintain the ongoing study of
Scripture, including the knowledge and use of the biblical
languages, throughout a lifetime of ministry, and that circuits and
districts foster and encourage the same; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod give thanks to God for His Word and
pray for pastors formed to proclaim it faithfully and confidently.
Board of Regents
Concordia Seminary
Ov. 6-05

To Uphold Deep and Broad Study
of Book of Concord in Synod Seminaries
WHEREAS, The Book of Concord serves as the Church’s binding
doctrinal confession because (Latin: quia) it faithfully confesses the
teaching of Holy Scripture, as set forth in the Formula of Concord
(FC Ep, Summary Content); and
WHEREAS, Pastoral formation within the Synod requires more
than familiarity with the Lutheran Confessions, but sustained study
that forms pastors who confess, teach, and practice theology in full
accord with them; and
WHEREAS, The unity of the Church is preserved when pastors are
formed to interpret Scripture and conduct ministry within the shared
doctrinal framework of the Confessions; and
WHEREAS, The Synod has consistently affirmed quia
subscription to the Lutheran Confessions as foundational to pastoral
formation and ecclesial trust; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod reaffirm and encourage the seminaries
of the Synod to maintain and deepen comprehensive, integrated
instruction in the Book of Concord throughout the curriculum; and
be it further
Resolved, That confessional formation not be treated as a
discrete academic subject alone, but as a hermeneutical and
theological framework shaping all pastoral instruction; and be it
further
Resolved, That the seminaries be encouraged to form pastors
whose preaching, teaching, and practice flow from a robust quia
commitment to the Lutheran Confessions; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod give thanks to God for the Lutheran
Confessions and pray for pastors who confess them faithfully in
doctrine and life.
Mount Hope, Casper, WY; St. Paul, Milford Center, OH;
Trinity (Decatur Rd), Fort Wayne, IN
Ov. 6-06

To Uphold Deep and Broad Study
of Book of Concord in Synod Seminaries
WHEREAS, The Book of Concord serves as the Church’s binding
doctrinal confession because (Latin: quia) it faithfully confesses the
teaching of Holy Scripture, as set forth in the Formula of Concord
(FC Ep, Summary Content); and
WHEREAS, Pastoral formation within the Synod requires more
than familiarity with the Lutheran Confessions, but sustained study