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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 453

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

STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION
In the proposal below, bylaws concerning doctrinal review are
reorganized for clarity. The reorganization places bylaws related to
appeal of doctrinal review certification (whether before or after
publication) adjacent to those treating its initial determination. This
should prevent misunderstanding by allowing more ready
comparison and by presenting all doctrinal review material (except
for matters strictly involving the related commission) together in
one place. A new second sentence is added in Bylaw 1.9.1.1 (b) to
memorialize the opinion of the CCM as to the scope of the “study
document and exploratory material” exception.
Therefore be it
Resolved, That Bylaw section 1.9 and subsection 3.9.3 be
amended as follows:
PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
1.9 Doctrinal Review
Definition
1.9.1
Doctrinal review is the exercise of the Synod’s
responsibility to determine that every doctrinal statement made in its
or any of its agencies’ or auxiliaries’ materials is in accord with the
Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.

Material Subject to Doctrinal Review
1.9.1.1
The following materials are subject to doctrinal review:
(a) All official periodicals and journals of the Synod as well as
any material with doctrinal content issued publicly by boards,
commissions, or other subordinate groups of the Synod except as
stipulated in these Bylaws shall be subject to doctrinal review.
(b) The right to produce study documents and exploratory
material plainly designated as such and published by boards,
commissions, or other subordinate groups of the Synod is
recognized, and such material is not required to be submitted to
the doctrinal review process. The material of such a document
shall be within the purview of the respective board, commission,
or other subordinate group; its intended distribution shall be
limited to those who are competent to evaluate the issue critically;
and the document shall serve only as a penultimate document
intended to result in a clearer or more correct public presentation
of doctrine or practice in subsequent documents or efforts.
Publication of When released, such study material that is not
submitted for doctrinal review shall always include this notice on
or immediately following the title page: “This material is being
released for study and discussion purposes, and the author(s)
is(are) solely responsible for its contents. It has not been
submitted to the process for doctrinal review stipulated in the
Bylaws of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and does not
necessarily reflect the theology of the Lutheran Confessions or
the doctrinal position of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod.”
(c) Each district is accountable to the Synod through its
respective president and board of directors for the content of all
of its published materials.
(d) Each of the Synod’s schools is accountable to the Synod
through its respective president and board of regents for the
content of its professional journals and all of its published
materials that are not the official publications of the Synod
(Bylaw 3.4.3.7). The editorial boards of such publications shall
serve as their own doctrinal reviewers.
(e) Auxiliary organizations recognized by the Synod shall be
held directly accountable for their material. However, in accord
with his office as defined in Constitution Art. XI B 1, the
President of the Synod shall require doctrinal review.
(f) In the case of broadcasts over the Synod’s radio station by
other than staff members, individuals must be held responsible

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for their own material since it is not feasible to apply the process
of doctrinal review to such broadcasts.
(g) Official reports of the boards, commissions, task forces, and
committees of the Synod prepared in response to directives from
the Synod shall not be subject to doctrinal review.

Procedure
1.9.2
Before materials stipulated in Bylaw 1.9.1 are published,
they shall be submitted to (a) doctrinal reviewer(s). Reviewers shall
make a careful evaluation of the doctrinal content of all items
submitted. Materials are to be reviewed in a prompt manner and
completed in no longer than four weeks. Exceptions shall be
arranged by mutual agreement between the reviewer(s) and the
originating entity.
(a) The primary responsibility for doctrinal supervision and
review lies with the President of the Synod (Constitution Art. XI
B 1).
(1) Each board, commission, and other subordinate group of
the Synod shall advise the President of the Synod of the
number and desired competency of doctrinal reviewers needed
by it and may suggest a list of qualified persons. The President
shall appoint reviewers for each group according to its needs.
They shall be broadly representative of the ministry of the
Synod.
(2) Reviewers shall be appointed for renewable three-year
terms. An appointment may be terminated prior to the
completion of the appointed term if the reviewer is unable or
unwilling to carry out the reviewing tasks assigned. In the
event of such termination, the President of the Synod shall
appoint another reviewer to complete the unexpired term.
(b) Each agency of the Synod, synodwide corporate entity, or
auxiliary shall establish procedures that will ensure that its
material as specified in Bylaw section 1.9 will be submitted for
doctrinal review to one of the reviewers referred to in Bylaw 1.9.2
(a).
(c) Since time requirements vary according to the type of
material being reviewed, the procedure in each case shall be
worked out to the mutual satisfaction of the sponsoring group and
the doctrinal reviewer(s).
(d) The identity of authors and reviewers shall not be disclosed
without the approval of the President. Consultation may at times
be advisable, however, where clarification is necessary.
(e) The reviewer’s primary concern is that items submitted to
him be in agreement in their doctrinal content with the Scriptures
and the Lutheran Confessions.
(f) The reviewer(s) shall also be concerned that the items
submitted do not contain statements that are inadequate,
misleading, ambiguous, or lacking in doctrinal clarity.
(g) The reviewer(s) shall further be concerned that resolutions of
the Synod be honored and upheld and that positions deviating
from the doctrinal resolutions of the Synod be clearly identified
as such.
(h) When the author is also a reviewer, his material shall be
assigned to another reviewer. In order to avoid any conflict of
interest, no author shall be involved in any way in the selection
or assignment of reviewer(s) for his or her own work.
(i) The reviewer may request that specific material assigned to
him also be reviewed by another reviewer.
(j) Where changes appear to be necessary, the reviewer(s) shall
submit a thorough and clearly written documented critique that
shall be made available to the author, the sponsoring group, and
the publisher. The documentation provided by the reviewer(s)
shall provide a thorough and detailed explanation, with all
appropriate biblical and confessional references used to support
the opinion offered.

2026 Convention Workbook