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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 493

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

STRUCTURE AND ADMINISTRATION
WHEREAS, The Synod’s Commission on Constitutional Matters
(CCM Op. 25-3053, “Central Illinois District Bylaws, Proposed
Revision”) directed the district:
The district should, except where it is following explicit Synod
Bylaw language that does otherwise, consistently use “ordained
minister” and “parish pastor” where it intends these distinct
senses. … The standard language “commissioned minister”
would be clearer than the district’s language, “commissioned
church worker from the Synod roster.”
and
WHEREAS, The terminology “minister of religion—ordained”
and “ministers of religion—commissioned” was derived in part
from the terminology used by the United States of America’s
Internal Revenue Service (Publication 517, Social Security and
Other Information for Members of the Clergy and Religious
Workers):
Ministers defined. Ministers are individuals who are duly
ordained, commissioned, or licensed by a religious body
constituting a church or church denomination. Ministers have the
authority to conduct religious worship, perform sacerdotal
functions, and administer ordinances or sacraments according to
the prescribed tenets and practices of that church or
denomination. If a church or denomination ordains some
ministers and licenses or commissions others, anyone licensed or
commissioned must be able to perform substantially all the
religious functions of an ordained minister to be treated as a
minister for social security purposes. (2025 edition, p. 4,
irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p517.pdf);
and
WHEREAS, By conforming the Synod’s terminology to that used
by the IRS, which for tax purposes treats “ministers” differently
from other church employees (who are not considered “ministers”
but are subject to regular employment laws), the Synod seems to
have chosen a pragmatic way to save our “ministers” some expense
on taxes (perhaps violating Jesus’ warning: “You cannot serve God
and mammon/money,” Matt. 6:24 NKJV/ESV), as well as the right
to define “ministers” as we wish, without government control; and
WHEREAS, The Synod’s lawyers successfully argued before the
U.S. Supreme Court (Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran
Church and School v. EEOC, 565 U.S. 171 [2012],
supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/565/171) that all who qualify
as “ministers” under our Constitution may be removed from their
employment according to our policies, even if for reasons that
would violate employment laws for non-ministers; and
WHEREAS, A concurring opinion to Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical
Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC by Justice Alito noted,
while a ministerial title is undoubtedly relevant in applying the
First Amendment rule at issue, such a title is neither necessary
nor sufficient. As previously noted, most faiths do not employ
the term “minister,” and some eschew the concept of formal
ordination. [FN3 mentions Muslims as an example.] And at the
opposite end of the spectrum, some faiths consider the ministry
to consist of all or a very large percentage of their members.
[FN4 mentions Jehovah’s Witnesses as an example.] Perhaps
this explains why, although every circuit to consider the issue
has recognized the “ministerial” exception, no circuit has made
ordination status or formal title determinative of the exception’s
applicability.

493

and
WHEREAS, The use of the term “religion” instead of “church” or
“faith” has a long history in the U.S. (e.g., Bill of Rights,
Amendment 1: “Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”),
and the word “religion” in the Bible is used by people who do not
share that “religion” (δεισιδαίμων, Acts 17:22; δεισιδαιμονία, Acts
25:19; ἐθελοθρησκίᾳ, Col. 2:23; or by people who do not share the
“religion” of someone else (θρησκεία, Acts 26:5; also
“religious,” θρησκὸς, James 1:26; and only once of “religion that is
pure and undefiled,” James 1:27); thus the government’s reference
to “religion” is meant to be neutral; but the Church’s confession is
that we hold the one true faith in the one true God; and
The following whereas is present only in the Central Illinois District
Board of Directors submission:
WHEREAS, The introduction of the category of specific ministry
pastor to designate men who are “ordained,” but not fully qualified
to be overseers of a congregation (as other pastors are), since they
require oversight of another pastor, added to the confusion that has
come with trying to fit professional servants of the church with
different educational backgrounds and qualifications into just two
categories of church workers; and
WHEREAS, The 1992 Synod convention adopted Res. 5-21, “To
Study Classification of Professional Church Workers,” and
President Alvin Barry appointed a Nomenclature Study Committee
(NSC), which delivered its report to the 1998 Synod convention;
and
WHEREAS, This committee recommended the following:
[I]t will be in the best interest of the Synod to classify all certified
and rostered church workers with the following nomenclature:
1. Pastors
2. Teachers and Associates in Ministry
The NSC believes that this nomenclature clearly distinguishes
between the one divinely established office of the ministry, the
pastoral office, and those offices that the church has created to
help discharge the functions of the pastoral office. (1998
Convention Report R1-8-02, Nomenclature Study Committee,
Workbook, 8),
but the 1998 Res. 7-14A, “To Address Nomenclature of Church
Workers,” stated:
WHEREAS, This report has insufficient evidence to justify the
proposed changes; and
WHEREAS, The underlying concern which has been identified
by the Nomenclature Committee stems from confusion caused
by various understanding of the Doctrine of the Ministry; and
…
Resolved, That the recommendations and conclusions of the
Nomenclature Committee report be declined at this time; and be
it finally
Resolved, That the Synod in convention commend to the
congregations and professional church workers the CTCR
document, “The Ministry: Offices, Procedures and
Nomenclature” for study that the Synod might open dialog and
come to a clearer understanding of the Doctrine of the Ministry”
(1998 Proc., 152);
therefore be it

2026 Convention Workbook