LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 47

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THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 47

WHEREAS, The Bylaws of The Lutheran Church —Missouri
Synod assign to the Commission on Theology and Church Rela-
tions the responsibility of “fostering and providing for ongoing
theological education through institutes. seminars. and other
means” ‘Bylaw 2.109 b I ee): therefore be it

Resolved. That the President of the Synod. in consultation
with the CTCR. provide for the coordination of the activities and
programs of the various agencies and institutions of the Synod
in the area of continuing theological education of pastors.
teachers. and laymen.

A Concluding Word

Since the last convention of The Lutheran Church — Missouri
Synod the conflict that has been distressing the Synod has
become increasingly intense. In the past biennium there were
developments that severely tested the Synod’s determination
to put faithfulness to the Word of God and adherence to the
Lutheran Confessions above every other consideration. In this
time of trial we are comforted by our glorified Savior’s promise
to be with His church until the end of the world and by the
empowering presence of His Holy Spirit to keep us steadfast
in the true faith.

In the words of the prayer with which the Preface to the
Apology of the Augsburg Confession ends we commit the Synod
to the keeping of Him who bought the church with His own
blood:

Lord Jesus Christ. it is Thy Holy Gospel. it is Thy cause: look Thou

upon the many troubled hearts and consciences. and maintain and

strengthen in Thy truth Thy churches and little Mocks. who suffer
anxiety and distress from the devil. Confound all hypocrisy and lies.
and grant peace and unity. so that Thy glory may advance. and Thy
kingdom, strong against all the gates of hell. may continually grow
and increase. (Concordia Triglotta. p. 103)

Commission on Theology and Church Relations
Rev. Karl L. Barth, Chairman
Richard Korthals. Secretary

App. 3-01A

RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS ON
INTERDENOMINATIONAL MARRIAGE CEREMONIES

The following four questions have been submitted to the
CTCR on the subject of interdenominational marriage cere-
monies:

1. Is a dictionary meaning of “heterodox” the best we can
do in defining denominational lines? Isn't there some theologi-
cal or Scriptural basis? Does the German original ‘falschglaeu-
big” have any bearing on the subject?

2. You must have noted the heavy “pastoral” emphasis in
the Roman Catholic document. Is this legitimate or valid? How
does a pastor function in a specific example in view of Applica-
tion No. 4, on page 44 of the Workbook. and Recommendation
3 of the CTCR, Appendix H, on the same page.

3. Is a marriage ceremony a “service” in the same sense as
for instance Sunday morning worship?

4. Does Article VII include this matter under deference
{sic] rights of a congregation because it finds it “inexpedient™
to follow the synodical guidelines or rules?

In response to these questions the CTCR submits the fol-
lowing answers:

1. In its “Statement on Lutheran;Non-Lutheran Marriage
Ceremonies” the CTCR has defined “heterodox” not only by
quotation from dictionaries and an encyclopedia of religion but
also by quotation from Frances Pieper, Christian Dogmatics.
abstracting a common denominator from those definitions in the
sentence: “The thought which all of these definitions, secular
and ecclesiastical, have in common is that the heterodox are
those who believe and teach contrary to an acknowledged
standard.” The acknowledged standard for us is then promptly
identified by quotation of Article II of our Constitution within
a significant paragraph of definitive comment. We consider
these elements of our statement to be an adequate answer to
the first trio of questions, with application to be made by mem-
bers of the Synod in relationships which they face.

2. The longer Roman Catholic bishop's document elaborates
the subject of pastoral concern in a largely laudable fashion.
The shorter CTCR statement seeks to encourage genuinely pas-

toral attitudes and acts in its fourth application and third recom-
mendation, including concurrence with and quotation from
point 5 of the “Guidelines for Ecumenical Marriage Ceremonies”
of the Council of Presidents, 2 18.71. Hypothetical example
of such pastoral concern in practice would be of little or no
help in meeting the large variety of actual situations in which
pastors function.

3. The request for evaluation of the marriage ceremony as
a service in comparison with other services of worship in the
churches was referred to the Commission on Worship and its
Executive Secretary. We agree with the Commission on Worship
response and submit it to you in full.

4. The matter of Lutheran non-Lutheran marriage cere-
monies is not a question to which “the right of the congregation
to be the judge of the expediency of the resolution as applied
to its local condition” {Bylaw 1.09 b) is applicable but rather a
situation in which the congregation is called upon to make
application of the conditions of membership to which it has
agreed in Article VI of the Constitution.

Adopted by the CTCR, January 1974

What Is a “Service”?

QUESTION: Is a wedding ceremony a “service” in the same
sense as, for instance, Sunday morning worship?

RESPONSE: First of all, there must be a basic definition of the
term “service” before one can adequately consider the relation-
ship between or among the types of activities commonly called
“services.” For such definition purposes one ordinarily turns
to a dictionary—as the source of commonly accepted English
usage —rather than to esoteric or technical jargon.

Under the entry service. The Random House Dictionary
of the English Language ‘edition 1971) lists:

15. Also called dirine service. public religious worship according to

prescribed form and order. 16. a ritual or form prescribed for public

worship or for some particular occasion: the marriage serrice. 17

the serving of God by obedience, piety, ete: voluntary service. 18. a

musical setting of the sung portions of a liturgy.

The Reader's Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary under
the entry serrice gives as its definitions 11—15 essentially the
same explanations although not in the same order.

In keeping with the above definitions it would seem that
any occasion on which a public worship of God occurs — that is,
in which the Word of God and prayer are used by a regularly
designated worship leader of the church ~is understood to be
a “service.” This would therefore include not only those occa-
sions regularly designated as worship services 'e.g., the or-
dinary Sunday morning worship noted in the question above)
but also occasions—such as weddings, funerals, dedications,
baccalaureates, etc.—_which may have an ad hoc assembly
different from the regular congregational worship assembly.

It should be noted, moreover, that there are other types of
“service” than just the “public” occasions for worship. Thus
when the congregation's ‘or its delegated representative's
~—e. g., mission board, association of congregations, etc.) officially
designated worship leader ‘chaplain, pastor, etc.) carries out
his regularly appointed ministerial functions ‘private Com-
munion, ete.) in which the Word of God and praver ‘also at
times exposition of the Word andor singing of hymns?) form
the major portion of such function, this also is rightly under-
stood to be a congregational “service, albeit only a private or
a semiprivate one.

The use of the Word of God and prayer as an entity in itself
‘as a corporate worship of God) constitutes a “service.” This is
not to be confused with a similar use of the Word and prayer
as an integral part of a broader program ‘e.g.. the opening or
closing devotion of a meeting).

Adopted by the Commission on Worship. Nov. 8. 1973

App. 3-01B
RESPONSE TO BOARD FOR EVANGELISM
A Theological Opinion

In January 1974 the Board for Evangelism repeated an
earlier request for an opinion from the CTCR in matters in
which there appears to be a wide diversity of theological opinion