LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1979, Page 102

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102

RESOLUTIONS

all the conditions of membership as listed in Article
VI.

C. That a synod, as guaranteed in Article VII of
the Constitution, upholds the congregation’s rights
of self-government, which is understood to include—

1. Calling pastors, teachers, and professional
workers after they have been endorsed by the Synod;

2. Owning congregational property and main-
taining it;

3. Disciplining members of the parish;

4. Programming and supporting the congre
gation’s mission and ministry.

Il. On the Nature of Power and Authority

In structuring our relationships in The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod and in giving order to our
common work we recognize and affirm—

A. That “Christ not only declares that He alone
has the power in His church and exercises it by His
Word, but He also expressly denies to all others any
other power, any other rule, any other authority to
command in His Church”;4

B. That all elements of the synodical structure,
rather than emphasizing levels of authority, should
foster an attitude of interdependence and stress a
relationship of mutual service among pastors, teach-
ers, congregations, Districts, and all other compo-
nents of the Synod;>

C. That we seek to provide for and foster the
maximum involvement of people and congregations
in the process of discussion, decisionmaking, and
action.

IV. On the Nature of Confessional Unity
Within a Synod

In structuring our relationships in The Lutheran

Church—Missouri Synod and in giving order to our
common work we recognize and affirm—

A. That confessional unity is a treasure to be
striven for, nourished, guarded, and preserved;

B. That membership and participation in the
Synod are undertaken by unqualified subscription to
the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the
written Word of God and to the Lutheran Confessions;

C. That all matters of doctrine and conscience
shall be decided on the basis of the Holy Scriptures.§
The validity of a synodical resolution on doctrine
must be resident in the authority of the Holy Scrip-
tures. Through such a resolution the Synod expresses
its understanding of the Scriptures relative to the
issues facing the church and articulates the judgment
of the convention by majority vote of congregational
delegates present.

D. That congregations have the right and duty to
test every synodically adopted resolution against the
testimony of Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran
Confessions.

V. On the Nature of Being Able
to Work Together

In structuring our relationships in The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod and in giving order to our
common work, we recognize and affirm—

That our ability to work together results from the
power of the Holy Spirit and our common commit-
ment to Jesus Christ. From His ministry among us we
learn and declare that “none of [us} desires to be the
ruler of the other, but everyone wants to be the other’s
servant.”? We therefore commit ourselves to uphold
what some would see as a contradiction, namely, the
rights of the individual congregation vis-a-vis the
common good of the Synod. We decline to see these in
either-or terms. Rather, we confess in submission

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