Luther Quest has received much criticism from LCMS pastors who object to the supremacy
of the Voters’ Assembly. Your reply to this article is also welcomed on www.lutherquest.org. CAT41 has also published some
negative comments about the supremacy of Voters’ Assemblies on their mailing list. As
we are witnessing the collapse of the Missouri Synod one should expect relentless attacks
against Missouri’s congregational structure. The most efficient way to break up the
LCMS is to dismantle its Voters’ Assemblies.
The attacks come from two directions. First, those suffering from the Church Growth
disease believe they can call a "crowd" a congregation and lead it with a board
of directors and a CEO from the top down according to the rubrics of General Motors and
the Harvard School of Business. They forget what people do with the remote when they get
tired of the entertainment.
Second, those suffering from Hyper-Euro-Lutheran disease believe God meant the church
to be ruled by pastors and that Walther mistakenly mixed American civil liberties with the
priesthood of all believers. They follow the rubrics of the Vatican and believe that the
congregation is an extension of the pastoral office. They forget that this is America and
18th century European hierarchy doesn’t belong in the priesthood of all believers any
more than in the US Constitution. They forget what people do with their feet when they
don’t want to be pushed around in the name of the Lord. It is hard to tell if
Hyper-Euro-Lutheran-Pastors really like people. Both of the above groups fear voters and
Walther.
The following is one of the kinder, gentler pastoral objections to the supremacy of
LCMS Voters’ Assemblies.
Dear Pastor Cascione:
You write on your web site that your goal is to preserve:
- the 3 Ecumenical Creeds
- the Doctrine of Justification
- Lutheran hymnbooks
- Luther's Small Catechism
- the Lutheran Agenda
- use of the name "Lutheran" on all LCMS Congregations
- the supremacy of the Voters' Assembly
Oh brother. "The Supremacy of the Voters’ Assembly?" And you think this
is Walther?
Jack, for Walther the supremacy is the word of God. You know the quote by him where
pastors are not ruled by the congregation or the congregation by the pastors, but both are
ruled by the word of God.
I don't know what could bring you to make such a statement. Perhaps it was just a
mistake. At any rate I hope you correct it.
Pastor XXXX
Pastor Cascione’s Response (The Bible
passages quoted in this article are reproduced at the end of this article.)
Dear Pastor XXXX:
Thank you for your response. The "supremacy of the congregation" is not the
same as the supremacy of the Word. Christ rules His church through His Word. I think
Walther makes this quite clear in his first speech of 1848
published on our website, www.reclaimingwalther.org.
The supremacy of the congregation is about church governance.
I know there is a great deal of resistance to the traditional LCMS Voters’
Assembly from LCMS pastors. A large number oppose the traditional structure of LCMS
Voters’ Assemblies because they are following the Church Growth Movement. They want
to operate the church more efficiently with modern business principles like a corporation
with a Board of Directors. Under such a plan, the Voters meet once or twice a year to hear
reports from the Board of Directors who expect the congregation to rubber-stamp without
discussion their reports . The pastor also acts as the CEO running the church.
Another smaller group of pastors oppose the Voters’ Assembly because they claim
Walther, the Synod’s founder, was in error; there were no Voters’ Assemblies in
Europe; there is no Biblical or Confessional support for Voter’s Assemblies; such
assemblies usurp the authority of the pastor and the Word of God; and they believe that
pastors and the pastor’s interpretation of the Bible rule the congregation.
Walther shows these positions are incorrect in his Speech of
1848 published on our website, www.reclaimingwalther.org.
In my own estimation less than 10% of the LCMS congregations still operate with a
Voter’s Assembly as described and taught in the quotations from following sources.
Our Redeemer Lutheran Congregational Constitution of 1921 on
these issues reads as follows.
ARTICLE VII: AUTHORITY OF THE CONGREGATION
A. In general, the Voters Assembly as a body, shall have supreme power to administer
and manage all its external and internal affairs.
The following are some quotations that support the above position in the Redeemer Lutheran Church Constitution on the supremacy of the
Voters' Assembly:
"Finally the congregation is represented as the supreme tribunal, Matt. 18:15-18:
"‘Moreover, if thy brother.....’" (The Form of the Christian
Congregation, C.F.W. Walther, (1866) Concordia Publishing House (CPH) 1989, page 24)
"Though the constitution made the congregation the possessor of all church power
and the highest tribunal, it did safeguard the ministry in various ways. The tenure of
office was made permanent. No calls to pastors providing for a time limit were tolerated
in the Missouri Synod." (Government in the Missouri Synod by Carl Mundinger,
1947, CPH, page 196)
"The Congregation, Not the Pastor, Has Supreme and Final Jurisdiction.--In
according with the Scriptures (see texts quoted in previous paragraph) [These passages are
printed at the end of this article after the *.] Our Confessions say:--"Christ gives
supreme and final jurisdiction to the church when he says: "Tell it unto the
church'" (Smalcald Articles, Of the Power and Primacy of the Pope. Trigl.,p.511.) (Pastoral
Theology, John Fritz, CPH 1932, page 314)
"It also belongs in the constitution that the congregation in its own circle is
the final and highest court according to Matt. 18:17. Therefore all its officers are
responsible to it and may be removed from office in Christian order. But also all
decisions and resolutions of the congregation which are contrary to God's Word or the
[congregation's] confession are to be declared in advance null and void." (Pastoral
Theology, C.F.W. Walther, Fifth Edition 1906, CN, 1995, page 47)
"For the Lord Christ teaches in Matthew 18:17 that the ban should be put on those
who will not obey the church or his congregation." Thus the church truly teaches
nothing else than God’s Word. (Luther's Works, LW 34:33)
"Therefore, every Christian should hold the view that neither St. Peter nor the
apostles have in these passages been given power to rule or be on top." (LW 39:90)
"Let this passage be your sure foundation, [1Cor.14:31] because it gives such an
overwhelming power to the Christian congregations to preach, to permit preaching, and to
call. Especially if there is a need, it [this passage] calls everyone with a special
call-without a call for men-so that we should have no doubt that the congregation which
has the gospel may and should elect and call from among its members someone to teach the
word in its place." (LW 39:311)
"The Church of God has authority to appoint rites and customs in regard to
festivals, food, fasting, prayers, vigils, etc., but not for others, only for itself;
neither has it ever done, nor will it ever do otherwise. A church is a group or assembly
of baptized and believers and under one shepherd, whether of one city, or of an entire
country, or of the whole world. This pastor or prelate has nothing to ordain, because he
is not the Church, unless it be that his church empowers him." (Pieper quotes Luther
in Christian Dogmatics Vol. III page 431)
'Thus writes St. Paul (1 Cor. 3:21-23): ‘Therefore let no one glory in men. For
all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or
things present or things to come-all are yours. And you are Christ's and Christ is God's.'
From this [passage] we learn that all things that even Paul and Peter had were only
treasures from the jewel room of the believing Christians or of the church." (Church
and Ministry C.F.W. Walther, 1851, CPH 1982, page 50)
"However, this equality of believers is abrogated and the church is changed into a
secular organization if a minister demands obedience not only to the Word of Christ, his
one Lord and Head and that of all Christians, but also to what his own insight and
experience regard as good and suitable. As soon, therefore, as adiaphora or things
indifferent, that is things that are neither commanded nor forbidden in God's Word, come
in question in the church, a minister may never demand absolute obedience to what merely
appears to him to be best" (Church and Ministry C.F.W. Walther, 1851, CPH
1982, page 312)
"It follows from these statements of Scripture that the congregation of believers
enjoys a sovereignty under Christ which are not to be restricted or limited in any way.
Christians may not be made subject to a minister or a priest, because they are all
ministers and priests in their own right who have the privilege of approaching God
directly. " (The Abiding Word, Alfred von Rohr Sauer, Volume III, CPH 1947
page 306)
"As such they (congregations) possessed all the gifts and rights of the Church
which Christ has bestowed upon it. Specifically, the function of the Christian
congregation is to administer the means of grace in its midst and to serve in this world
for the conversion of the sinner to God. This is nothing else than the administration of
the keys of the Kingdom. (Matt. 18:17-20; "Tell it to the church"; Matt. 16:19,
John 20:22-23, "Whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven.")....The church, therefore functions as the administrator of the office of
the keys of the Kingdom." (The Abiding Word, Richard Klan, Volume III, CPH
1947 page 383)
Mat 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of
heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever
thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell [it] unto the church: but if he
neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. 18
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and
whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say unto you,
That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it
shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are
gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Mat 20:25 But Jesus called them [unto him], and said, Ye know that the princes of the
Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon
them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him
be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his
life a ransom for many.
Mat 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, [even] Christ; and all ye
are brethren.
John 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on [them], and saith unto them,
Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them;
[and] whose soever [sins] ye retain, they are retained.
Act 6:2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples [unto them], and said, It
is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
Act 15:1 And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, [and said],
Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. 2 When therefore
Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that
Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles
and elders about this question. 3 And being brought on their way by the church, they
passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they
caused great joy unto all the brethren. 4 And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were
received of the church, and [of] the apostles and elders, and they declared all things
that God had done with them.
Act 15:30 So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered
the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:
Act 21:17 And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18 And
the [day] following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. 19
And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among
the Gentiles by his ministry. 20 And when they heard [it], they glorified the Lord, and
said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe;
and they are all zealous of the law: 21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest
all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to
circumcise [their] children, neither to walk after the customs. 22 What is it therefore?
the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.
1Pe 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of
the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2 Feed
the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight [thereof], not by constraint,
but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over
[God's] heritage, but being examples to the flock.
1Co 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my
spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
2Co 8:8 I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and
to prove the sincerity of your love.
2Co 2:1 But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in
heaviness.
1Ti 5:20 Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.
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