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Proposed
Resolutions (Overtures) for the 2001 LCMS Convention
To Return District
Presidents to Congregations as Full-Time Pastors
To Return to the Practice of "Church and
Ministry" written by C.F.W. Walther and adopted by the 1851 LCMS Convention in
Milwaukee
Overture Relating to Reorganization
of LCMS and District Presidents
To Maintain Supreme Voters'
Assemblies in the LCMS Congregations
Abbreviated Format (w/o
Doctrinal Basis)
To Combat False
Doctrine in Synod*
For Adjudication in
Synod Consistent With The Confessions*
Synod Is Not
Church (Jure Divino)*
Ordination Not a Sacrament
Only A Congregation
in the LCMS May Extend a Call and Ordain a Pastor - And Requiring a Finding Relative to
the PLI*
Resolution to Certify Herman J. Otten
and to Amend Bylaw 2.09
Overture to Amend the
Process of Assigning Candidates in the LCMS
Overture Regarding Dr.
Robert Nordlie and Justification
* These resolutions are on a separate page.
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To Return District
Presidents to Congregations as Full-Time Pastors
Whereas, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod grew
to 4,000 congregations within its first hundred years; and
Whereas, nearly all District Presidents and other administrators during that
time were also full-time parish pastors; and
Whereas, during the last 20 years the bureaucracy of the Synod has expanded from
208 to 422 full-time positions with many ordained men serving in Synodical offices,
Districts offices, and in positions other than congregations; and
Whereas, during the last 20 years membership in the LCMS has declined by
approximately 163,000 baptized souls while the cost of maintaining District offices is
growing into tens of millions of dollars each year; and
Whereas, the 1999 Lutheran Annual lists 971 congregational vacancies in LCMS
congregations; and
Whereas, District Presidents should set an example of leadership by showing
their desire to be full-time pastors serving in congregations; and
Whereas, District Presidents in the past relied on the help of District Vice
Presidents and Circuit Counselors by delegating their authority whenever possible; and
Whereas, such delegation of duties was cost effective and efficient; and
Whereas, communications such as telephones, e-mail, fax machines, camcorders,
video tape, and the internet have greatly facilitated decentralization today beyond the
imagination of the Synod’s District Presidents during the first 100 years; and
Whereas, many secular organizations and businesses have reduced bureaucracy,
staff, redundancy, and overhead by the utilization of modern communications; and
Whereas, ordained men who prefer to serve in District administrative positions
rather than in congregations raise questions about their own suitability and desire for
congregational ministry and are, at this time, the only pastors eligible to serve in
administrative positions; and
Whereas, many exceptionally qualified pastors will not leave their congregations
to serve as District Presidents while those who prefer leaving their congregations will
let their names stand for election; therefore be it
Resolved, that the constitution of the LCMS mandate all District Presidents and
ordained executives serve as full-time parish pastors, and be it further
Resolved, that the District provide the salary for a full-time associate or
assistant pastor to the congregation whose pastor is elected to the office of District
President or to a District executive position; and be it further
Resolved, that the District provide one full-time secretary for the needs of the
District President or District executive; and be it finally
Resolved, that after we have reduced the Synodical bureaucracy, cut millions of
dollars out of redundant District office salaries and programs, and kept more qualified
pastors in LCMS congregations, that the Synod prays, that God blesses us with the ability
to focus our attention on the importance of congregations, parish pastors, and the Great
Commission.
To Return to the
Practice of "Church and Ministry" written by C.F.W. Walther and adopted by
the 1851 LCMS Convention in Milwaukee
Whereas, the historic Missouri Synod practice of
"Church and Ministry" taught by C.F.W. Walther has been removed in many LCMS
congregations by District Offices and proponents of "Church Growth" and
Leadership Training such as replacing Voters’ Assemblies with Boards of Directors;
and
Whereas, the hierarchical practices of European Lutheranism advocated by Grabau
and Loehe in the nineteenth century runs counter to the priesthood of all believers taught
in the Bible, the Lutheran Confessions, and the teachings of Martin Luther; and
Whereas, many lay people in the LCMS are unaware that the LCMS actually has an
official position on Church and Ministry that promotes and protects the priesthood of all
believers in the congregation; and
Whereas, the Voters’ Assembly as defined by Walther should exercise its
supremacy over every board and office in the church in frequent and regularly scheduled
Voters’ meetings and not surrender its authority to Boards of Directors or an
alternative structure promoted by Church Growth and Leadership Training; and
Whereas, pastors should neither function as CEOs nor is their ordination to be
considered a sacrament; and
Whereas, the teaching of C.F.W. Walther’s Church and Ministry is the
most Biblical and harmonious polity conducive to the preaching and teaching of the Gospel,
evangelism, and the preservation of the Christian freedom God has given to every Christian
under the Gospel; therefore be it
Resolved, that the 2001 Convention of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
reaffirm Walther’s position as the only accepted practice of Church and Ministry in
every congregation; and be it further
Resolved, that all pastors, Circuit Counselors, District Presidents, and
Synodical officials be publicly bound to only advise, encourage, and instruct
congregations in matters of Church and Ministry on the basis of Walther’s
"Church and Ministry"; and be it further
Resolved, that all Seminary Boards of Regents, Seminary Presidents, Seminary
faculty, and Regents, Presidents, and faculty of Synodical Teachers’ colleges only
endorse, promote, and teach their students to follow Walther’s teaching on Church and
Ministry; and be it further
Resolved, that any of the above individuals not in agreement with Walther’s
"Church and Ministry" be immediately removed and/or resign from any position at
our seminaries, colleges, Synodical headquarters, District offices, and the office of
Circuit Counselor; and be it further
Resolved, that such action is necessary to preserve unity, harmony, clear
teaching of the Gospel, the proper administration of the Office of the Keys, and
priesthood of all believers in the LCMS; and be it finally
Resolved, that the LCMS publish and promote Walther’s Church and Ministry
as the most excellent Scriptural teaching that maintains God’s order and peace in
congregations, preserves the priesthood of all believers, preserves the Office of the
Keys, and best facilitates the work of the Great Commission.
Overture
Relating to Reorganization of LCMS and District Presidents
Whereas, over the past 20-30 years some District
Presidents in the LCMS have influenced the Council of Presidents to accumulate enormous
power in themselves which powers are currently defined as follows:
"They appoint members of the Concordia University System, members of the
Conference of Congregational Services, members of the Council on Mission and Ministry,
members of the Board of Regents of colleges and seminaries, one-quarter of the members of
the Commission on Theology and Church Relations, and all the members of the Commission on
Constitutional Matters (CCM). This means that the CCM is definitely a subordinate agency
of the Council of Presidents, whose control thus extends to the final decision in all
appealed dispute cases and to the approval of congregational constitutions," and
Whereas, District Presidents have been
allocating their time and energy in discharging their responsibilities in the foregoing
activities to the detriment of their duties in the District of the LCMS which they have
been elected to perform, and
Whereas, some District Presidents in the
LCMS have assumed and exercised extraordinary actions concerning a Pastor and the
congregation he served in the District he has been elected to serve which does not involve
charges of sexual misconduct with minors or counselees or propensity to assault and in so
doing have attempted to chastise a pastor in a congregation and the congregation itself
for allegedly pursuing a doctrinal position other than that of the District President and
notwithstanding that the Dispute Resolution Process of the LCMS resolved the issue in
favor of the Pastor and the Congregation, the District President refused to comply with
the decision of the Dispute Resolution Process, and
Whereas, the LCMS experienced rapid growth
during the period from 1940 to about 1975, and that Franklin Littell of Temple University
wrote in a 1976 atlas entitled The Macmillan Atlas History of Christianity about the LCMS:
"Church growth today seems to be a function of lay initiative and lay initiative
seems to be most vigorous in those churches which have no strong hierarchies or
judicatories...
One of the most rapidly growing churches is the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod which
has in the last fifteen years added nearly 600,000 members. Since 1940 it has shown a 120%
increase, while the more liberal Lutheran churches have registered less than 60%
increase...Under (Walther's) leadership an extensive system of parochial schools was
inaugurated. In 1872 a Lutheran Synodical Conference came into being which united several
conservative groups which stressed the responsibility and initiative of members of local
congregations."
Littel stated that the most important cause of growth is decentralized policy which he
properly defines as those churches which have no strong hierarchies or judicatories. The
term "Judicatory" means a system of courts of law for the administration of
justice.
Rev. Martin R. Noland, in his address to the Association of Confessional Lutherans on
April 4, 1997, at Chicago stated:
"The survival of Biblical and confessional theology in the Missouri Synod was
chiefly a result of its decentralized policy, not of any particular virtues in its
membership or even its theology," and
Whereas, fulfilling the mission of the
LCMS in saving souls for Jesus Christ is best served by a church structure which vests
authority to solve congregational disputes solely within a congregation, even if it
includes church workers, unless both parties to a case voluntarily agree to use the
synodical process; therefore be it
Resolved, that the synod should
eliminate all powers of the organization known as the "Counci1 of Presidents"
except for their role as the Board of Assignments and Certification. The synod should
eliminate particularly their powers of appointment to synodical offices; and be it further
Resolved, that the synod should restore
the rule that all officers of the synod and district can only assume such rights as has
been expressly conferred upon them by Synod. This is directed against the September 1972
ruling of CCM on Presidential authority; and be it further
Resolved, that the synod should have the district reconcilers elected
by the district conventions, from a slate proposed by the regular nominations committee,
instead of having them appointed by District Board of Directors; and be it further
Resolved, that the synod should have all members of the Commission for
Constitutional Matters elected by syndical convention, from a slate proposed by the
regular nominations committee, instead of having them chosen by the Council of Presidents.
Present members on the CCM should be retired, since they represent a different
constituency; and be it further
Resolved, that the bylaws should be changed so that all congregational
disputes are resolved solely within congregations, even if it includes church-workers,
unless both parties to a case voluntarily agree to use the synodical process; and be it
further
Resolved, that the synod should mandate that due process be observed
by limiting the district president's use of restriction and suspension to church workers
who have previously been found guilty by the dispute resolution process. This revision
would include extraordinary and immediate powers of suspensions when charges of sexual
misconduct with minors or counselees or propensity to assault have been filed; and be it
further
Resolved, that the synod should mandate term limits for all district
presidents and executives; and be it further
Resolved, that the synod should return to the practice of district
presidents visiting every congregation in three years. This would necessitate the division
of larger districts into smaller units in some cases to make this manageable.
To Maintain
Supreme Voters' Assemblies in the LCMS Congregations
Revised December 4, 2000
WHEREAS, under the supremacy of God’s Word and
in Christian liberty all congregations in the LCMS have agreed in Convention to governance
by supreme voters’ assemblies "the church is above (supra) the ministers,"
Trig. 507 par. 11 according to the Lutheran Confessions and Bible:
- The Confessions teach that the congregation elects its own pastor. (See Trig. 523-24
par. 62, 69, 72, "Therefore it is necessary for the Church to retain the authority to
call, elect, and ordain ministers." also Eph. 4:8, 1Pet. 2:9; also Luther’s
Works Amer. ed. p. 305-314, Vol. 39, Acts 6-7, 14:23, Titus 1:7, 1Tim. 3:10)
- The Confessions teach that the local congregation is supreme over the pastor. (See Trig.
507, "… the church is above the ministers" also Trig 511, "Christ
gives supreme and final jurisdiction to the Church" also Matt. 18:17, Col. 4:17,
1Peter 5:1-3, 2Cor. 8:8, and Walther agree that the clergy are not the church, also
Luther’s Works Amer. ed. p. 305-341, Vol. 39)
- The Confessions teach that the congregation is the final judge in church discipline.
(See Trig. 511, "Christ gives supreme and final jurisdiction to the
church…" also Matt. 18:17-18; Acts 1:15, 23-26; 15:5, 12-13, 22-23; 1Cor. 5:2,
6:2, 10:15, 12:7, 2Cor. 2:6-8, 2Thess: 3:15)
- The Confessions teach that the sheep judge their shepherd in all doctrine. (See Trig.
525 par.72, "… the churches are in duty bound before God, … because Paul,
Gal. 1: 7f , enjoins that bishops who teach and defend a godless doctrine and godless
services should be regarded as accursed," also Matt. 7:15-23, 1John 4:1, 1Cor. 10:15,
Matt. 23:10, 1Thess. 5:1, Mark 10:42-44, Acts 17:11, 2Pet. 2:1, 1Cor. 14: 29, Rev. 2:2)
- The Confessions teach that the congregation and not the Synod is "church,"
hence synods are human organizations. (See Trig. 511 par. 24, "Likewise Christ gives
supreme and final jurisdiction to the Church, when He says: ‘Tell it unto the
Church.’" also AC VII & VIII page 47, "The Church is the congregation
of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly
administered." also Pieper, Vol. III, 421; also Preamble, LCMS Constitution, page 8,
"Reason for the Forming of a Synodical Union: 1. The example of the apostolic church,
Acts 15:1-31"); and
WHEREAS, in similar Christian liberty all congregations in the LCMS have also
agreed to only call pastors certified by the Synod; and
WHEREAS, many new forms of polity are being adopted by LCMS congregations that
remove voter supremacy thus making ownership of the congregations’ property an open
question; and
WHEREAS, the LCMS has rejected the hierarchical practices taught by Grabau and
Loehe in the nineteenth century that ran counter to the priesthood of all believers as
correctly taught in the Bible, the Lutheran Confessions, and by Luther and Walther; and
WHEREAS, the Voters’ Assembly as defined by Walther should exercise its
supremacy over every board and office in the church in frequent and regularly scheduled
Voters’ meetings according to the historic Synodical pastoral theologies written by
Walther and Fritz; and
WHEREAS, pastors should neither function as CEOs nor is their ordination a
sacrament to their congregations; and
WHEREAS, the teaching of C.F.W. Walther’s "Church and Ministry"
and "The Right Form of an Evangelical Lutheran Local Congregation Independent of the
State" is the polity most harmonious with the Bible and favorable to the clear
preaching and teaching of the Gospel, evangelism, and the preservation of the Office of
the Keys God has given to every Christian under the Gospel; therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the 2001 Convention of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
reaffirm that all LCMS Congregations only be governed by supreme voters’ assemblies;
and be it further
RESOLVED, that a clear statement of governance by supreme voters’
assemblies be published in all LCMS congregational constitutions as a condition of
membership in the LCMS; and be it further
RESOLVED, that all pastors, Circuit Counselors, District Presidents, and
Synodical officials publicly teach and support the importance of supreme voters’
assemblies as the official congregational polity of the LCMS, and be it further
RESOLVED, that all Synodical Boards of Regents, Presidents, and faculties only
endorse, promote, and teach their students to practice congregational governance by
supreme voters’ assemblies, and be it further
RESOLVED, that such action will help preserve unity, harmony, and the proper
administration of the Office of the Keys in autonomous LCMS congregations; and be it
finally
RESOLVED, that the LCMS publish and promote Walther’s teaching and practice
on the doctrine of Church and Ministry as the most excellent Scriptural teaching that
maintains God’s order and peace in congregations, affirms the priesthood of all
believers, promotes the full exercise of the Office of the Keys, maintains the Synod as an
advisory body to the congregations, and best facilitates the work of the Great Commission.
Abbreviated
Version of Voter Supremacy Resolution
To Maintain Supreme Voters' Assemblies in the
LCMS Congregations
WHEREAS, under the supremacy of God’s Word and
in Christian liberty all congregations in the LCMS have agreed in Convention to governance
by supreme voters’ assemblies "the church is above (supra) the ministers,"
Trig. 507 par. 11 according to the Lutheran Confessions and Bible ; and
WHEREAS, in similar Christian liberty all congregations in the LCMS have also
agreed to only call pastors certified by the Synod; and
WHEREAS, many new forms of polity are being adopted by LCMS congregations that
remove voter supremacy thus making ownership of the congregations’ property an open
question; and
WHEREAS, the LCMS has rejected the hierarchical practices taught by Grabau and
Loehe in the nineteenth century that ran counter to the priesthood of all believers as
correctly taught in the Bible, the Lutheran Confessions, and by Luther and Walther; and
WHEREAS, the Voters’ Assembly as defined by Walther should exercise its
supremacy over every board and office in the church in frequent and regularly scheduled
Voters’ meetings according to the historic Synodical pastoral theologies written by
Walther and Fritz; and
WHEREAS, pastors should neither function as CEOs nor is their ordination a
sacrament to their congregations; and
WHEREAS, the teaching of C.F.W. Walther’s "Church and Ministry"
and "The Right Form of an Evangelical Lutheran Local Congregation Independent of the
State" is the polity most harmonious with the Bible and favorable to the clear
preaching and teaching of the Gospel, evangelism, and the preservation of the Office of
the Keys God has given to every Christian under the Gospel; therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the 2001 Convention of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
reaffirm that all LCMS Congregations only be governed by supreme voters’ assemblies;
and be it further
RESOLVED, that a clear statement of governance by supreme voters’
assemblies be published in all LCMS congregational constitutions as a condition of
membership in the LCMS; and be it further
RESOLVED, that all pastors, Circuit Counselors, District Presidents, and
Synodical officials publicly teach and support the importance of supreme voters’
assemblies as the official congregational polity of the LCMS, and be it further
RESOLVED, that all Synodical Boards of Regents, Presidents, and faculties only
endorse, promote, and teach their students to practice congregational governance by
supreme voters’ assemblies, and be it further
RESOLVED, that such action will help preserve unity, harmony, and the proper
administration of the Office of the Keys in autonomous LCMS congregations; and be it
finally
RESOLVED, that the LCMS publish and promote Walther’s teaching and practice
on the doctrine of Church and Ministry as the most excellent Scriptural teaching that
maintains God’s order and peace in congregations, affirms the priesthood of all
believers, promotes the full exercise of the Office of the Keys, maintains the Synod as an
advisory body to the congregations, and best facilitates the work of the Great Commission.
Ordination
Not a Sacrament
WHEREAS, several speakers at the 1999 National Walther
Conference noted that there are recent graduates of our seminaries who insist that
ordination is a sacrament which places them in some special class above laymen; and
WHEREAS, the Lutheran Confessions do not teach that ordination is a sacrament
like Baptism and the Lord's Supper; and
WHEREAS, C. F. W. Walther insisted that ordination is not a Sacrament; and
WHEREAS, "A Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod," which is still the official position of the LCMS, says:
"33. Regarding ordination we teach that it is not a divine but a commendable
ecclesiastical ordinance." (Smalcald Articles, Triglot, p. 525, and 70 M., page
342).); and
WHEREAS, some of the speakers of the 1999 National Walther Conference claim that
the doctrine of ordination as a sacrament has come from Concordia Seminary, Ft. Wayne;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the 2001 Convention of the LCMS urge the President and
Vice-Presidents of the LCMS, the Boards of Regents of both Seminaries (Ft. Wayne and St.
Louis) to insist that all LCMS professors teach that ordination is not a sacrament.
Resolution to Certify
Herman J. Otten and to Amend Bylaw 2.09
WHEREAS, in 1957, Reverend Herman J. Otten (hereinafter
Otten) successfully completed the prescribed course of studies at Concordia Seminary, St.
Louis (hereinafter Concordia Seminary), including a year of vicarage, and was granted his
Theological Diploma, which on its face stated that he is fit and suitable to preach the
Word of God and administer the Sacrament as a pastor in the Lutheran Church-Missouri
Synod, and
WHEREAS, since 1958, Otten has served with distinction as the Pastor of Trinity
Lutheran Church, New Haven, Missouri, a church in good standing in the LCMS, and
WHEREAS, the Faculty of Concordia Seminary, subsequent to his receiving of the
Theological Diploma, refused Certification to Otten, and
WHEREAS, Otten subsequently appealed the denial of his Certification by the
Faculty of Concordia Seminary through the Synodical dispute resolution process in force at
that time (Seminary v. Otten), and
WHEREAS, Seminary v. Otten finally came within the jurisdiction of the highest
Synodical judiciary body at that time, the Board of Appeals (hereinafter BOA), and
WHEREAS, the Faculty of Concordia Seminary, before Seminary v. Otten was heard
by the BOA, accepted the burden of proof to justify why they had not Certified Otten, and
WHEREAS, the vote of the BOA on November 11, 1960, on the question whether to
sustain the Faculty of Concordia Seminary in denying Otten Certification resulted in a 5-5
tie, and
WHEREAS, by virtue of the tie vote of the BOA on November 11, 1960, the
Concordia Seminary failed in sustaining their burden of proof in denying Certification to
Otten, and
WHEREAS, Rev. Herman J. Otten has always maintained the BOA vote of November 11,
1960, should have resulted in his Certification, while the Faculty of Concordia Seminary
and various Synodical officials (none competent under the By-laws to render an informed
opinion on the meaning of the BOA vote) held the converse, and Otten did not receive
Certification, and
WHEREAS, the Rev. Dr. Ralph Bohlmann, in his capacity as President of Concordia
Seminary and during his tenure in that office, twice in writing requested from the
Commission on Appeals (successor body to the Boa, hereinafter COA) to rule on the meaning
of the tie of the BOA of November 11, 1960, and
WHEREAS, during the time that the Rev. Dr. Ralph Bohlmann was President of
Concordia Seminary the COA did not render an opinion on the meaning of the tie vote of the
BOA of November 11, 1960, and accordingly when Dr. Bohlmann became Synodical President, he
requested the COA to render an opinion on who was the prevailing party in the November 11,
1960, vote of the BOA in the case of Seminary v. Otten, and
WHEREAS, COA investigated the facts concerning Seminary v. Otten and the tie
vote of BOA of November 11, 1960, pursuant to the request of Synodical President Bohlmann,
and after due deliberation released its ruling on Seminary v. Otten on December 12, 1984,
and
WHEREAS, the COA ruling of December 12, 1984, determined that Otten had been, in
fact, the prevailing party in the case Seminary v. Otten as a result of the BOA vote of
November 11, 1960, and
WHEREAS, all members of Synod were bound by the findings of the COA ruling of
December 12, 1984, and the COA ruling was approved by Synod in Convention in 1986, and
WHEREAS, President Bohlmann refused to accept the finding of the COA ruling
which was released December 12, 1984, which was the result of a meeting of the COA on
November 26, 1984, contending that he, Dr. Bohlmann, had never requested the COA to render
an opinion in the matter, and
WHEREAS, in June, 1998, seven of the nine members of the COA, one member being
deceased and one not recalling, signed statements under penalty of perjury that at a
breakfast meeting of the COA at LCMS headquarters in the Fall of 1983, Dr. Bohlmann orally
requested that the COA once and for all render a decision on the November 11, 1960,
decision of the BOA concerning Rev. Herman Otten,
WHEREAS, neither President Bohlmann nor the Faculty of Concordia Seminary
accepted the COA ruling of December 12, 1984, citing extraneous, unproved allegations
against Otten, which allegedly occurred after the BOA vote of November 11, 1960, and his
Certification was withheld, and
WHEREAS, although Otten displayed his willingness to comply with the suggestions
of Synod in Convention in subsequent sessions, no steps were taken by the Faculty of
Concordia Seminary to effect his Certifications, and
WHEREAS, Synod in Convention in 1995, through Resolution 7-18A, sought to have
the matter of Rev. Herman J. Otten's Certification concluded in a "God-pleasing"
manner, and
WHEREAS, resolution 7-18A mandated the formation of a Special Committee to
determine the facts of the case and submit their findings to the Synodical President, and
WHEREAS, Resolution 7-18A also foresaw a suspension of the normal rules for
Certification in this wording, and
WHEREAS, the Special Committee contained at least one member bearing a personal
animus against Otten and this member was not recused, and
WHEREAS, the Commission on Constitutional Matters (CCM hereafter), shortly after
the 1995 Synodical convention, rendered an opinion that any decision of the Special
Committee related to the issue of Certification of Otten must be in accordance with the
Bylaws of Synod, and since the Bylaws of Synod state that the Concordia Seminary has the
sole power to certify a graduate of Concordia Seminary, the work product of the Special
Committee was rendered irrelevant, and
WHEREAS, the Special Committee gave no credence to the COA ruling of December
12, 1984, and premised their entire approach to the Certification issue that only the
Concordia Seminary could certify Otten, and
WHEREAS, the only way Otten will be certified by the Concordia Seminary is if
the Bylaws of the LCMS are amended to achieve Certification for him. Be it therefore,
RESOLVED that paragraph 2.09(g) is added to the Bylaws of Synod to read as
follows: Rev. Herman Otten, a 1957 graduate of Concordia Seminary, as of the date of his
graduation, was in full compliance with any of the provisions of Section 6.163 of the
Bylaws of Synod that apply to his case, and is by this action of the convention of the
LCMS, Certified as of the date of his graduation from the Concordia Seminary.
Overture
to Amend the Process of Assigning Candidates in the LCMS
WHEREAS, the assignment of calls for new graduates from the Synodical
seminaries to congregations in the LC-MS has become politicized by the Council
of District President as typified by the 32 graduates who were not placed in May
of 1992; and
WHEREAS, students have been reluctant to enroll in the Synodical seminaries
because they do not want to subject themselves to four years of study only to
become political pawns of the COP; and
WHEREAS, there has been a marked decline in enrollment at the Synod’s
seminaries resulting in a shortage of pastors that is in part due to the
politicizing of the call process by the COP; and
WHEREAS, the present process of assigning calls gives the appearance, if it
is not in fact, of being marred by subjectivity and favoritism; and
WHEREAS, the 1998 LC-MS Convention agreed to choose between two candidates
for the Board of Higher Education by lots instead of a politicized election
process; and
WHEREAS, the Convention was encouraged that selection by lots was Biblical
and God pleasing; therefore be it
RESOLVED, that all new graduates be placed by drawing lots in order to remove
the appearance of politics, subjectivity, and favoritism, from the call process;
and be it further
RESOLVED, that placement by lots for new graduates is Biblical and God
pleasing; and be it further
RESOLVED, that the assigning of all pastoral candidates and the selection of
the calling congregations be completed by drawing names of the candidates and
congregations by lots simultaneously from the official list of candidates and
calling congregations; and be it finally
RESOLVED, that all candidates be notified of their calls at the same time.
OVERTURE
REGARDING DR. ROBERT NORDLIE AND JUSTIFICATION
WHEREAS, the President and Vice-President of the LC-MS have found
that Dr. Robert Nordlie, who is on the 2000 clergy roster of the LC-MS, does
not affirm the scriptural doctrine of justification; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Lane Seitz, Dr. Nordlie’s District President, who was
asked to take action, has been defending Dr. Nordlie; therefore be it
RESOLVED, that we ask Dr. Barry to remove Dr. Seitz as district
president or any district president who defends Dr. Nordlie.
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