To Recognize That the Synod Is Not in Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche

Official Workbook overture source text

5-08 
To Recognize That the Synod  
Is Not in Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with 
Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche 
Preamble 
Attempts to introduce women’s ordination into Selbständige 
Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche, or the Independent Evangelical 
Lutheran Church in Germany (SELK)  (which is currently listed as 
a Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod [LCMS] partner church and a 
member of the International Lutheran Council), have been actively 
underway for at least 25 years. At best, the SELK is unable to give 
a clear confession on God’s Word as applied to the Office of the 
Holy Ministry, and accordingly, is not in altar and pulpit fellowship, 
which is a gift of God that exists by His grace on the basis of 
complete agreement in doctrine and practice. 
In 2000, the SELK published “ Die wesentlichen Argumente zur 
Frage einer Ordination von Frauen zum Amt der Kirche, soweit sie 
bisher in der Selbständigen Evangelischlutherischen Kirche 
(SELK) geäussert wurden” (www.selk.de/download/fo-pap.pdf), or 
“The Main Arguments on the Question of the Ordination of Women 
to the Office of the Church, as far as they have been expressed so 
far in the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK)”. 
In 2009, the SELK further published Dokumentation zum 
Beratungsprozess “Ordination von Frauen zum Amt der Kirche” in 
der Pfarrerschaft der SELK 1999 –2009, or Documentation of the 
Consultation Process “Ordination of Women to the Office of the 
Church” in the Clergy of the SELK 1999– 2009. One of the 
documents contained therein, entitled “ Gruppenantrag an den 11. 
Allgemeinen Pfarrkonvent im Mai 2009 als Gegenantrag zum 
Antrag der Kirchenleitung und des Kollegiums der 
Superintendenten”  (p. 43), 31 SELK pastors asserted in a proposed 
overture (never adopted) that n o consensus was re ached on the 
theological interpretation of Scripture regarding women ’s 
ordination and further, that while the ordination of women remains 
prohibited in the SELK, the ordination of women was to be deemed 
a matter of church order, not doctrine, and left to the church’s 
discretion, and discussion would remain open. 
Most recently, at the 15th General Pastoral Convention of the SELK 
held June 23–27, 2025, 47 percent of the pastors present considered 
it theologically possible for the SELK to have some members who 
practice women’s ordination
. Yet rather than repenting of the fact 
that nearly half of its pastorate would allow the possibility of a 
position clearly contrary to Scripture, 80 percent of the pastors 
voted to assure supporters of women’s ordination of “brotherly 
cooperation, respect for their position, and a willingness to listen to 
their concerns” rather than rebuking those holding to this false 
doctrine (Matthew Block,   “SELK Pastoral Convention Offers 
Clarity on Ordination,” Aug . 14, 2025, 
ilcouncil.org/2025/08/14/selk-pastoral-convention-offers-clarity-
on-ordination). 
Further, 88 percent of the SELK delegates voted to “c ommit 
themselves to continuing to promote the services of women in the 
SELK as provided for in the church regulations: pastoral assistants, 
lectors, church council members, church councilors, deacons, 
catechists, lecturers at the Lutherischen Theologischen Hochschule, 
etc.” (ibid.) 
To assert that there are scriptural and confessional arguments in 
favor of women’s ordination, and that the issue is not a matter of