To Reaffirm and Encourage Teaching and Practice of Closed Communion

Official Workbook overture source text

5-16 
To Reaffirm and Encourage Teaching  
and Practice of Closed Communion 
WHEREAS, Members of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod 
are bound by the Lutheran Confessions to regard Holy Scripture as 
the teaching of the Holy Supper of our Lord, Jesus Christ:  
• That His body and blood are truly and substantially present, 
distributed, and received in, with, and under the elements of 
the bread and wine (AC X); and  
• 
That these are received by both the believing and 
unbelieving participants, by those who eat in repentance and 
faith, to “forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation” (SC VI) and 
by those who eat in unrepentance or unbelief, to judgment 
(Ap XXIV; FC Ep VII; FC SD VII); and  
• That to obtain such faith, the preaching office is instituted by 
our Lord to administer the Gospel and the Sacraments (AC 
V), with those filling it thus having grave responsibility for 
the souls in their care (SC VI); and 
WHEREAS, The true unity of the Church is found in the pure 
teaching of the Gospel and right administration of the Sacraments 
(AC VII); and 
WHEREAS, St. Paul himself admonishes the Corinthians against 
assembling to eat the Supper of our Lord with divisions among 
them, thus coming together not for the better but for the worse (1 
Cor. 11:17–18); and 
WHEREAS, True doctrine necessarily regulates practice, as the 
confessors write, “The custom has been retained among us of not 
administering the sacrament to those who have not previously been 
examined and absolved” (AC XXV); and, “In our churches Mass is 
celebrated every Sunday and on other festivals, when the sacrament 
is offered to those who wish for it after they have been examined 
and absolved” (Ap XXIV), and as our Lord says, “My mother and 
my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it” (Luke 
8:21); and 
WHEREAS, The responsibility of pastors as stewards of the 
mysteries of God is not as hirelings or pleasers of any man or group 
of men, but as servants of Christ; it being required of stewards that 
they be faithful (1 Cor. 4:1–2); and keep watch over souls as those 
who will have to give an account (Heb. 13:17); therefore be it 
Resolved, That the pastors of our Synod be exhorted, as duty 
bound by the office before the almighty God, to whom they will 
have to give an account for the souls entrusted to them, to teach, 
exhort, practice, and defend closed  Communion, communing only 
those who have been examined and absolved, who are neither living 
in open, unrepentant sin, nor under the ban, who have been taught 
and confess, not only the true doctrine of the Lord’s Supper, but all