LCMS 2026 Convention Field Guide

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Report number/id: R62.7
Report title: R62.7 A Theology and Philosophy of Lutheran Education (2025)
Workbook start page: 235
Workbook end page: 241
Source pages: 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240, 241
Source status: source_checked
Committee: Not available

R62.7

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THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS —COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
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A Theology and Philosophy of Lutheran Education
PREFACE
The 2023 Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod convention passed Resolution 5-10,
which tasked the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) with
articulating a “theology and philosophy of Lutheran education.”
1 The convention
speciﬁcally asked the CTCR to “develop principles of Lutheran education rooted
in Lutheran doctrine,” including doctrines such as “justiﬁcation, biblical creation,
ﬁrst article gifts, right and left kingdom perspectives, and Lutheran anthropology.”
The process was to include consultation with representatives of the Concordia
University System universities and Synod education executives, among others,
with the goal of producing a “clear, concise, and readable” pamphlet that would
be accessible to “workers, lay leaders, and families” and applicable to all levels of
education, from preschool through secondary education.
The CTCR’s primary task is to provide guidance to the Synod in explaining and de-
fending what it believes, teaches, and confesses, in accord with Scripture and the
Lutheran Confessions. Its charge from the constitution and bylaws of the Synod
is to “conserve and promote the unity of the true faith,” “provide a united defense
against schism, sectarianism . . . , and heresy,” and “aid congregations by providing
a variety of resources and opportunities for recognizing, promoting, expressing,
conserving, and defending their confessional unity in the true faith.”
2 This report
aims to fulﬁll that charge and the Synod’s resolution, but it is not comprehensive,
nor does it provide actionable directions for pedagogy. It provides an overarching
principle that drives all of Lutheran education and a theological analysis of select
doctrinal themes that pertain most directly to the current intellectual, pedagogi-
cal, and social concerns facing classrooms at every level and which were named in
the resolution.
Ultimately, this is a theological report. It focuses more on explaining the relevance
of these doctrines for Lutheran education than on educational method or practice.
Many other themes and topics could have been considered (for instance, explain-
ing the sacraments to students and families from nonsacramental churches, the
1 2023 Resolution 5-10, 2023 Convention Proceedings, 155. The resolution is provided in full at the end
of this booklet.
2 LCMS Constitution, Article III, 1 and 6; cf. Bylaw 3.9.5.
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use and role of classical or biblical languages, curriculum and methodology, among
other perennial concerns). However, the Commission does not envision this docu-
ment as the end of the discussion. Rather, it intends that other, more educationally
speciﬁc entities of the Synod (such as the Concordia University System and its
universities, Synod education executives, and others not named in the resolution,
like school administrators and educators) might take up these ideas and augment
them, expand on them, apply them, or otherwise use them in their context as they
see ﬁt.
In the process of drafting this report, the Commission engaged specialists in
Lutheran education—including Concordia University System presidents and ad-
ministrators and Lutheran school administrators and teachers—in the hopes of
addressing concerns that are most relevant to them. Yet it concluded that those
educational professionals are more apt to evaluate competing educational theories
and prescribe more speciﬁc applications than the Commission itself. This report is
submitted for the purpose of clearly and faithfully articulating how these Lutheran
doctrines could and should govern education within Lutheran institutions.
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THE OVERARCHING
PRINCIPLE
What guides Lutheran education?
The truth of Holy Scripture—God’s Word—is the guiding principle in Lutheran
churches, in the schools of those churches, and in the education those schools
provide. Lutheran Christians aﬃrm that Scripture is the ultimate authority for
our faith and life together.
3 The books of the Old Testament and New Testament
are the inerrant Word of God—inspired by the Holy Spirit, trustworthy and true
in all that they teach (John 10:35; Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:16–21).
4 We
also believe that the Lutheran Book of Concord, which contains theological state-
ments from sixteenth-century Lutheran reformers, is a correct interpretation of
that Word of God, and we require that all pastors and rostered teachers in our
churches and schools aﬃrm those teachings without reservation or alteration. The
teachings of Holy Scripture govern what we believe (our doctrine) and what we
do (our practice). Wherever that Word of God speaks, we must abide by it and
conform our minds to it. That extends to matters of science, creation, and history,
or any other subject, in addition to the teaching of the church’s faith. Where and
to what extent it does not speak on a matter, we are free to exercise the God-given
reason that all humans have, yet always bearing in mind that human reason is fal-
lible and subservient to what God has clearly said in His Word.
We believe that the center of this Word of God and of these Lutheran Confessions
is Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God and Second Person of the Holy Trinity, who
is true God and true man. He is the Word of God made ﬂesh (John 1). With all
Christians of every time and in every place, we believe in the saving death and res-
3 See FC SD Comprehensive Summary, 9.
4 See also Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod (Adopted 1932), sections
1–3, available at http://www.lcms.org/doctrine/doctrinalposition, and A Statement of Scriptural and
Confessional Principles, available at http://www.lcms.org/doctrine/scripturalprinciples#IV.
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urrection of Jesus Christ, and we proclaim the forgiveness of sins through faith in
this Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:16; 2 Cor. 5:11–21; 1 Peter 1:23–25). While that may not nec-
essarily provide concrete direction for all practical matters related to education,
it must be said that Jesus, the forgiveness of sins He oﬀers through His Gospel,
and the mission and ministry carried out in His name and at His command (Matt.
28:16–20) are the reason for the work Lutherans do in their congregations and in
their schools and give focus to our proclamation, worship, and education.
5
How does this Lutheran understanding of the Word of God as the overarching
principle of Lutheran education (and Christ as the incarnation and center of that
Word), then, impact the work of our schools on a practical level? We may divide
matters such as these into three diﬀerent spheres or domains, corresponding to
the three articles of the ancient Christian creeds: one dealing primarily with our
daily, bodily lives, or the gifts of creation; one dealing with salvation, or redemp-
tion from sin; one dealing with the Christian life, or sanctiﬁcation.
5 See also LC II, 54–55.

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THE FIRST ARTICLE
Lutheran Education and Creation (or Our
World, Lives, and Everything in Them)
What role does human reason play in Lutheran education?
Lutherans believe that God has created every person and has given each of them
the gift of human reason, which helps all people—including those without Chris-
tian faith—to understand and appreciate the world around them. Martin Luther’s
Small Catechism says that God has given me “my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all
my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.”
6 God has
given us human reason to understand the world which He has created, to support
and protect our bodily lives, and to love and serve our neighbors. As the Lutheran
Confessions say (citing St. Augustine):
We grant that all people have a free will. It is free as far as
it has the judgment of reason. This does not mean that it is
able, without God, either to begin, or at least to complete,
anything that has to do with God. It is free only in works of
this life, whether good or evil. Good I call those works that
spring from the good in nature, such as willing to labor in the
ﬁeld, to eat and drink, to have a friend, to clothe oneself, to
build a house, to marry a wife, to raise cattle, to learn various
useful arts, or whatsoever good applies to this life.
7
Human reason in this sense is not reduced to strictly logical, cerebral expressions,
but also includes creative expressions such as art and music. We are free to use this
human reason, but only in a way that does not contradict what God has revealed
to us in His Word.
6 SC Explanation of the First Article; emphasis added.
7 AC XVIII 4–5 .
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Lutherans have often referred to this as the ministerial use of reason, which helps
us understand the truths God has revealed in His Word, the truths that are present
in His observable creation, and the basic conventions of language, grammar, logic,
and rhetoric that we use to communicate and debate. This is diﬀerent from the
magisterial use of reason, by which sinful humans force Holy Scripture to conform
to our natural understanding of the world and everything in it.
8 Human reason, as
we see it exercised in education, must not undermine or contradict Holy Scrip-
ture. Where Scripture speaks, we must believe and teach that truth. Where Scrip-
ture does not speak, we are free to use the human reason given to us by God to
pursue an understanding of our world. Even non-Christians have the gift of human
reason and use it to the beneﬁt of those around them—think of the innumerable
advances in science, technology, the ﬁne arts, literature, history, to name but a
few, where we have learned and beneﬁted greatly from those who do not share our
Christian faith. Nevertheless, this does not mean Lutherans divide or oppose faith
and reason. On the contrary, we believe that Christians should always use human
reason in light of the truths God Himself has revealed in Holy Scripture. Human
reason informed by God’s Word will prevent its misuse or misapplication, which
is especially harmful in areas like morality and ethics. Moreover, Lutherans also
understand that human reason—unlike God’s Word—is not infallible. The human
understanding of the world around us will invariably change as we gain more in-
formation or as we revise our prior knowledge through experimentation, logic, etc.
We cannot trust human reason to be correct in all things; we can, however, trust
God’s Word in all that it tells us.
How do Lutherans study subjects not clearly revealed in Scripture?
When it comes to biblical teachings on the faith or morality (these teachings are
most often referred to as “theology”), what Scripture says is clear and must be
reﬂected in our own teaching. But what about subjects like the sciences, art, or
music? Where Scripture does not directly address these subjects, we are free to
use our God-given human reason to explore them. This is because God has estab-
lished His world in an orderly way that is open to human study and observation.
However, our teachers must distinguish between the complete certainty of what
God has revealed in Holy Scripture and the provisional nature of what is known by
other means. For instance, in relation to disciplines such as the natural sciences, it
is scripturally clear that God created the world in six days (Genesis 1). That means
8 Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics (Concordia Publishing House, 1950), 1:196–200.
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we cannot accept an evolutionary theory that contradicts this six-day creation. On
the other hand, Scripture does not teach how we are to conduct scientiﬁc research,
such as the use of scientiﬁc methods of experimentation, so we are free to teach
that method as human reason best sees ﬁt, at the same time always conscious
of the truths revealed in Scripture about creation. Lutherans are not opposed to
science. Nicolaus Copernicus found support in Wittenberg among the Lutherans.
Even when scientiﬁc views contradict the Bible, we do not deny the use of reason
within its domain. Rather, we revel in the advance of science where it conﬁrms the
complex ordered nature of the world from subatomic particle to the far reaches of
the universe or identiﬁes a common human as ancestor of all living people, there-
by pointing to a creator.
The arts and literature are approached in a similar way. We teach, study, and prac-
tice the visual or ﬁne arts using our God-given “eyes, ears, and all [our] members”
9
to create and appreciate the beauty of the sung word, painted canvas, or archi-
tectural design. This is a gift of God’s creation. To take but one example, Martin
Luther himself extolled the ancient histories, poetry, and literature of the classical
period, even though they were composed by pagans who did not know the God of
the Holy Scriptures. They provided illustrations of beauty, skill, and citizenship
that could be admired by Christians. On preparing youth for participation in gov-
ernment, for instance, Luther says,
Here we are excelled and put to shame by the pagans of old,
especially the Romans and Greeks. Although they had no idea
of whether this estate was pleasing to God or not, they were
so earnest and diligent in educating and training their young
boys and girls to ﬁt them for the task.
10
There are no strict rules in Scripture governing history or poetry, music or art.
Yet we must not use those created gifts in a way that undermines what God has
revealed or in a way that misuses His creation. In the case of the humanities or
social sciences, we are free to create, read, and interpret all the literature in these
ﬁelds as expressions of God-given human reason, but we do so with a discriminat-
ing eye. Like the natural sciences, we dare not teach the ﬁndings of non-Christian
social theories as if they were certain or categorically true. Moreover, we must re-
ject them when they conﬂict with scripturally based beliefs about humanity or the
created world or morality. Social theories can and may be wrong, for their authors
are not infallible—only God’s Word is infallible and trustworthy.
9 SC Explanation of the First Article.
10 Luther, “T o the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany That They Establish and Maintain Christian
Schools,” AE 45:367.
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Why do Lutherans value the study of nontheological disciplines?
Lutherans seek to educate students in subjects and disciplines not expressly re-
vealed in Scripture because we also believe such studies contribute greatly to the
life of the mind, to the well-roundedness of the individual, and to the betterment
of the common good. We encourage that the study of engineering, agriculture,
art, architecture, history, literature, music, and other such disciplines be rooted
in and subservient to God’s Word. God has created a world that testiﬁes to Him
in its order and beauty. A Christ-centered education will help students cultivate
their God-given faculties: They will learn to use their “eyes, ears, and all [their]
members” and their “reason” and “senses” to observe and delight in the beauty
and order throughout God’s creation that testiﬁes to Him. As the psalmist says,
“Great are the works of the L/o.smallcap/r.smallcap/d.smallcap, studied by all who delight in them” (Psalm 111:2).
Through these studies, students and teachers practice good stewardship of their
God-given mental faculties. In addition to cultivating a delight in God’s handi-
work, studies in various ﬁelds also prepare students for their vocations of service
to their neighbor—whether as doctors, musicians, artists, engineers, architects, or
in any other career. Lutherans encourage all educational disciplines—from prac-
tical vocational skills to liberal arts, ﬁne arts, social sciences, and STEM disci-
plines—to celebrate God’s creation as His creatures, to give glory to the God who
created the world and everything in it, and to recognize simultaneously both our
distinct status as the image-bearers of God and the humility we should have as
fallen sinners standing in awe of the heavens and earth that God has created.
How does a biblical view of humanity inform Lutheran education?
Since Lutheran Christians believe God has created each individual, as Scripture
declares, this will have important implications for how Lutheran educators talk
about humanity and the moral and ethical choices all humans must make. Scrip-
ture clearly reveals not only the six-day creation but also how God has created hu-
manity and desires all humans to live in accordance with their created design. God
has made us either male or female, according to our biological anatomy (Gen. 1:27;
Gen. 2:21–23). He has created marriage as a lifelong bond between one man and
one woman (Matt. 19:3–9; 1 Cor. 7:10–11). He has instituted marriage between one
man and one woman for the purposes of companionship and procreation (Gen.
2:18–25). He has reserved sexual activity solely for marriage between that one man
and that one woman (Ex. 20:14; Matt. 5:27–30). Through the sexual union of that
one man and one woman, God ﬁlls the earth (Gen. 1:28). God gives life—from

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conception through natural death—as a precious gift, and that gift of life must be
respected and protected (Psalm 51:5; Psalm 139:13–17; Jer. 1:5). God creates every
human—no matter ethnicity, language, or nationality—and therefore condemns
racism or bigotry of any sort (Acts 10:34–35; Acts 17:26).
That which is rooted in God’s Word must be upheld and practiced in our schools
even when it does not resonate with wider cultural opinion. We abide by what
Scripture teaches—in our classroom instruction, student discipline, or person-
al counsel. However, Lutheran educators also understand that many within our
schools may not share the same beliefs about how God has made us biologically or
how he commands us to live sexually. We trust our administrators and instructors
to exercise responsible discretion in attending to these conﬂicts and addressing
them with sensitivity and patience. At the same time, we require a commitment to
biblical teachings concerning marriage and sexuality and also require our teachers
to support and be committed to the same. Only through “speaking the truth in
love” (Eph. 4:15) might our educators remain faithful to God’s Word and bring it
to their students (and their parents) in a way that contradicts unbiblical, immor-
al beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors condoned by the larger non-Christian culture
(and even many misled or erring Christians).
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THE SECOND ARTICLE
Lutheran Education and Redemption
(or the Gospel of Jesus Christ)
How does the reality of sin inform Lutheran education?
Lutheran Christians believe that human beings were created in the image and
likeness of God, perfectly reﬂecting His righteousness as His good creation (Gen.
1:27). However, we also believe sin entered the world with the fall of Adam and Eve
in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). The entrance of sin has removed our original
purity, holiness, and godliness, and placed us under God’s judgment and wrath
(Rom. 5:12–21; 7:21–25). This sin has infected every human being at conception
(“original sin”).
11 Sin has twisted our desires toward things God has prohibited or
things that are unhealthy for us spiritually or physically (“concupiscence”). Act-
ing upon these desires, we believe, think, and do things contrary to God’s Word
(“actual sins”). All of these forms of sin—whether we know of them or not—are
against God’s will. Yet we believe that Jesus alone oﬀers the forgiveness of sins to
those who believe in His Gospel.
This understanding of sin impacts our education in several ways. First, on an in-
tellectual level, we believe that sin has led to the misunderstanding and misuse of
God’s creation (Rom. 1:18–32). We must correct that misunderstanding and mis-
use through our instruction. For instance, we are obligated to correct mistaken
theories and views often taught in classrooms that deny God’s creation or that
condone sexual sins. Second, on a personal level, we must instruct our students
about the nature of sin, its implications for their spiritual lives, its temporal con-
sequences in their daily lives, and the need for repentance of those sins. Third, we
believe that we must also oﬀer students grace for their sins by sharing with them
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we seek to model that grace in the care we oﬀer
our students. That also means we do not withhold disciplinary action as a conse-
quence for their disobedience (Heb. 12:9–11), yet we also give teachers discretion
11 AC II.
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to allow students to make mistakes, learn from their errors, and improve. Student
discipline is also a valuable opportunity to teach repentance and oﬀer forgiveness.What role does the Gospel play in Lutheran education?
Lutheran theology clearly distinguishes between the Law and the Gospel. Cer-
tain passages of Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments set forth the Law,
God’s requirements for our lives (or His “unchanging will”). These requirements
reﬂect the moral standards for how we are to live in accordance with how God
has made us and what He has told us to do, especially as we see this in the Ten
Commandments (Ex. 20:2–17). We believe that obedience to this Law will help to
protect us from temporal consequences and bring temporal blessings in this life,
that the preaching of this Law makes us aware of our sins against God and His
Word, and that this Law provides concrete guidance for how we should lead our
Christian lives. The teaching of the Law is distinct from the Gospel. The Gospel,
also found in both the Old and New Testaments, is the promise of the forgiveness
of sins on account of Jesus’ suﬀering, death, and resurrection, which we receive by
faith alone. We unreservedly proclaim the forgiveness of sins for all who believe
in Jesus, that Jesus is the only hope and path for salvation, and that God brings
sinners to repentance and faith and forgives their sins through the preaching of
the Word—rightly divided between Law and Gospel—and administration of the
sacraments of Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
While we believe the Law provides shape and form to the moral life and should
govern our instruction and behavioral expectations in Lutheran schools, it can-
not be an end in itself when dealing with fallen sinners. It must be accompanied
by a proclamation of the Gospel. Teaching the Law may provide clear moral ex-
pectations to students, but only the teaching of the Gospel (through which the
Holy Spirit gives and sustains faith) will lead to changed hearts, renewed lives, and
eternal salvation. Ultimately, all truly good works are fruits of the Spirit that arise
solely and freely from faith in the Gospel (Gal. 5:22–23) rather than from the fear
of the Law (Gal. 2:16), as the Lutheran Formula of Concord says.
12 We desire that
all students in Lutheran schools hear the Gospel of what Christ has done for them,
believe in Jesus Christ, and receive Baptism for the forgiveness of their sins. We
do this in the conﬁdence that, through faith in the Gospel, they will grow to have
the “mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16), conform themselves to God’s Word, and live
12 FC SD VI 5.
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according to God’s Law. Lutheran schools also maintain the distinction between
Law and Gospel when it comes to the discipline of students. Though there may be
consequences and punishments for misbehavior, these are also occasions for the
declaration of the forgiveness of sins in Christ.
Why do Lutheran schools teach theology and gather for worship?
Lutheran Christians do not provide a strictly secular or intellectual educational
experience, free from religious curriculum or practice. A central part of education
in a Lutheran institution is to provide for instruction in the Christian faith (“cat-
echesis”), primarily from the Holy Scriptures and Luther’s Small Catechism. That
may come in the classroom, in the form of theology classes required for all stu-
dents (Lutheran or not), as well as in teaching within other disciplines where the
faith of Lutheran teachers informs their instruction in the humanities or sciences.
There is no “religion-free” space in Lutheran schools. While theology is taught
unapologetically from a Lutheran perspective to students, Lutheran or not, that
faith should also come through in other areas of the curriculum.
Likewise, worship is essential to every Lutheran school (e.g., in regularly sched-
uled chapel services, classroom prayers or devotions, Scripture memorization, and
the like). Such worship opportunities allow Lutheran schools to share what makes
them most unique: the faith that they believe, teach, and confess. Lutherans do
not simply speak about their faith, they also sing about it, and they sing about it
in worship. We read Scripture, conﬁdently pray according to our Lord’s promises,
sing hymns or psalms, and preach the Gospel in a way that children come to learn
and believe the truths of the Christian faith and commit them to the head and the
heart. The worship life of a Lutheran school enables students, faculty, and staﬀ to
hear the Word as it is read, taught, proclaimed, prayed, or sung.

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THE THIRD ARTICLE
Lutheran Education and Sanctiﬁcation
(or the Christian Life)
What is the relation between Lutheran schools and the state (laws,
educational regulation, etc.)?
Lutherans typically distinguish between God’s two ways of working in the world.
This is sometimes described as God’s right-hand and left-hand “kingdoms.” His
right-hand, eternal, spiritual kingdom is where He works through the preaching
of His Word, and His left-hand, temporal, earthly kingdom is where He works
through the authorities He has instituted in the civil government. In the left-hand
kingdom, God has established authorities in the form of governments, politicians,
judges, militaries, and law enforcement to protect the lives and property of citi-
zens (Rom. 13:1–7; 1 Peter 2:13–14). This also includes state regulations concerning
education. Our Lutheran schools seek to abide by all civil laws and regulations,
including those that govern education. Our Lutheran schools also urge their fam-
ilies to be good citizens, pray for their leaders, and play an active role in our po-
litical system. Lutheran institutions serve this left-hand, civil realm by preparing
law-abiding citizens to contribute to society in many practical ways, from the pol-
itician to the social worker, from the accountant to the elementary school teacher.
At the same time, our Lutheran schools are institutions of the church that also
ultimately serve the right-hand realm: the ministry of God’s Word. These schools
have many diﬀerent missions to serve many diﬀerent populations. Some seek to
educate Lutherans or train them for church service, some seek to aid underserved
populations by providing quality education, some see themselves as evangelistic
outposts and alternatives to secular schools, and some provide higher education
to a broader public. In all cases, however, they are institutions of the church, which
is called to the right-hand work of proclaiming the Gospel and teaching the Scrip-
tures in accordance with the Lutheran understanding of the faith. The government
must not impede the confession and mission of our schools by overstepping its
left-hand authority (e.g., when laws or regulations dictate or limit what our insti-
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tutions teach about the faith, who may teach in our schools, and what behaviors we
must allow). If civil government trespasses into right-hand matters (faith, moral-
ity, and the like), our schools may appeal to their constitutional right to religious
freedom in opposing those actions and will obey God, not man (Acts 5:29).
What is the Lutheran understanding of vocation?
Lutheran Christians believe God has called each of us to a variety of holy voca-
tions where we might serve God and our neighbor in word and deed. Vocations
are callings from God, who places all people into a number of diﬀerent roles and
responsibilities in the course of their lives. The primary vocation for every Chris-
tian is the call of the Gospel. We are called to be baptized children of God who
lead lives of service to God and neighbor in the freedom God has given us through
forgiveness and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives (Romans 8; Galatians 5).
There is no greater or holier calling than to be a baptized child of God. God has
also called each of us to various places in life with speciﬁc responsibilities.
13 In the
family or household, one may be a husband or wife, parent or child, breadwinner
or homemaker (Eph. 5:21–6:9; 1 Peter 3:1–7). In the church, one may be a pastor or
parishioner, church worker, church oﬃcial, elder, deacon, teacher, or student. We
believe whatever place we ﬁnd ourselves in, there God has called us to act as His
baptized children. We live according to God’s Word and serve Him as His children
wherever He has placed us.
Lutheran schools seek to train students for speciﬁc vocations into which God will
call them. Our schools must provide a well-rounded education that prepares stu-
dents for work or further schooling in everything from the natural sciences to the
humanities, from technical trades to church work. It also means that all students
from a Lutheran school should understand what the Scriptures teach about the
world and everything in it, about sin and the redemption we have in Christ, and
about how we are to lead our lives in accordance with God’s design and Word. As
students are formed in the theological and moral foundations of the Christian
faith, and are trained to excel in their specialized vocations in the world, they will
be prepared to serve not just the church, but also society as a whole. In Luther’s
words, we should “especially urge magistrates and parents to rule well and to send
their children to school” that they might be of service to “both God’s kingdom and
that of the world.”
14
13 See SC, Table of Duties.
14 SC, Preface, emphasis added.
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A Theology and Philosophy of Lutheran Education
What is the vocation of a Lutheran teacher?
In the ﬁrst place, Lutheran educators function as extensions of parental authority
in the lives of the children they teach. The responsibility for the instruction of chil-
dren ultimately belongs to parents. The Large Catechism says that all authority—
governmental, religious, even educational—“ﬂows and is born from the authority
of parents.”
15 Parents are charged with raising their children in the faith (Deut.
6:7), supporting and protecting their children in their lives and bodily needs, and
providing for, overseeing, and involving themselves in their education. Parents are
the primary teachers of their children. Lutheran educators work with and along-
side parents in this task. Teachers do not replace or compete with parents, but
rather act in place of them ( in loco parentis) in classroom instruction or in dis-
ciplinary matters. Parents delegate this care of their children to teachers in the
subjects they teach and the supervision they provide.
In another sense, however, Lutheran educators also function as extensions of the
ministry of the Word through their associated congregations. Since the schools
are ministries of the church, our teachers are considered “ministers” of the church
too. Lutherans believe that God has established the ministry of pastors (what we
call the “Oﬃce of the Public Ministry”) to preach and teach the Word, administer
the Sacraments, conduct the public services of the church, and oversee the doc-
trine and worship life of the congregation that has called them. As servants of the
church’s school ministry, however, teachers assist in the church’s work of teaching
the Word (what we call the “public ministry”), not in the form of public preach-
ing or conducting public worship services, but rather through teaching the Word
to the students under their care. That means everything the teacher does in the
life of the school—whether the administrative work of the principal, the religious
instruction of the theology teacher, or the discipline-speciﬁc instruction of the
science or art teacher—brings the Word of God to bear upon the life of the school
and ministers to the spiritual as well as the intellectual needs of the students. In
Lutheran schools, teachers play an instrumental role in this ministry of the Word.
This is a high and noble calling, yet also one of Christlike service. At the same time,
no one should take advantage of the dedication of our teachers. It is vital for the
future of Lutheran schools that educators be honored, respected, and supported
ﬁnancially.
Lutheran teachers often receive a formal “call” from the school as a public rec-
ognition of their training and ﬁtness for this service. Called teachers are usually
installed into their positions in public worship services, as an indication of their
15 LC I 141.
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The Lutheran Church/emdash.lnumMissouri Synod
service to the church. Teachers eligible for a “call” receive training, either in a uni-
versity or seminary of the church, or through some other educational program, to
instruct them in the basics of Lutheran theology. All teachers in Lutheran schools
are obligated to uphold the teachings of the church in their instruction and per-
sonal conduct, to submit themselves to oversight of their instruction and personal
conduct by appropriate representatives of the church, and to abide by the consti-
tution and bylaws of the school’s congregation and larger church body. In schools
which cannot be staﬀed solely by trained Lutheran faculty, teachers are still to
understand that they are serving an institution of the Lutheran Church and shall
teach in accordance with the faith of the Lutheran Church.

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THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS —COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
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A Theology and Philosophy of Lutheran Education
CONCLUSION
This proposed theology and philosophy of Lutheran education derives from the
Lutheran understanding of Holy Scripture and the doctrines that we believe,
teach, and confess. Lutherans do not seek to be contrarians in their approach to
education, yet these core approaches to Holy Scripture and to the doctrines taught
by Scripture cannot help but contradict some theories of education. In many re-
spects, this is what makes Lutheran education unique. Theology is at the core of
our faith and life together, and therefore it will impact the education we oﬀer in
ways that are incompatible with secular models of education that reject our theol-
ogy. What St. Paul urges the Romans should be true for Lutherans educationally:
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your
mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and
acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2).
There is and can be no single, deﬁnitive “Lutheran” approach to education that
will prescribe all acceptable forms of classroom instruction or subjects of study.
Lutherans have used many diﬀerent models of education over the centuries that
do not contradict their confession of faith. Therefore, the ideas articulated here
are not to be seen as binding us to a particular model of education, nor are they
exhaustive. They do not address practical matters of pedagogy or curriculum or
school policy. They are not intended for a particular level of Lutheran education
(seminary, undergraduate, high school, K–8, early childhood). Nor do they advocate
for a particular form of education (parochial school, classical school, homeschool-
ing). On the contrary, this document provides some foundational theological di-
rection on commonly asked questions which might be of use to administrators,
teachers, parents, and students at every level and in every form of education. We
commend this exploration of a theology and philosophy of Lutheran education
to the educators and educational institutions of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod, that it may support them in the work they undertake, together with us all,
of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
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The Lutheran Church/emdash.lnumMissouri Synod
Further Resources from the Commission on Theology and Church
Relations (CTCR) of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
A Chaste and Decent Life: An Update to Human Sexuality 1981; 2023
Creation in Biblical Perspective; 1970
In Christ All Things Hold Together: The Intersection of Science and
Christian Theology; 2015
The Ministry: Oﬃces, Procedures, and Nomenclature; 1981
Render unto Caesar . . . and unto God: A Lutheran View of Church and
State; 1995
/two.lnum/two.lnum
A Theology and Philosophy of Lutheran Education
To Articulate Theology
and Philosophy of Lutheran Education
RESOLUTION 5-10
Reports R1, R1.2.1, R14 (CW, 1–3, 14, 64–69)
W/h.smallcap/e.smallcap/r.smallcap/e.smallcap/a.smallcap/s.smallcap, Our Lutheran schools at every level face constant challenges in a
world of competing philosophies; and
W/h.smallcap/e.smallcap/r.smallcap/e.smallcap/a.smallcap/s.smallcap, Our Synod would beneﬁt from a clearly articulated theology and
philosophy of Lutheran education that considers sound principles from the doc-
trine of justiﬁcation, biblical creation, ﬁrst article gifts, right and left kingdom per-
spectives, and Lutheran anthropology, to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of
various educational philosophies; and
W/h.smallcap/e.smallcap/r.smallcap/e.smallcap/a.smallcap/s.smallcap, A clear, concise, and readable theology and philosophy of Lutheran
education could help guide our workers, lay leaders, and families from preschool,
grade school, high school, and secondary education as they make curriculum, dis-
cipline, and other decisions on a daily basis; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Commission on Theology and Church Relations—in con-
sultation with representatives from Concordia University System universities,
Synod education executives, and others—develop principles of Lutheran educa-
tion rooted in Lutheran doctrine; and be it further
Resolved, That a pamphlet be produced for written and electronic distribution
to help guide congregations, schools, workers, and parents in the task of faithfully
leading students in their education.
2023 Convention Proceedings
Page 155

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241
THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS —COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
OBER
Unity
in Doctrine, Uniformity
and Variety in Practice
A STUDY DOCUMENT OF THE COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
OCTOBER 2025
Unity
in Doctrine, Uniformity
and Variety in Practice
A Study Document
© 2026 The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod 1333 S. Kirkwood Road St. Louis, MO 63122 888-THE LCMS • lcms.org
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture
quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
Cover Image: LCMS Communications/Erik Lunsford
Contents
Preface........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 1
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Early Church ................................................................................................................................................................................................................5
Case Study 1
JerusalemCouncil(Acts 15) ......................................................................................................................................................................... 5
CaseStudy 2
Date of Easter(Second Century)................................................................................................................................................................ 7
Lutheran Reformation ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
CaseStudy 3
Lutherans Invocait Sermons(1522) ...................................................................................................................................................... 11
CaseStudy 4
Adiaphoristic Controversy (16thCentury) .......................................................................................................................................... 15
The Missouri Synod .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19
CaseStudy 5
Formation of theSynod (1847) ............................................................................................................................................................... 19
CaseStudy 6
Lay Lectors(1989) ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 22
What Now? ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 27

R62.7 A Theology and Philosophy of Lutheran Education (2025)

Official Workbook report source text

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