Version History
Current published version
Today's Business, Issue 3. pp. 341-342. Revised published proposal.
Official Resolution Source Text
Resolution: 8-04
Canonical number: 8-04
Committee: Finance
Source: Today's Business, Issue 1
Printed pages: pp. 136-137
PDF pages: 136-137
Version: original, superseded
Source reference: Issue 1, pp. 136-137
Line numbers follow Today's Business, Issue 1, with numbering reset on each printed page, so delegates can compare this page with the official PDF.
Page 136
- To Expand Access to the Lutheran Confessions
- RESOLUTION 8-04
- Reports R1, R1.2, R1.2.1–2, R1.2.4–5, R1.3, R5–8, R15–57 (CW, 1–5, 15–28, 31–37, 46–56, 95–141); Overtures 8-09–
- 12 (CW, 441–43)
- WHEREAS, The primary objectives of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, as stated in Constitution Article III,
- are to: “conserve and promote the unity of the true faith (Eph. 4:3–6; 1 Cor. 1:10), work through its official structure
- toward fellowship with other Christian church bodies, and provide a united defense against schism, sectarianism (Rom.
- 16:17), and heresy”; and to “strengthen congregations and their members in giving bold witness by word and deed to the
- love and work of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and extend that Gospel witness into all the world”; and
- WHEREAS, We pray in the collect for the Church that “Thy Word, as becometh it, may not be bound, but have free
- course and be preached to the joy and edifying of Christ’s holy people” (The Lutheran Hymnal, p. 14); and
- WHEREAS, The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (Lutheran Confessions), as listed in Const.
- Art. II “as a true and unadulterated statement and exposition of the Word of God,” are an indispensable resource for
- achieving the primary objectives of the Synod; and
- WHEREAS, Concordia Publishing House (CPH) is the official publishing house of the Synod; and
- WHEREAS, CPH in 2006 published the Lutheran Confessions under the title: Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions—
- A Reader’s Edition of the Book of Concord, 2nd edition (Reader’s Edition); and
- WHEREAS, The Reader’s Edition, with its historical introductions and other included materials, presents the Lutheran
- Confessions most intelligibly and clearly, is the generally preferred English translation among native and non-native
- English speakers alike, and is the preferred source for most derivative translations into other languages; and
Page 137
- WHEREAS, CPH has recently made public the website bookofconcord.cph.org that contains the confessional text of
- the Reader’s Edition (2nd ed.), but, as of yet, the website does not include any of the notes or annotations; and
- WHEREAS, Since the website went live in January 2026, there have been over 32,000 active users from 139 countries,
- visiting over 180,000 pages (Site statistics from CEO, Jonathan Schulz); therefore be it
- Resolved, That we commend CPH for making the Reader’s Edition (2nd ed.) easily available as of January 2026 and
- for their endeavor to provide such resources as evidenced by the upcoming release of the Spanish version of the Book of
- Concord; and be it further
- Resolved, That CPH explore the feasibility and cost of adding the helpful notes and annotations from the Reader’s
- Edition (2nd) to its online publication at bookofconcord.cph.org and likewise include that as part of its report to the next
- convention of the Synod.
