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LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 253

2026 Convention Workbook
218 
THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS  —COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
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would therefore have especially grave concerns about the possibility of an 
ordained woman being elevated to these important leadership positions in the 
church. Once again, it is the proponents of women’s ordination who should 
object most strenuously to this clear restriction of women’s service in 
important positions of leadership merely to seek to appease those who hold a 
position that (the proponents believe) cannot be justified by Scripture. 
 
Concluding Remarks  
 
Article 2 (“Confession”) of the Constitution of the LCA states: 
 
The Church accepts without reservation the Holy Scriptures of the Old 
and New Testaments, as a whole and in all their parts, as the divinely 
inspired, written and inerrant Word of God, and as the only infallible 
source and norm for all matters of faith, doctrine and life. (2.1) 
 
Tragically, the 2024 “Way Forward” proposal renders this confession 
meaningless.  As noted earlier, WFDF rightly frames the impasse in the LCA as 
rooted in a disagreement about what the inspired, inerrant and infallible Holy 
Scriptures teach on the question of the ordination of women. Some in the LCA 
are convinced that the Scriptures clearly prohibit the ordination of women; 
others are convinced that the Scripture passages in question “cannot be used 
this way. ” If members of the LCA truly believe what they confess in Article 2 of 
the LCA’s Constitution, namely, that the Scriptures are “the only infallible 
source and norm for all matters of faith, doctrine and life, ” then they would 
have to insist that this profound disagreement over what the Scriptures teach 
cannot be allowed to stand. The disagreement must be resolved, in one way 
or another, on the basis of the church’s “only infallible source and norm. ” 
 
What WFDF says, however, is that what Scripture says or doesn’t say on this 
matter doesn’t really matter. Those who are convinced that it teaches one 
thing and those who are convinced that it teaches the opposite thing can 
nonetheless live together in peace and harmony, as “one church with one 
teaching on ordination” (10). Perhaps the most damning aspect of WFDF is 
the utter disrespect it shows to Scripture itself while giving lip service to the 
LCA’s strong and clear confessional article. If the LCA can accept and tolerate 
contradictory convictions about what Scripture teaches about ordination, one 
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cannot help but wonder (and one is even obligated to seriously ponder) what 
other differences and disagreements can and will be tolerated on critical 
“matters of faith, doctrine and life, ” all for the sake of a pragmatic, institutional 
“unity” that cannot possibly be sustained in any meaningful way. 
 
We noted at the outset of this evaluation the clear, consistent and well-known 
position of the LCMS on this issue. We also indicated that our primary goal in 
this document has been to evaluate WFDF on its own terms, not on the basis 
of the LCMS position. However, lest there be any question or doubt, the CTCR 
firmly and unanimously believes that the LCMS position on the ordination of 
women is fully in accord with the teaching of Scripture and the Lutheran 
Confessions. For those interested in knowing more about what the LCMS 
believes and teaches in this regard, and why, we are providing in Appendix B a 
selected list of resources that further explicate the position of the LCMS on 
this issue. In brief, that position honors (1) the enduring truth and goodness of 
the order of creation within the family and within Christ’s Church, (2) the 
male-only Old Testament offices of prophet, priest, and king fulfilled in the 
Son of God Incarnate, (3) the Son’s own institution of His Office of the Holy 
Ministry (limited to qualified men— 1 Cor. 14:34-35, 1 Tim. 2:11-12), and (4) the 
Holy Spirit’s gift of the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God as the sole 
authority for the Church’s doctrine and practice, which also offers many 
excellent testimonies of the godly service of women.  
 
Finally, the CTCR is compelled to offer a sincere and fraternal word of 
consolation, support and encouragement to those in the LCA who remain 
committed to the LCA’s historic, Scripture-based position on the ordination of 
women, who are therefore also deeply troubled by this proposal, and who 
have been placed in a terrible position by the LCA’s decision to prioritize 
pragmatic institutional “unity” over genuine theological agreement and true 
unity in doctrine and practice. Some will undoubtedly be compelled by their 
consciences to leave the LCA despite all the attendant sacrifices and 
challenges that will entail. Others will undoubtedly make the equally difficult 
decision to remain, even if they cannot accept any or all of the assumptions, 
claims and promises of WFDF and will thus inevitably be thrust into assuming 
a posture of in statu confessionis of some sort, likely without any clear 
understanding of what that means in this situation or what implications or 
consequences it might have on “the way forward. ” We pledge our heartfelt 
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prayers and any feasible support we can offer to those who find themselves in 
either of these painful, unenviable positions. 
 
Adopted Unanimously
  
Commission on Theology and Church Relations 
December 6, 2024 
WAY FORWARD 
Detailed Framework 
Prepared for Convention of General Synod 2024 
Approved for publication in the Book of Reports  
by General Church Board and College of Bishops 
19 July 2024 
APPENDIX A