Official Workbook PDF page source text

2026 Convention Workbook 218

THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS —COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

13 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 14 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 15 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