Official Workbook PDF page source text

2026 Convention Workbook

318 LIFE TOGETHER

side, we unanimously reject and condemn all the following errors … That the external visible elements of bread and wine in the holy sacrament should be adore d” (FC Ep VII 40 [Tappert]; emphasis added); and

WHEREAS, Chemnitz rejects “the carrying about, the reservation, and the adoration of the bread , all of which are beyond the usage instituted by Christ” (Martin Chemnitz, The Lord’s Supper, J. A. O.

Preus, tr. [CPH, 1979], 50; emphasis added); and

WHEREAS, While it has been a Lutheran custom that the congregation kneels during the entire Words of Institution (Friedrich Lochner, The Chief Divine Service [CPH, 2020], 253), it has not been a Lutheran custom until the late 20th century that the presiding minister would elevate the host and cup and then kneel to adore them; and

WHEREAS, Teachers of the Synod have repeatedly rejected this practice throughout our history, such as when Eugene Klug and Otto Stahlke call the adoration of the “external visible elements of bread and wine” (FC Ep VII 19; SD VII 126) “false adoration” (Eugene F. Klug and Otto F. Stahlke, Getting into the Formula of Concord [CPH, 1977], 115); and

WHEREAS, This practice has not been in any of the Synod’s hymnals; and

WHEREAS, Despite this, the adoration of the host is practiced in several of our congregations, educational institutions, conventions, and convocations of the Synod today; and

WHEREAS, Regarding the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, our Lord Jesus Christ told us to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19); and

WHEREAS, St. Paul writes that there is one baptism (Eph. 4:5);

and

WHEREAS, There is no reference in the New Testament to people splashing water in remembrance of their Baptism; and

WHEREAS, Dipping and making the sign of the cross in holy water is a practice of the Roman Catholic Church; and

WHEREAS, In the Small Catechism, Luther writes that the water in Baptism is plain water unless it is combined with the Word of God in an actual Baptism, and that we remember our Baptism through daily contrition and repentance (SC IV, Holy Baptism); and

WHEREAS, The practice of placing a baptismal font or basin at the entrance of the church and encouraging worshippers to dip their fingers and make the sign of the cross was not practiced in the Lutheran church until the late 20th century; and

WHEREAS, Until recently, baptismal fonts were dry unless there was a baptism; and

WHEREAS, There is nothing special about the water in a baptismal font unless it is being used to baptize; and

WHEREAS, This practice has also crept into many congregations, educational institutions, conventions, and convocations of the Synod in the last several years; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) be requested to study the practices of Eucharistic adoration and the dipping of fingers in the baptismal font, examining them in light of Holy Scriptures, the Lutheran Confessions, and the historic practice of the church; and be it further

Resolved, That the CTCR report its findings and recommendations to the Synod in convention; and be it finally

Resolved, That congregations, educational institutions, convocations, and conventions of the Synod be encouraged to refrain from these practices pending the report.

Benediction Milwaukee, WI

Ov. 4-30

To Condemn Delivery of Children’s Sermons in Divine Service by Laity

WHEREAS, Children’s sermons in the Divine Service are often delivered by laity; and

WHEREAS, Our C onfessions state that no one should publicly teach, preach, or administer the S acraments without a proper [public] call (AC XIV); and

WHEREAS, The delivery of children’s sermons in the Divine Service has the character of public teaching and preaching and includes as its audience not only the children to whom the sermon is directly addressed, but also the adults present; therefore be it

Resolved, That the North Dakota District in convention condemn the delivery of children’s sermons in the Divine Service by laity;

and be it further

Resolved, That the Praesidium of the district rebuke congregations that make use of laity to deliver children’s sermons in their Divine Service; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod in convention condemn the delivery of children’s sermons in the Divine Service by laity.

North Dakota District

Ov. 4-31

To Honor and Guard Chief Divine Service of Local Congregation

WHEREAS, The Chief Divine Service is the primary time and place in which the faithful gather to receive the Lord’s gifts, His holy Word and Sacraments, in a particular locale (Heb. 10:25; SC 1, Third Commandment; Matt. 18:20); and

WHEREAS, In the Chief Divine Service, offered and delivered is the forgiveness of sins, and thereby life and salvation; and where and when the Lord’s Supper is celebrated, our Lord’s very body and blood are present upon the altar, distributed, and received; therefore, to be absent from this gathering is a grave thing not to be taken lightly, both due to the need for our own faith to be constantly strengthened and due to our neighbors’ need for our presence, encouragement, and support; and

WHEREAS, The devil and the world delight to keep the faithful away from the Chief Divine Service, offering any number of alternatives, many of which are not sinful in and of themselves, but are still unbecoming of the Church due to their conflict with the principal gathering of her people and with her Lord’s service to her there; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod and its districts, congregations, auxiliaries, and recognized service organizations not offer other activities or events of general interest and intentional appeal, including (but not limited to) conventions, conferences, speakers’ presentations, educational programs, camps, meals, fundraisers, and anniversary observances, that conflict with the Chief Divine Services of those congregations that are proximate to the activity or