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LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 376

2026 Convention Workbook
341THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
doctrine, is clearly contrary to the Word of God, which clearly 
teaches that women are not to be called and ordained into, nor carry 
out the public functions of, the pastoral office (1 Tim. 2:12; 1 Cor. 
14:34). (To be clear, SELK as such has not adopted this position, 
but continues to work to overcome a dissensus, not at present 
regarded as church divisive, in which both sides acknowledge the 
other to believe its position is scriptural.) 
The actions of the SELK follow a pattern that has occurred most 
recently in the Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA), which 
continued discussions and voted on six occasions to ordain women 
until eventually a majority was achieved in 2024. This pattern has 
been recognized by, among others, Dr. Matthew Becker, then an 
ordained minister in the LCMS, who in 2010 asserted that clear 
majorities of the SELK favored women’s ordination, and predicted 
that the SELK and the LCA would ordain women. Becker criticized 
Synod President Matthew Harrison’s efforts to dissuade the Japan 
Lutheran Church (JLC) from ordaining women ( Matthew Becker, 
“Women’s Ordination and LCMS Partner Churches ,” Transverse 
Markings: One Theologian’s Notes , De c. 7, 2010, 
matthewlbecker.blogspot.com/2010/12/womens-ordination-and-
lcms-partner.html).  The parallels between the SELK and the LCA 
are also recognized by another liberal voice in the Synod (Karl 
Wyneken, “Let’s Include Women in the Pastoral Office,” The 
Daystar Journal , Aug . 21, 2016, thedaystarjournal.com/lets-
include-women-in-the-pastoral-office). Sadly, President Harrison’s 
faithful and fraternal efforts were unsuccessful as the JLC did adopt 
women’s ordination and as a result, the 2023 Synod convention 
recognized that the Synod was not in fellowship with the JLC (2023 
Res. 5-07). 
SELK Bishop Hans -Jörg Voigt  has asserted  “The convention is 
striving for clarity on the [women’s ordination] issue.”  However, 
clarity and unity must be grounded firmly on pure doctrine, not on 
an agreement to disagree. The SELK states that “a majority of its 
members currently [emphasis added] consider it impossible for the 
practice of the ordination of women and the rejection of this practice 
to coexist on equal terms in the SELK” (Matthew Block, “SELK 
Pastoral Convention Offers Clarity on Ordination,” Aug. 14, 2025, 
ilcouncil.org/2025/08/14/selk-pastoral-convention-offers-clarity-
on-ordination). Notably absent from the SELK’s public statements 
is the assertion that a dual system cannot exist because the 
alternative—women’s ordination —is false doctrine.  
The SELK is already promoting female pastoral assistants, deacons, 
and theology professors, and is unable to advance a clear theological 
justification for the limitation of the Office of the Holy Ministry to 
men. 
W
HEREAS, Holy Scripture clearly teaches that women are not to 
be called and ordained into, nor carry out the public functions of , 
the pastoral office (1 Tim. 2:12; 1 Cor. 14:34); and 
WHEREAS, The SELK officially approves of and practices the 
service of women as pastoral assistants, deacons, and theology 
professors, and has voted by a strong majority that advocacy of full 
women’s ordination is to be the topic of cooperation and respect 
rather than condemning it as false doctrine not to be tolerated in the 
church of God; and 
W
HEREAS, The Synod  recognizes with deep sadness and regret 
that differences in doctrine and practice exist between the Synod 
and the SELK; and 
WHEREAS, Twenty-five years of formal and informal doctrinal 
discussions in the SELK have neither resolved the issue of women’s 
ordination in favor of the scriptural position, nor offered any basis 
for assuming that it will be resolved in the foreseeable future; and 
WHEREAS, The Synod understands altar and pulpit fellowship to 
be a gift of God that exists by His grace on the basis of complete 
agreement in doctrine and practice; therefore be it 
Resolved, That the Synod  affirm the inerrancy, inspiration, 
clarity, and authority of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19– 21); 
and be it further 
Resolved, That the Synod  with deep sorrow and regret declare 
that it can no longer recognize altar and pulpit fellowship with the 
SELK; and be it further 
Resolved, That the Synod acknowledge and express deep regret 
over its own shortcomings and failures in not giving adequate 
attention to these theological concerns, and repent especially of its 
own actions causing confusion and lack of clarity on the issue of 
women’s ordination, including without limitation installing women 
as chaplains and allowing vested women deacons in the Divine 
Service; and be it finally 
Resolved, That the Synod herewith commit itself to openly and 
eagerly pursuing further doctrinal discussions with the SELK 
should the SELK  at any time be open to such discussions, in the 
hope that by God’s grace our church bodies might once again attain 
complete agreement in doctrine and practice and once again enjoy 
the gift of God-given and God-pleasing altar and pulpit fellowship. 
St. Paul 
Brookfield, IL 
Ov. 5-09 
To Reconsider Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with 
The American Association of Lutheran Churches 
WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church– Missouri Synod (LCMS) 
declared altar and pulpit fellowship with The American Association 
of Lutheran Churches (AALC) at its 2007 convention (Res. 3-01); 
and 
WHEREAS, The AALC has in recent years received into its 
membership numerous pastors and congregations that are former 
LCMS members, including pastors removed from the LCMS roster 
for cause; and 
W
HEREAS, The Synod recognizes fellowship with partner 
churches on the basis of agreement in doctrine and practice; and 
WHEREAS, In these matters, the AALC has raised doubts about 
its agreement with the LCMS and its willingness to work together 
as a partner church; therefore be it 
Resolved, That the Synod in convention call  the AALC to 
repentance for its failures in ecclesiastical supervision and church 
relations and urge them to rectify these errors; and be it further 
Resolved, That the Synod dissolve its fellowship with the AALC 
at the 2029 Synod convention unless those errors have been 
rectified in advance of that convention to the satisfaction of the 
President of the Synod as the chief ecumenical officer of the Synod. 
Circuit 13 (Indiana) 
English District