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LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 379

2026 Convention Workbook
344 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
by means of another legitimate call or else depose him for only one 
or more of these causes: ungodly doctrine, ungodly life, or 
incompetence; and 
WHEREAS, The Synod has over the years, at almost every 
convention, revised its Bylaws with regard to aspects of governance 
and structure that affect the divinely instituted office of the 
ministerium docendi evangelii et porrigendi sacramenta (AC V 1); 
and 
WHEREAS, In the Synod’s Bylaws, the following sections pertain 
to the employment and deposal of persons holding the divinely 
instituted office: (1) expulsion from the Synod of either 
congregations or rostered workers (Bylaw sections 2.14 –2.17); (2) 
restricted or suspended status (Bylaws 2.13.2 –2.13.4); (3) removal 
of officers or board members of the Synod or districts (Bylaws 
1.5.7–1.5.8); (4) removal of seminary faculty or administrators 
(Bylaws 3.10.5.7.5–3.10.5.7.9); (5) removal of university faculty or 
administrators (Bylaws 3.10.6.9.4– 3.10.6.9.6); and (6) dispute 
resolution (Bylaw section 1.10); and 
W
HEREAS, The Commission on Handbook (COH) regularly 
revises and reviews the constitution and Bylaws according to the 
directives of the Synod in convention; therefore be it 
Resolved, That in the coming triennium the COH be assigned the 
project of reviewing not only all the sections listed in the fourth 
whereas above, but also all parts of the Handbook , to ensure that 
such sections and parts are in compliance with our doctrine and 
practice of the divinely instituted office of the ministerium docendi 
evangelii et porrigendi sacramenta (AC V 1); and be it further 
Resolved, That in order to assist with this task, the COH be urged 
to consult three orthodox statements of our doctrine of the ministry: 
(1) The 2003 report of the Commission on Theology and Church 
Relations, Theology and Practice of “the Divine Call” ; (2) Kurt 
Marquart, The Church and Her Fellowship, Ministry , and 
Governance (Fort Wayne: IFLCR, 1990, 103–173, especially 157–
160); and (3) Robert D. Preus, “ The Doctrine of the Call in the 
Confessions and Lutheran Orthodoxy”, (John A. Maxfield, ed., 
Church and Ministry Today: Three Confessional Lutheran Essays  
[Saint Louis: Luther Academy, 2001], 1–50); and be it finally 
Resolved, That the COH report its findings to the 2029 Synod 
convention, along with any proposed revisions to the Bylaws to 
bring them more fully into compliance with the Scriptures, the 
Lutheran Confessions, and our doctrine and practice of the divine 
call. 
Mission of the Cross 
Crosslake, MN 
Ov. 5-13 
To Request Comprehensive Review  
When Call Is Terminated or Self-Terminated 
WHEREAS, The Synod has committed to caring for pastors and 
church workers in one of its seven mission priorities, to wit: 
“promote and nurture the spiritual, emotional, financial, and 
physical well -being of pastors and professional church workers” 
(2023 Res. 4 -03, “To Affirm and Continue Mission Priorities for 
2023–26 Triennium,” Proceedings, 136–37); and 
WHEREAS, There are a number of reasons a person might self -
terminate a Divine Call (e.g., age of retirement, mental or physical 
health concerns or incapacitations, personal conviction, etc.); and 
WHEREAS, There is biblical precedent for the non -death ending 
of a tenure of service (e.g., Num. 8:23–26); and 
WHEREAS, The Commission on Theology and Church Relations 
(CTCR) discussed termination of a Divine Call in its 2003 Report, 
Theology and Practice of “t he Divine Call, ” only from the 
perspective of outside termination and not self-termination; and 
WHEREAS, Care should be given to the worker and the people of 
God served by the worker throughout the length of a Divine Call, 
including if a call is terminated or self-terminated; and 
WHEREAS, There is a paucity of theological rationale and 
practical direction in the Synod for the many ways a Divine Call 
might be self-terminated before death; and 
WHEREAS, There can be confusion in the church over legitimate 
and illegitimate reasons for terminating or self-terminating a Divine 
Call, which might result in anxiety over candidate status; therefore 
be it 
Resolved, That church workers and congregations be given clear 
teaching on the theological and practical procedures when a Divine 
Call is terminated or self-terminated; and be it further 
Resolved, 
That the English District memorialize Synod to 
instruct the CTCR to offer clarity regarding theological and 
practical considerations for the ways a Divine Call might be 
legitimately or illegitimately terminated or self-terminated ; and be 
it further 
Resolved, That the district in convention memorialize the Synod 
that the Council of Presidents is to establish support and training 
materials for church workers who self -terminate their Divine Call 
legitimately; and be it finally 
Resolved, That district presidents and circuit visitors work with 
the workers and congregations of their districts to support their 
called church workers before, during, and after times of termination 
or self-termination. 
English District 
Ov. 5-14 
To Study How to Amend Practice  
of Issuing “Divine Calls” to Positions  
Not in Direct Service of Proclamation of Gospel  
and Administration of Sacraments 
WHEREAS, Article V of The Augsburg Confession (AC) states, 
“So that we may obtain this faith [namely, that (our) sins are 
forgiven for Christ’s sake (AC IV 2)], the ministry of teaching the 
Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted”; and 
WHEREAS, AC XIV states, “Our churches teach that no one 
should publicly teach in the Church, or administer the Sacraments, 
without a rightly ordered call”; and 
W
HEREAS, The Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope 
(Tr) 60 states, “The Gospel assigns those who preside over churches 
the command to teach the Gospel (Matt. 28:19), to forgive sins 
(John 20:23), to administer the Sacraments, and also to exercise 
jurisdiction”; and 
WHEREAS, The Smalcald Articles (SA) III X 2 teaches that “[the 
bishops] do not even want to be true bishops, but worldly lords and 
princes, who will neither preach, nor teach, nor baptize, nor 
administer the Lord’s Supper, nor perform any work or office of the 
Church”; and