Official Workbook PDF page source text

2026 Convention Workbook

352 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS

administration of the Sacrament and content themselves with the power of the Word of God and the exercise of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; and be it finally

Resolved, That we memorialize Synod to publicly acknowledge the theological and ecclesial errors committed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to publicly call those who authorized or promoted such errors to repentance, to publicly encourage all Synod congregations, pastors, leadership, and affiliated educational institutions to reflect soberly on these failures and reaffirm, with renewed conviction, their fidelity to Christ, His Word, and the public ministry of Word and Sacrament, especially in times of crisis, and to appoint a Sunday during the year 2027 as a day of fasting, prayer, and repentance for the response to the COVID -19 pandemic during the years 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Circuit 9 (Nashville)

Mid-South District

Ov. 5-26

To Rejoice in Proclamation of God’s Word by His Called and Ordained Servants

WHEREAS, We come to the Divine Service not to serve, but to be served by God through His called and ordained servants, as we confess our sins, hear His words of Absolution spoken by the pastor in the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, hear Law and Gospel rightly divided, and receive the Sacrament of Christ’s body and blood; and

WHEREAS, When we hear the words of forgiveness of our sins spoken by the pastor at Christ’s command, we are to rejoice and to believe them as surely and certainly as if spoken by Christ Himself;

and

WHEREAS, In the orientation of the service the words spoken from the altar, pulpit, and lectern are the words of God spoken for our benefit, whereas the congregation faces the altar and speaks back the words God has said to us; and

WHEREAS, It is a great blessing for all those in the congregation to hear the Word of God spoken by our pastors, who are our servants (Mark 9:35), and it is meet, right, and salutary that we should accept their service to us; and

WHEREAS, Faith comes by hearing (Rom. 10:17), and the use of lay readers for Scripture lessons denies those persons the comfort and benefit of hearing the Word of God spoken directly to and for them by their pastors; and

WHEREAS, No one should publicly preach and teach in the church without a rightly ordered call (AC XIV); there can be no clearer public teaching of the Word of God than reading it in the Divine Service; and thus the use of lay readers can confuse the vocations of the called and ordained pastor as servant of the Word, and of the congregation as hearers of the Word; and

WHEREAS, The use of lay readers can be understood wrongly as an individual “participating” in the conduct of the service, as though greater meaning, benefit, or stature is thereby obtained (and by implication, that those who do not read are taking a lesser role), and we ought not burden mistrained consciences in such manner, in contrast to the right understanding that the whole congregation benefits on an equal basis as it is served by the pastor; and

WHEREAS, As a practical matter the pastor is best suited to read the text without disruption or delay to the flow of the service, and with due emphasis on the pronunciation and salient points of the text, particularly if it forms a portion of and context for the sermon;

therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention give thanks and rejoice in the proclamation of the Word by God’s called and ordained servants; and be it further

Resolved, That the President of the Synod disseminate appropriate resources to assist pastors in catechizing their congregations to understand the great blessing of the role of the pastor in the Divine Service, so that rather than giving offense, laity who have been accustomed to reading Scripture lessons may rather understand and appreciate the service of the pastor for their benefit, and hear with great joy God’s Word as it is read for them; and be it finally

Resolved , That the circuit visitors give emphasis in their visitations of all congregations in the next triennium toward following the practice of having Holy Scripture read by the pastor in worship.

St. Paul Brookfield, IL

Ov. 5-27

To Condemn Use of Women as Lectors

WHEREAS, St. Paul admonishes St. Timothy to devote himself to the public reading of Holy Scripture (1 Tim. 4:13); and

WHEREAS, St. Paul writes, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet” (1 Tim. 2:12); and

WHEREAS, St. Paul instructs that women “remain silent” in the churches (1 Cor. 14:34 NIV); and

WHEREAS, The public reading of Holy Scripture in the context of the Divine Service constitutes interpretation, and therefore teaching, of the Scriptures being read; and

WHEREAS, Pastors are specially trained for the exegesis of Holy Scripture and for the communication of that exegesis through the public reading of the Holy Scriptures; and

WHEREAS, The public reading of Holy Scripture cannot be carried out in silence; and

WHEREAS, Women are therefore disqualified by St. Paul not only from holding the office of pastor, but also from the public reading of Holy Scripture; therefore be it

Resolved, That the North Dakota District in c onvention admonish the congregations of the d istrict under no circumstances to make use of women as lectors for the public reading of Holy Scripture; and be it further

Resolved, That congregations and pastors found in defiance of this admonition be further warned and, if necessary, be subjected to disciplinary procedures as outlined in the Synod Handbook (Bylaw section 1.10); and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod in c onvention condemn the use of women as lectors.

North Dakota District