Official Workbook PDF page source text

LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 387

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 
W
HEREAS, 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 
W
HEREAS, 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 
W
HEREAS, 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 
W
HEREAS, 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