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LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 399

for preaching, teaching, catechesis, pastoral care, evangelism, and 
defense of the faith; and 
WHEREAS, The C hurch benefits when pastors are formed to 
handle the Word of God with confidence rooted in direct textual 
study rather than dependence upon external aids alone; and 
WHEREAS, Our Lord commands His Church to love God not only 
with heart and soul but also with mind (Matt . 22:37), and St. Paul 
exhorts ministers to “ rightly handl [e] the word of truth” (2 Tim . 
2:15); and 
WHEREAS, St. Paul pronounces the very words of Scripture and 
indeed every word of Scripture as “God-breathed and useful” (2 
Tim. 3:16 NIV) and himself declares and defends the G ospel of 
Christ with arguments based on the precise wording of the sacred 
Scriptures; and 
WHEREAS, Dr. Luther warned that the devil himself seeks to 
deprive the Church of the biblical languages: “We do not see many 
instances where the devil has allowed [Greek and Hebrew] to 
flourish by means of the universities and monasteries; indeed, these 
have always raged against the languages and are even now raging. 
For the devil smelled a rat, and perceived that if the languages were 
revived a hole would be knocked in his kingdom which he could 
not easily stop up again. Since he found he could not prevent their 
revival, he now aims to keep them on such slender rations that they 
will of themselves decline and pass away. They are not a welcome 
guest in his house, so he plans to offer them such meager 
entertainment that they will not prolong their stay. Very few of us, 
my dear sirs, see through this evil design of the devil” ( Luther’s 
Works 45:358); and whereas Dr. Luther perceived that nothing less 
than the Gospel itself was at stake: “In proportion then as we value 
the gospel, let us zealously hold to the languages. For it was not 
without purpose that God caused his Scriptures to be set down in 
these two languages alone—the Old Testament in Hebrew, the New 
in Greek” (ibid., 359); and 
W
HEREAS, Dr. C.F.W. Walther envisioned thus regarding his 
seminary in 1883: “In this house, neither the word of man nor the 
wit and wisdom of man, but rather the Word of God and the entire 
Word of God, and that which serves the elucidation and application 
of that Word, shall be studied with unwearied diligence, day after 
day, from the first rays of the morning until late after nightfall” (cf. 
C.F.W. Walther, “1883 Dedication Address,” Concordia Journal 
15 no. 3 [July 1989]: 224); therefore be it 
Resolved, That the Synod seminaries, across all their programs, 
maintain and enhance courses of study that attend to careful, 
thorough study of Holy Scripture and ensure that all pastors 
certified for ordination demonstrate strong knowledge of and glad 
reception of “the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures of the Old and 
New Testaments as the … only true standard or norm by which all 
teachers and doctrines are to be judged” (FC SD , Comprehensive 
Summary, 3); and be it further 
Resolved, That the Synod reaffirm and encourage the seminaries 
to maintain and deepen rigorous instruction in the original 
languages of Holy Scripture, emphasizing direct translation and 
exegetical engagement with the biblical text; and be it further 
Resolved, That the Synod encourage the seminaries to resist 
trends toward reduced or merely introductory engagement with the 
biblical languages in pastoral formation; and be it further 
Resolved, That the  Synod seminaries be commended and 
encouraged to double down on forming pastors who are capable of 
independent, faithful handling of the s criptural text in the original 
languages for the sake of the Church’s preaching and teaching; and 
be it further 
Resolved, That the Synod seminaries instill in our future pastors 
those 
habits and disciplines that maintain the ongoing study of 
Scripture, including the knowledge and use of the biblical 
languages, throughout a lifetime of ministry, and that circuits and 
districts foster and encourage the same; and be it finally 
Resolved, That the Synod give thanks to God for His Word and 
pray for pastors formed to proclaim it faithfully and confidently. 
Board of Regents 
Concordia Seminary 
Ov. 6-05 
To Uphold Deep and Broad Study  
of Book of Concord in Synod Seminaries 
WHEREAS, The Book of Concord serves as the Church’s binding 
doctrinal confession because (Latin: quia) it faithfully confesses the 
teaching of Holy Scripture, as set forth in the Formula of Concord 
(FC Ep, Summary Content); and 
WHEREAS, Pastoral formation within the Synod requires more 
than familiarity with the Lutheran Confessions, but sustained study 
that forms pastors who confess, teach, and practice theology in full 
accord with them; and 
WHEREAS, The unity of the Church is preserved when pastors are 
formed to interpret Scripture and conduct ministry within the shared 
doctrinal framework of the Confessions; and 
W
HEREAS, The Synod has consistently affirmed quia 
subscription to the Lutheran Confessions as foundational to pastoral 
formation and ecclesial trust; therefore be it 
Resolved, That the Synod reaffirm and encourage the seminaries 
of the Synod to maintain and deepen comprehensive, integrated 
instruction in the Book of Concord throughout the curriculum; and 
be it further 
Resolved, That confessional formation not be treated as a 
discrete academic subject alone, but as a hermeneutical and 
theological framework shaping all pastoral instruction; and be it 
further 
Resolved, That the seminaries be encouraged to form pastors 
whose preaching, teaching, and practice flow from a robust quia 
commitment to the Lutheran Confessions; and be it finally 
Resolved, That the Synod give thanks to God for the Lutheran 
Confessions and pray for pastors who confess them faithfully in 
doctrine and life. 
Mount Hope, Casper, WY; St. Paul, Milford Center, OH;  
Trinity (Decatur Rd), Fort Wayne, IN 
Ov. 6-06 
To Uphold Deep and Broad Study  
of Book of Concord in Synod Seminaries 
WHEREAS, The Book of Concord serves as the Church’s binding 
doctrinal confession because (Latin: quia) it faithfully confesses the 
teaching of Holy Scripture, as set forth in the Formula of Concord 
(FC Ep, Summary Content); and 
WHEREAS, Pastoral formation within the Synod requires more 
than familiarity with the Lutheran Confessions, but sustained study 
2026 Convention Workbook
364 PAST ORAL MINISTRY AND SEMINARIES