RESOLUTION 12-12

CTCR Report (CW, pp. 178-180); Overture 12-37 (CW, pp. 429-430)

WHEREAS, The Synod has consistently encouraged its pastors and congregations to adhere to faithful communion practices; and

WHEREAS, Pastors are called to be faithful in their stewardship of the mysteries of God (1 Cor. 4:1-2; 2 Tim. 4:3-4) and are in need of encouragement to carry out this important stewardship; and

WHEREAS, St. Paul admonishes the Corinthians against eating the Lord's Supper with divisions among them (1 Cor. 11:17-18); and

WHEREAS, The Synod in convention has commended for study the 1999 report of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations, "Admission to the Lord's Supper"; and

WHEREAS, Concerns about communion practice still come before district and Synod conventions for resolution; and

WHEREAS, The practice of inviting all baptized believers who merely affirm the real presence while neglecting to address the necessity of unity of confession, is not consistent with the biblical and confessional position of the synod; and

WHEREAS, The Synod Handbook directs the district president to "supervise the doctrine, the life, and the official administration on the part of the ordained or commissioned ministers who are members of his district or are subject to his ecclesiastical supervision" (Bylaw 4.4.5); and

WHEREAS, The Synod Handbook makes provision for official congregational visits by the respective district president or his representative; and

WHEREAS, The Synod Handbook states that the district president is to "seek to bring about to the greatest possible degree the achievement of the synod's objectives as expressed in Article III of its Constitution"� (Bylaw 4.4.4 [b]); and

WHEREAS, The Synod Handbook states that the district president "See to it that all resolutions of the Synod which concern the districts are made known to the districts and are carried out by them."� (Article XII, 9 (a); along with Bylaw 1.3.6); and

WHEREAS, The Synod Handbook states that "he shall conduct his official visits in an evangelical manner" (Bylaw 4.4.4 [c]) and "come to the pastor and the congregation as a brotherly advisor" (Bylaw 4.4.4 [d]); therefore be it

Resolved, That during this next triennium each district president (or his representative) be encouraged to address the congregation's administration of the Lord's Supper in his official visitations, spending time in the Word of God, discussing the Synod's position on "close(d) communion"�; and be it further

Resolved, That those practices which are not in harmony with the Scriptures and Lutheran Confessions be addressed fraternally and evangelically with the goal of bringing about harmony and consistent practice especially as that applies to the Lord’s Supper; and be it further

Resolved, That the President of the Synod be exhorted to see that the district presidents apply themselves faithfully to this task in accord with his responsibility as detailed in the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod (LCMS) Constitution Article XI B, especially paragraphs 2, 3, and 4; and be it finally

Resolved, That in accord with LCMS Constitution XII 9 a and b, each district president shall report the progress of this visitation regarding proper communion practices to the Synod President no less than 90 days before the 2019 LCMS Convention so that the Synod President can report regarding this visitation resolution at that convention.