RESOLUTION 3-04
Overtures 3-03–04, 3-06 (CW, pp. 325–327); President’s Report, Part 2 (TB, pp. 21–31)
WHEREAS, The Triune God, the author and creator of life, defines human life as being present from the moment of conception (Ps. 139:13–14; Matt. 1:20; Luke 2:21); and
WHEREAS, Children are a blessing from the Lord (Ps. 127:3, 5); and
WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) is committed to upholding the sanctity of human life from the time of conception; and
WHEREAS, The LCMS, through LCMS Life Ministry, provides resources to the church regarding the sanctity of human life; and
WHEREAS, There are a multiplicity of options regarding procreation, fertility, and care of the unborn (e.g., contraception, procreative alternatives, reproductive assistance, and even abortion); and
WHEREAS, At the least, a partial causal factor of this multiplicity of options has been continually new and rapidly emerging developments in science and technology; and
WHEREAS, Christians are seeking guidance from the church based on the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions regarding the use of contraception, in vitro fertilization (IVF), other reproductive technologies, and the use of aborted fetal tissue for medical purposes; and
WHEREAS, Many of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) documents and reports on life issues are now decades old, and the applicable science and technologies addressed therein have greatly, rapidly, and considerably changed, even as other new science and technologies have emerged in the same intervening time period, even in the last few years; and
WHEREAS, LCMS Life Ministry has recently hosted a series of meetings to discuss such issues among qualified theologians, ethicists, physicians, and lay persons; and
WHEREAS, Out of love for the neighbor, the church must ever look afresh at such critical issues and responsibly address them on the basis of God’s Word; therefore be it
Resolved, That the President of the Synod appoint a task force within the Office of National Mission consisting of the Director of LCMS Life and Health Ministries and representatives from Lutherans for Life, the CTCR, each of the Synod’s seminaries, and rostered LCMS church workers or lay members of the LCMS congregations who are respected for their expertise in the fields of medicine, procreative science, theology, ethics, and the like to study issues surrounding fertility and procreation; 1 and be it further
Resolved, That this task force gather and arrange points for consideration, coordinate discussion, and identify actions leading to the production of appropriate LCMS responses to these issues (reports, study documents, essays, other media, and the like) with the CTCR and/or other appropriate LCMS entities; and be it finally
Resolved, That this task force continue this aforementioned work of leadership, facilitation, and coordination, and summarize its activities in a report to be completed by December 31, 2018, along with accompanying recommendations in the form of appropriate overtures to the Synod’s 2019 national convention.
[The estimated cost to implement this proposed resolution appears in the Report of the Finance Floor Committee – found in Sunday’s issue of Today’s Business.]