To Reconsider Woman Suffrage in the Church

WHEREAS, The 1969 convention of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod (LCMS) passed Resolution 2-17, “To Grant Woman Suffrage and Board Membership,” permitting congregations to adopt women’s suffrage and at the same time stated that any such suffrage in the congregation must not conflict with the order of creation or infringe on the pastoral office (Proceedings, 88); and

WHEREAS, An important principle of our Lutheran Reformation was found in Martin Luther’s own confession at Leipzig in 1519 and at Worms in 1521 that councils can and do err; and

WHEREAS, The Scriptures clearly prohibit women from exercising authority over men as noted in 1 Tim.2:11–12 and1 Cor. 14:34–35; and

WHEREAS, The polity of many LCMS congregations grants members of the voters’ assembly authority over weighty matters including the calling of a pastor and the final excommunication of a sinner; and

WHEREAS, Voting is clearly an act of authority over men, in that voting in the congregation determines matters which affect both men and women; and

WHEREAS, A voters’ assembly which gives equal authority to both men and women overturns the order of creation and undermines the God-given distinction between men and women revealed in the Scriptures; and

WHEREAS, Our Synod strongly opposed the practice of women’s suffrage in the church for the first 122 years of its history on the basis of the Word of God, and many of its pastors and congregations continue to oppose the practice to the current day; and

WHEREAS, Scripture offers to women praiseworthy vocations to serve God as wives, mothers, and in various capacities within the church (altar guilds, ladies’ groups, mercy work, and as teachers or deaconesses, etc.), which do not conflict with the divinely ordained principle that a woman must not exercise authority over a man; and

WHEREAS, The church should not beat all ashamed of God-given distinctions in the area of gender despite the pressure to align our teaching and practice—in part or in full—with the culture; and

WHEREAS, The Biblical principles which speak to suffrage in the church are in no way invalidated by the fact that men, at times, fail to humbly and faithfully carry out the charge to sacrificial head ship in the family, church, and state; therefore be it

Resolved, That the pastors and congregations of the LCMS be encouraged to study the matter on the basis of the Word of God; and be it further

Resolved, That the congregations of the LCMS together with their pastors be encouraged to reconsider the practice of women’s suffrage in light of Holy Scripture.