To Recognize That the Synod Is Not in Altar and Pulpit Fellowship with Selbständige Ev angelis ch-Luther is che Kirche

Preamble Attempts to introduce women’s ordination into Selbständige Ev angelis ch-Luther is che Kirche, or the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany (SELK) (which is currently listed as a Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod [LCMS] partner church and a member of the International Lutheran Council), have been actively underway for at least 25 years. At best, the SELK is unable to give a clear confession on God’s Word as applied to the Office of the Holy Ministry, and accordingly, is not in altar and pulpit fellowship, which is a gift of God that exists by His grace on the basis of complete agreement in doctrine and practice. In 2000, the SELK published “Die we sent lichen Argumente zur Frage einer Ordination von Frauen zum Amt der Kirche, soweit sie bisher in der Selbständigen Ev angelis ch luther ischen Kirche (SELK) geäussert wurden” (www.selk.de/download/fo-pap.pdf), or “The Main Arguments on the Question ofthe Ordination of Women to the Office of the Church, as far as they have been expressed so far in the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church (SELK)”. In 2009, the SELK further published Do ku ment ation zum Beratungsprozess “Ordination von Frauen zum Amt der Kirche” in der Pfarrerschaft der SELK 1999–2009, or Documentation of the Consultation Process “Ordination of Women to the Office of the Church” in the Clergy of the SELK 1999–2009. One of the documents contained there in, entitled “Gruppe nan trag an den 11. Allgemeinen Pfarrkonvent im Mai 2009 als Gegen an trag zum Antrag der Kirchen lei tung und des Kollegiums der Superintendent en” (p. 43), 31 SELK pastors asserted in a proposed overture (never adopted) that no consensus was reached on the theological interpretation of Scripture regarding women’s ordination and further, that while the ordination of women remains prohibited in the SELK, the ordination of women was to be deemed a matter of church order, not doctrine, and left to the church’s discretion, and discussion would remain open. Most recently, at the15th General Pastoral Convention of the SELK held June 23–27, 2025, 47 percent of the pastors present considered it theologically possible for the SELK to have some members who practice women’s ordination. Yet rather than repenting of the fact that nearly half of its pastorate would allow the possibility of a position clearly contrary to Scripture, 80 percent of the pastors voted to assure supporters of women’s ordination of “brotherly cooperation, respect for their position, and a willingness to listen to their concerns” rather than rebuking those holding to this false doctrine (Matthew Block, “SELK Pastoral Convention Offers Clarity on Ordination,” Aug. 14, 2025, il council.org/2025/08/14/selk-pastoral-convention-offers-clarity- on-ordination). Further, 88 percent of the SELK delegates voted to “commit themselves to continuing to promote the services of women in the SELK as provided for in the church regulations: pastoral assistants, lectors, church council members, church councilors, deacons, cate chi sts, lecturers at the Luther ischen Theologischen Hochschule, etc.” (ibid.) To assert that there are scriptural and confessional arguments in favor of women’s ordination, and that the issue is not a matter of doctrine, is clearly contrary to the Word of God, which clearly teaches that women are not to be called and ordained into, nor carry out the public functions of, the pastoral office (1 Tim. 2:12; 1 Cor. 14:34). (To be clear, SELK as such has not adopted this position, but continues to work to overcome a dissensus, not at present regarded as church divisive, in which both sides acknowledge the other to believe its position is scriptural.) The actions of the SELK follow a pattern that has occurred most recently in the Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA), which continued discussions and voted on six occasions to ordain women until eventually a majority was achieved in 2024. This pattern has been recognized by, among others, Dr. Matthew Becker, then an ordained minister in the LCMS, who in 2010 asserted that clear majorities of the SELK favored women’s ordination, and predicted that the SELK and the LCA would ordain women. Becker criticized Synod President Matthew Harrison’s efforts to dissuade the Japan Lutheran Church (JLC) from ordaining women (Matthew Becker, “Women’s Ordination and LCMS Partner Churches,” Transverse Markings: One Theologian’s Notes, Dec. 7, 2010, matthewlbecker.blogspot.com/2010/12/womens-ordination-and- lcms-partner.html). The parallels between the SELK and the LCA are also recognized by another liberal voice in the Synod (Karl Wyneken, “Let’s Include Women in the Pastoral Office,” The Daystar Journal, Aug. 21, 2016, the day star journal.com/lets- include-women-in-the-pastoral-office). Sadly, President Harrison’s faithful and fraternal efforts were unsuccessful as the JLC did adopt women’s ordination and as a result, the 2023 Synod convention recognized that the Synod was not in fellowship with the JLC (2023 Res. 5-07). SELK Bishop Hans-Jörg Voigt has asserted “The convention is striving for clarity on the [women’s ordination] issue.” However, clarity and unity must be grounded firmly on pure doctrine, not on an agreement to disagree. The SELK states that “a majority of its members currently [emphasis added] consider it impossible for the practice of the ordination of women and the rejection of this practice to coexist on equal terms in the SELK” (Matthew Block, “SELK Pastoral Convention Offers Clarity on Ordination,” Aug. 14, 2025, il council.org/2025/08/14/selk-pastoral-convention-offers-clarity- on-ordination). Notably absent from the SELK’s public statements is the assertion that a dual system cannot exist because the alternative—women’s ordination—is false doctrine. The SELKisalready promoting female pastoral assistants, deacons, and theology professors,andisunabletoadvanceacleartheological justification for the limitation of the Office of the Holy Ministry to men.

WHEREAS, Holy Scripture clearly teaches that women are not to be called and ordained into, nor carry out the public functions of, the pastoral office (1 Tim. 2:12; 1 Cor. 14:34); and

WHEREAS, The SELK officially approves of and practices the service of women as pastoral assistants, deacons, and theology professors, and has voted by a strong majority that advocacy of full women’s ordination is to be the topic of cooperation and respect rather than condemning it as false doctrine not to be tolerated in the church of God; and

WHEREAS, The Synod recognizes with deep sadness and regret that differences in doctrine and practice exist between the Synod and the SELK; and

WHEREAS, Twenty-five years of formal and informal doctrinal discussions in the SELKhaveneither resolved the issue of women’s ordination in favor of the scriptural position, nor offered any basis for assuming that it will be resolved in the foreseeable future; and

WHEREAS, The Synod understands altar and pulpit fellowship to be a gift of God that exists by His grace on the basis of complete agreement in doctrine and practice; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod affirm the in err an cy, inspiration, clarity, and authority of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19–21);

and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod with deep sorrow and regret declare that it can no longer recognize altar and pulpit fellowship with the SELK; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod acknowledge and express deep regret over its own shortcomings and failures in not giving adequate attention to these theological concerns, and repent especially of its own actions causing confusion and lack of clarity on the issue of women’s ordination, including without limitation installing women as chaplains and allowing vested women deacons in the Divine Service; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod herewith commit itself to openly and eagerly pursuing further doctrinal discussions with the SELK should the SELK at any time be open to such discussions, in the hope that by God’s grace our church bodies might once again attain complete agreement in doctrine and practice and once again enjoy the gift of God-given and God-pleasing altar and pulpit fellowship.