Congregations matter. For several years we have been silent, letting our Synod drift into the trouble we see at every hand. We have been focusing on local matters and serving the Lord in the harvest field. As we have worked, our Synod leadership has lost its focus. Synod’s first responsibility is to serve congregations and assist them in their work for the Kingdom of God. That’s not happening now.
Silence Doesn’t Mean We Agree
We have been silent — and our beloved Synod has drifted off course. Our Synod’s elected leadership is not focused on their historic roles. Instead, more and more power and decision-making responsibility is in the hands of fewer and fewer — and there is less and less opportunity for other voices to be heard.
Our current leadership will not listen to our elected District Presidents. Our Commission on Constitutional Matters (CCM) is supporting our Synodical President in his efforts to change our Synod despite overwhelming evidence from our history and precedence from CCM rulings of the past. The responsibility for this change for the worst lies chiefly in the Synodical President’s office. It’s time for a change.
It Is Time For Action
We have let our beloved synod drift. No longer will we stand by and let our Synod suffer. We need a change of leadership if we are to return our Synod to her rightful work and advance the Kingdom of God.
Congregations Matter© is a movement of churches, lay people and pastors committed to the restoration of our Synod to its historic roles of strengthening and supporting congregations. That’s what our LCMS Constitution so plainly describes in Article III and VII:
Article III Objectives
The Synod, under Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, shall—
- Conserve and promote the unity of the true faith (Ephesians 4:3–6; 1 Corinthians 1:10), work through its official structure toward fellowship with other Christian church bodies, and provide a united defense against schism, sectarianism (Rom. 16:17), and heresy;
- Strengthen congregations and their members in giving bold witness by word and deed to the love and work of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and extend that Gospel witness into all the world;
- Recruit and train pastors, teachers, and other professional church workers and provide opportunity for their continuing growth;
- Provide opportunities through which its members may express their Christian concern, love, and compassion in meeting human needs;
- Aid congregations to develop processes of thorough Christian education and nurture and to establish agencies of Christian education such as elementary and secondary schools and to support synodical colleges, universities, and seminaries;
- Aid congregations by providing a variety of resources and opportunities for recognizing, promoting, expressing, conserving, and defending their confessional unity in the true faith;
- Encourage congregations to strive for uniformity in church practice, but also to develop an appreciation of a variety of responsible practices and customs which are in harmony with our common profession of faith;
- Provide evangelical supervision, counsel, and care for pastors,
teachers, and other professional church workers of the Synod in the performance of their official duties; - Provide protection for congregations, pastors, teachers, and other church workers in the performance of their official duties and the maintenance of their rights;
- Aid in providing for the welfare of pastors, teachers, and other church workers, and their families, in the event of illness, disability, retirement, special need, or death.
Article VII Relation of the Synod to Its Members
- In its relation to its members the Synod is not an ecclesiastical government exercising legislative or coercive powers, and with respect to the individual congregation’s right of self-government, it is but an advisory body. Accordingly, no resolution of the Synod imposing anything upon the individual congregation is of binding force if it is not in accordance with the Word of God or if it appears to be inexpedient as far as the condition of a congregation is concerned.
- Membership of a congregation in the Synod gives the Synod no equity in the property of the congregation.
That is the full extent of what our brothers and sisters in Christ in years gone by desired from our Synod. Advice. Encouragement. Protection. Preparation of Church Workers. Resources. Help. That’s not what is always coming from our Synod leaders.
It’s Time For a Change — And Our Action
Instead of serving the Church, our leadership has tried to turn that around, expecting congregations to serve Synod. It’s time to change that. Our work is simple — and hard:
Congregations Matter© is a movement within the LCMS that wants to restore the Synod to its historic role of providing congregations with advice, encouragement, and resources to carry out their evangelical role of teaching and baptizing in their communities, as they see best fit for their own circumstances.
Our Synod has gotten away from its historic role and is more focused on concentrating all authority, direction, and control in the International Center in St. Louis and in the hands of a few. That is not healthy for our Church. The health of our Church is our local congregations.
We Need Your Help
If you would like to join the movement, here are some things to do:
- Sign up for our email list and receive new posts from this site to become more informed on the issues.
- Make sure your congregation passes resolutions to district conventions and national conventions that support this effort. We must turn our LCMS leadership back to its historic role.
- Elect local delegates to the District and National conventions who will vote for the primacy of congregations, not the primacy of the Synodical President and his administration.
And one more thing. You have the responsibility to nominate men and women to serve as our leaders in Synod. Let’s choose leadership that will support congregations, not use congregations to support them.
Congregations matter.