DOCTRINAL SUPERVISION IN THE SYNOD

A Statement from The Office of the President
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
1333 South Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, Missouri 63122
United States of America

Our Synod has indicated in its Constitution and Bylaws that our district presidents are responsible for the supervision of the doctrine and life of the church workers and the congregations within their districts.

Within a congregation, if a dispute arises, it is important that every effort be made to resolve the difficulty first within the congregation. It is a bit too tempting at times simply to pick up the telephone and register a complaint elsewhere without first dealing, one-on-one and face-to-face with people when a problem arises. If perhaps a congregation is demanding of its pastor that he compromise the doctrines of Holy Scripture, the pastor needs the support and defense of his district president. On the other hand, if a pastor or other church worker is teaching incorrectly, or conducting his ministry in such a way as to violate the Biblical expectations of our church workers, the congregation needs the support of its district president. I am troubled equally by situations in which there are improper actions and behaviors on the part of our church workers and also by those situations in which congregations do not respect and honor their church workers as God's Word requires.

When there is a problem in a congregation, our district presidents generally attempt first to call on the circuit counselor to help and to be of assistance. If this fails, they may then ask for the assistance of one of the district's vice-presidents. They may then personally become involved, and attempt to help resolve a concern or a difficulty. The district president has the authority to restrict or suspend a church worker during a disciplinary matter and the district president may need to begin the steps leading toward the removal of a congregation from membership in our Synod.

A decision to remove a congregation or a pastor from membership in our Synod may be appealed through our synodical Dispute Resolution Process, as outlined in Chapter Eight of our Synod's Bylaws. There is also a process by which charges may be filed against a member of the Synod (congregation or church worker) if it is felt that there are grounds for removal from membership in the Synod. This process is described in section 2.27 of our Synod's Bylaws. Here too there are clear steps indicated for studying the issue, attempting to resolve the matter in a Biblical manner, and then appealing decisions made in this process.

I mention all of this, because I feel it is important for the members of the Synod to recognize that there are clear procedures within the Synod for supervising the doctrine and life of our church workers and our congregations. I would encourage the members of the Synod to familiarize themselves with the guidelines set forth in our Synod's Bylaws for resolving disputes and exercising discipline in the Synod. Let us pray to the Lord, asking that He prevent us from becoming filled with anger or hostility toward one another, even in the midst of a dispute. Let us also pray that He would grant His wisdom and guidance to those who are responsible for helping to resolve difficulties, or those who are given the responsibility to supervise the doctrine and life of the congregations and church workers of our Synod and the districts of our Synod.