Defense of the Voters’ Assembly Called Heresy
by Rev. Jack Cascione

 

Lay people of the LCMS are being told by a growing cult of Hyper-Euro-Lutheran and Church Growth pastors in the LCMS that Voters’ Assemblies are not found in the Bible. These pastors are convincing the lay people to surrender control of their congregations, the Office of the Keys and, in many cases, control of their church property.

"The Voters’ Assembly Is Invested With Authority From God," recently published by this writer, received the following response from Rev. Eric Stefanski:

Quotation removed per author's request.

Reverend Stefanski writes the above words on CAT41’s TableTalk mailing list. A growing number of LCMS pastors agree with him. According to Stefanski’s understanding of Voters’ Assemblies, Walther didn’t belong in the LCMS. Those LCMS pastors who refuse to affirm the supremacy of the Voters’ Assembly as the final tribunal in the congregation must necessarily reject the Voters’ Assembly as a divinely ordained institution.

Herein lies the destruction of the LCMS by those who despise the writings of C.F.W. Walther, who teaches that the Voters are the supreme authority in the congregation, second only to the Word of God.

First, the Scriptures affirm that the early church did indeed "vote." Lenski writes as follows concerning 2Cor.8:19:

"...,and not only (this), but who also was VOTED as our travel companion in this grace which is being ministered by us to show (pros) the Lord’s glory and our own readiness, (thereby) avoiding that anyone blame us in this bounty which is being ministered by us."

Lenski’s Interpretation: "In addition to mentioning the personal excellence of this gospel worker Paul in an emphatic way with 'moreover not only (this), but also,' points to the fact that this evangelist was officially appointed by vote of the churches to be ‘our traveling companion.’ This refers to the journey by which the great collection is finally to be carried to Jerusalem. Acts 20:4 names seven men, and no doubt all of them were appointed by VOTE. This evangelist was one of the seven. Being from Macedonia, he was either Sopater of Berea, or Aristarchus, or Secundus of Thessalonica."

"(The Greek word) ‘kyrotoneo’ means to vote by holding up the hand. The supposition that a number of churches could not thus vote for a man is unwarranted. His name was proposed in church after church, and because of his splendid reputation all voted for him to be their representative."

Thus far Lenski.

All authoritative Greek Lexicons listed at the end of this article, writings from the Ante-nicene fathers, and J.T.Mueller in Christian Dogmatics, support this position. Responding to objections to local congregations "calling" ministers, Mueller also quotes Luther as follows on page 572 of Christian Dogmatics.

"a. Not the local churches, but the apostles (Paul, Barnabas, Titus) ‘ordained elders in every church,’ Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5, To this objection Luther replies (St. L., XIX, 347): ‘Although Paul commanded Titus to ‘ordain elders in every city,’ Titus 1:5, it does not follow that Titus did this in an arbitrary manner; but he, after the example of the apostles, appointed them after their election by the people; otherwise the command of Paul would be in conflict with the general custom of the apostles.’"

Pastors who despise Voter Supremacy ignore the above information and deceive people into believing that it was Walther who first led church members to vote in a divinely ordained assembly "about 1,850 years later." They keep giving lay people a reason to fear that the term "Confessional Lutheran Pastor" really means slave master.

The Bible teaches that the secular government (Rom. 13:14) is divinely instituted by God, but these Hyper-Euro-Lutheran pastors will not agree that the congregational Voters’ Assembly is divinely instituted by God. While it is true the term "Voters’ Assembly" does not appear in the Bible that is what we have called the congregational gathering that issues "divine calls," judges doctrine, excommunicates, and absolves in Matt. 18:17, 1Cor 5:13, Acts 6:5. We also know the word "Trinity" does not appear in the Bible but we know it is described in the Bible.

Should the LCMS now teach that "divine calls" into the office of pastor come from groups that are not divinely instituted? In this case, the Plumbers' Union has just as much right to issue "divine calls" to LCMS pastors. If the Voters’ Assemblies are not divinely instituted, they couldn’t possibly issue divine calls and none of the LCMS clergy are really pastors, including Rev. Stefanski.

The Voters are the church. Christ said "Tell it to the church" (Matt.18:17) but he did not mean that women (1Cor.14:34, 1Tim.2:12, Eph.5:22, 1Pet.3:1) and children (Eph. 6:1, Col.3:20) had equal authority with their husbands and parents. We don't poll the Sunday School, Quilters, or even the Men’s Club to issue a "divine call," judge doctrine, or decide cases of excommunication.

According to Matt. 18:17, the local congregation is comprised of people who sit in judgment by divine right and hear cases presented to them according to Christ’s command when He says "tell it to the church". Melanchthon quotes Matt. 18:17 in "The Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope" in the Concordia Triglotta, where he says "the church is above the ministers," (par. 11, page 507, par 24-25 page 511).

Therefore, the voice of the Voters’ Assembly must be synonymous with the "church" in Matthew 18:17. However, I fear that the Hyper-Euro-Lutheran pastors each believe they are "the church" in Matt.18:17. This is the real heresy.

Again, Walther clearly understood the Voters' Assembly to be the same group identified in "tell it to the church" as found in Matt. 18:17, 1Cor.5:13, and 1Cor.14:34. This is why women were not to vote, because it says in 1Cor. 14:34 "Let your women keep silent in all the churches...." Walther understood the "churches" in 1Cor.14:34 to be a plural of the "church" in Matt. 18:17, and 1Cor.5:13. The Voters are the "church," not the full number of baptized members but the full number of those who have the authority to vote (if they all show up).

The true church is recognized by its confession and use of the Word and Sacraments. The Voters’ Assembly confesses and authorizes the use of these things in the congregation. When Christ says "tell it to the church" in Matt. 18:17, He is not talking about excommunication during a worship service. Yet, this is a divine assembly because Christ says He is present "where two or three are gathered together in my name..." Matt 18:20.

In 1Cor.5:4 Paul says the excommunication should take place "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,...." This blessed assembly, divinely instituted by Christ, also has the power to absolve in Christ’s name. Christ also says of this "divinely instituted" assembly, "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."( Mat. 18:18) Only divinely instituted assemblies can forgive sins in the name of Christ. I pray that God rid the Synod of all pastors who would rob the Synod’s Voters’ Assemblies of their God given authority and deny their divine institution.

Just as some Christians as members of the royal priesthood have never exercised their God given authority to absolve another Christian’s sins, there are also congregations that have surrendered their authority to meet as a Voters’ Assembly. This, however, in no way nullifies the authority God gives to all Christian congregations.

Why do so many pastors now reject Walther and call the "Voters' Assembly" an optional human invention? The answer is obvious. They are transferring the authority God has invested in the "church" to themselves. They think the "Sacrament of Ordination" makes them God's chosen lords over the congregation.

No pastor that God called through a congregation ever saw the day that he was equal to the congregation in authority or vote according to the Lutheran Confessions in the Treatise (paragraphs 11, 24-25).

The Hyper-Euro-Lutherans have been inhaling too much incense. Here is the spirit of anarchy. Stefanski marginalizes the Voters’ Assembly as an adiaphora (things neither required nor forbidden by Scripture) when he writes, Quotation removed per author's request.

From this statement Stefanski gives himself the option to take or not to take orders from the congregation on issues that are within the boundaries of his Call Document and the Church Constitution in defiance of the Scripture and the Confessions.

This is exactly what I expect from Hyper-Euro-Lutherans. The Bible says that the pastor and the congregation are always under the authority of God's Word and that the pastor is also under the authority of the Voters' Assembly according to Matt. 18:17. It says "tell it to the church." As the final step in church discipline it doesn't say "tell it to the pastor." The pastor is not the church!

The response by the Synodical President to the Hyper-Euro-Lutheran Pastors who seek to disenfranchise Voters’ Assemblies is the same as in the Wayzata case. In that case the President agreed that Pastor Nordlie taught false doctrine in justification but Nordlie will not be removed because, "Unfortunately, the problems in Pastor Nordlie’s preaching and teaching are not unique to Pastor Nordlie."

The President faces the same situation with pastors claiming that LCMS Voters’ Assemblies are not found in Scripture and are therefore adiaphora. According to Stefanski, after 152 years, the lay people must discover what Walther taught in "The True Visible Church" and "The Form of a Christian Congregation" was based on human opinion.


The early church had the same opinion as published in "The Ante-Nicene Fathers" Vol. VII. page 381, footnote 18(3) and (4) on IICor.8:19. "...(3) The word ‘kyrotoneo’ is here used in the sense of ‘elect’ or ‘appoint’ (by show of hands), and not in that of ‘ordained’ (by laying on of hands). The former is the New Testament sense (Acts xiv:23; 2Cor.viii.19), also in Ignatius; the latter sense is found in ‘Apostolic Canons,’ i. (4) The choice by the people also indicate an early period."

"A Greek -English Lexicon of the New Testament" by Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich" states on page 889 as the first meaning for "kyrotoneo", "choose, elect by raising hands..."

"A Theological Dictionary of the New Testament" by Kittel, in Vol.IX, page 437 has the first meaning for "kyrotoneo", "1. Raising the hand to express agreement in a vote...." It also gives numerous citations from ancient Greek literature.

"A Greek-English Lexicon Revised" by Liddell & Scott, published by Oxford states, "kyrotoneo" means "Stretch out the hand, for the purpose of giving one’s vote in the assembly...." There also are voluminous citations from ancient Greek literature supporting this interpretation on page 1986.

"The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament Illustrated from the Papyeri and other Non-Literary Sources" by Moullton & Milligan state "kyrotoneo" means "Stretch out the hand," then "elect by show of hands...." It also cites examples from the early church regarding election and ordination.

J. T. Mueller Christian Dogmatics, page 572 "There are indeed weighty reasons why Luther’s explanation should be believed and accepted. In the first place, the text (Acts 14:23) itself suggests the calling of elders by a popular vote ("kyrotoneo", not "constitutebant" (Vulgate), but rather "stimmwaehlen" (Meyer), that is to say, having chosen them by the raising of hands. In the second place, it was the general custom of the apostles, Acts 6:2-6, to have the "whole multitude" (pan to playthos) elect by popular vote the ministers of the churches (Stephen, Philip, etc., Acts 6:5). For this reason we rightly infer that the verb "kyrotoneo" (to stretch forth the hand, to elect by the raising of hands, ("durch Aufheben der Hand abstimmen") has this special meaning both in Acts 14:23 and 2Cor. 8:19 ("the brother chosen of the churches.) The apostles, then, ordained elders not arbitrarily, by their mere apostolic authority (Loehe), but with direct consent and by active cooperation of the local churches."


Rev. Jack Cascione is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church (LCMS - MI) in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. He has written numerous articles for Christian News and is the author of Reclaiming the Gospel in the LCMS: How to Keep Your Congregation Lutheran. He has also written a study on the Book of Revelation called In Search of the Biblical Order.
He can be reached by email at pastorcascione@juno.com.

July 14, 1999
Revised September 28, 1999