Is Synod Church?
Many in Missouri Want To Be Like Wisconsin
By Rev. Jack Cascione

 

Not only politics, but also theology makes strange bedfellows. The LC-MS Hyper-Euro-Lutheran movement is warming up to the Wisconsin Synod's doctrine of Church and Ministry for reasons that Wisconsin would never have thought possible. There are enough ironic twists here to write a Shakespearian play. Those in Missouri (who want to return to pre-Waltherian, European Lutheran hierarchy in place of Missouri's Congregational Voter Supremacy polity) now find Wisconsin's position a favorable middle ground.

Since 1847, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has stated that the local congregations are "church" according to Matthew 18:17-20 but the Synod itself is a human organization and is not a "church." In other words, the authority to issue calls, make pastors, baptize, serve the Lord's Supper, excommunicate, and absolve sins is only found in the congregation, not the Synodical Headquarters, District Offices, or Circuits.

The Wisconsin Synod's position on this issue, at least for the last century, has been that local congregations, Synod, District, and Circuit are all "church." In fact, they teach that not only wherever two or three laypeople are gathered together is "church" but the same is also true wherever two or three clergy are gathered together.

Now the LC-MS's top theologian, Professor Kurt Marquart, with broad support from many pastors and professors in the LC-MS, has publicly defended, "Synod is Church."

In response to Missourians wanting to adopt the Wisconsin position on this issue, an overture has been sent to the 2001 LC-MS Convention stating, "Synod is Not Church." This overture, following an outstanding paper on the subject, also titled "Synod is Not Church" by Rev. William Bischoff, can be found here.

The ironic twists are numerous. Marquart actually favors the position that the congregation confers the office of the ministry on the pastor, which makes Marquart a "moderate" on Walther's understanding of the call.

However, the Hyper-Euro-Lutherans are convinced that the congregation confers nothing and the pastor receives the administration of Word and Sacrament at his ordination. The congregation's "call" only becomes valid when ordination takes place and God "makes" the pastor.

Another irony is that the Wisconsin Synod, though claiming, "Synod is Church" actually practices a staunch congregational polity with nearly every WELS congregation structured around Voter Supremacy. Hence, Wisconsin in practice, is more Missouri than many Missouri Congregations that are being encouraged to give up Voter Supremacy and have in fact, given up Voter Supremacy.

The proponents of Church Growth and Leadership Training in the LC-MS, such as the "Pastoral Leadership Institute" run by Doctor Norbert Oesch, prefer a corporate style administration by Board of Directors in the congregations for the sake of efficiency. At the Rockwell Meeting Dec. 29, 2000, Oesch called Voter Supremacy "inflammatory language." In addition, the Synod's Council of District Presidents, Church Extension Fund, and Foundation have all financed Oesch's effort to blot out Voter Supremacy. Meanwhile, the Hyper-Euro-Lutherans prefer that the administration of the congregation be under the ordained pastor, because, God said so!

As the battle to maintain Voter Supremacy foments in the LC-MS, Wisconsin's position of "Synod as Church" instead of "Pastors as Church" is seen as the middle ground between the voters and the pastors. How can Wisconsin deny fellowship to LC-MS pastors who want to agree with their polity for the wrong reason? Can Wisconsin say, "Well, yes, 'Synod is Church,' but that doesn't mean, 'Synod is Church.'" Finally if "Synod is Church" what about Voter Supremacy? Who is more church, Synod or the Voters' Assembly? Many LC-MS pastors are rooting for the Synod. Wisconsin says it's "both - and." Really?

Wisconsin Synod pastors could easily adopt the LC-MS Hyper-Euro-Lutheran position. They wouldn't have to change a word of their doctrine, just change their minds.

For those of us in the LC-MS who want to keep Voter Supremacy, we pray that the 2001 LC-MS Convention affirms that the "Synod is not Church" and that all LC-MS Congregations agree to practice Voter Supremacy. We also pray that Wisconsin continues to practice congregational polity even though its official position, "Synod is Church," is tailor made for Hyper-Euro-Lutherans. Wisconsin could become an advocate of pre-Waltherian European Lutheran Hierarchy overnight.

If the 2001 LC-MS Convention does not address the issue, just the simple tabling of the resolution that "Synod is Not Church" will signal that Missouri is moving closer to the WELS position.

A respected WELS pastor and an expert on this issue repeatedly affirmed to me on the phone on Saturday, February 10, 2001, that WELS congregations all practice Voter Supremacy. I'll have to take him at his word, but from inside Missouri they read more like a top-down clerical hierarchy.

We offer the following citation from Bischoff's paper "Synod is Not Church" where he quotes former LC-MS President Franz Pieper:

"Synods must not claim divine authority over the congregations connected with them, but carefully keep within the sphere of advisory bodies. The local congregation is the highest divinely instituted tribunal in the Church as is seen from Matt. xviii, 17. All jurisdiction exercised over congregations by persons outside of the congregations is of human ordinance only." (The Lutheran Publication Society, 1893, pp. 119-166)

Bischoff writes: "In His instructions on the use of the Keys, Christ commands: 'Tell it to the Church.' (Matt. 18:17) This DOES NOT MEAN the UNA SANCTA (the universal Church) which no man's voice can reach, but rather both the offended and the offender are directed to the local congregation. (I Cor. 5) Only the true believers have these rights. Not knowing WHO they are we can only deal with them WHERE they are in the VISIBLE LOCAL CONGREGATION where we find the marks of the Church, the Word and sacraments."

Bischoff quotes Walther as follows: "People told us, 'That (power) really belongs to the holy Christian church, namely the entire church throughout the world in its totality.' 'Tell it to the church,' and the whole context of the passage shows that absolutely nothing else can be meant but the local congregation. For if 'the church in the whole world,' 'the church in its totality' were meant, when and where could it meet (and) how could a person 'tell it to the church,' as Christ commands? 'The church of the whole world' has never and nowhere been gathered at one place. In that case Christ would have commanded something impossible, indeed nonsensical. No, Christ obviously means the congregation to which those who sinned have come and where those are who have condemned the sinners." (Walther, C.F.W. (1) Essays for the Church, St. Louis - Concordia Publishing House - 1992, Vol. II, p. 27 "Essay to the Iowa District of the Missouri Synod in 1879")


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.

February 10, 2001