By Roy S. Askins
MILWAUKEE — On Tuesday, Aug. 1, delegates to the 68th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) passed Resolution 5-08A, “To Affirm In-Person Communion,” by a vote of 842 to 140 (or 85.74%).
The resolution addresses the practice of online Communion, particularly in light of concern about the practice during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Synod, the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR), and the systematic departments of both LCMS seminaries published statements regarding online Communion, discouraging the practice and affirming that our Lord gave the gift of His Sacrament to be received when His people gather in person around His Word.
Additionally, the resolution notes that the Lutheran Confessions “indicate that the proper use of the Sacrament includes a unified consecration, distribution, and reception, none of which is to be severed from the other.” The practice of online Communion interjects “a spatial, temporal, and technological gap” between the consecration and the distribution and reception of this gift (Res. 5-08A, Today’s Business, Issue 2B, p. 306).
The local gathering of God’s people around Word and Sacrament is a necessary part of receiving the Supper, so while commending pastors who sought to provide “care for their flocks in a time of pandemic,” the delegates voted to “clearly and unequivocally reject and condemn the practice of virtual (online) Communion.”
The resolution also counsels and urges district presidents “to instruct our pastors and congregations … to gather in person to celebrate the Lord’s Supper” and “to refrain from the practice of online Communion,” and, when fraternal admonition fails, to exercise “appropriate ecclesiastical supervision” to address the issue.
“The importance of this overture is that we clearly say that online Communion is not a proper use of the Sacrament and [that we] affirm, as a church, in-person Communion,” said LCMS Nebraska District President Rev. Richard L. Snow, member of Floor Committee 5.
During debate, the Rev. Adam Jacobsen, voting delegate from the LCMS Minnesota South District, pointed delegates to the centrality of God’s work through Word and Sacrament: “[Our heavenly Father] wants to continue to deal with us with His Word and His holy Sacraments. We should continue to encourage our people to take comfort in their baptismal identity and also in the power of the Word, especially when they are absent from the body and blood of Christ.”
The Rev. Dr. Michael Gibson, LCMS Pacific Southwest District president, addressed the delegates after the resolution passed. He noted the ongoing work being done by district presidents: “It’s a very small group that we have been and will continue to work with,” he said. He asked for the patience and kindness of the delegates as district presidents continue to lead pastors in their district away from this practice, and he noted that “this is not a nationwide movement.”
LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison supported Gibson’s statement, saying, “Having been privy to this challenge from the beginning, I can affirm what President Gibson has said.”
Posted Aug. 1, 2023
2023 LCMS Convention
Under the theme “We Preach Christ Crucified,” the 68th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod met July 28–Aug. 3, 2023, at the Baird Center in Milwaukee.
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