Greetings:
With profound sadness, I share the following quotation from the 26 October 1998 "Newsletter to Pastors," written by President Lance Steicke, of the Lutheran Church of Australia. He informs the pastors of his church of the vote taken by their church's Commission on Theology and Interchurch Relations on the matter of the ordination of women.
"The meeting of the CTICR was different and special. We prayed earnestly before the vote on the ordination of women was taken. The wording of the vote was as follows:
A. On balance, scriptural and theological evidence allows the ordination of
women.
B. On balance, scriptural and theological evidence prohibits the ordination
of women.
There were ten votes in favour of A and 5 votes in favour of B. I had to check with the theological experts on the committee who informed me that that is a 2/3rd majority vote. The Commission did not favour a majority position and a minority report. It is preparing a report for study by the church, which will report the vote and present a precis of areas of consensus and issues to be studied. It is the aim to have this report in your hands by the end of this year. Special seminars/workshops are being planned for most regions of the church in the first months of next year in which this report will be presented and discussed. These seminars will last approximately four hours and will have a member of the CTICR leading the presentation and discussion.
We will be preparing posters, handbills and bulletin inserts to assist you in advertising these seminars. We are hoping for a sensitive and pastoral approach to this promotional material. Please add your prayers to mine and those of many others who are praying that the Lord will lead us and guide as we go forward in this matter."
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Rev. Paul T. McCain
Assistant to the President
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
e-mail: ic_mccainpt@lcms.org
The International Center
1333 South Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, Missouri 63122
President's Office WWW site:
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