In 1993, after years of scriptural study, our synod in convention adopted the doctrinal statement “Scriptural Principles of Man and Woman Roles.” Like all faithful doctrinal statements, it is an expression in time of God’s timeless truths and remains our doctrinal confession.

In the three decades that followed, it is understandable that there have been questions about how to apply these scriptural principles faithfully in today’s world. God’s Word and the principles of Scripture do not change. But changing times and circumstances often mean that the church will seek to confess and apply those unchanging scriptural principles in ways that address current needs while remaining faithful to God’s Word.

The Conference of Presidents, the group in our synod that is responsible for overseeing doctrine and practice, recognized that it would be beneficial for our synod to address some of the questions that have arisen since the adoption of the 1993 statement. The decision was made to do this not through a new doctrinal statement (since the 1993 statement is recognized to be biblical and correct) but rather through a pastoral letter that will serve as a supplement to the 1993 statement. The letter is pastoral not because it is intended only for pastors but because it is evangelical in tone and approach. It is intended to say no more and no less than Scripture itself says.

The Conference of Presidents completed its work on the pastoral letter in October. The title of the letter is Instruction, encouragement, and guidance regarding God’s unchanging truths as presented in “Scriptural Principles of Man and Woman Roles.” The Conference of Presidents provided the letter first to WELS pastors in early October so they could become familiar with it. Several weeks later, it distributed the letter to all WELS members through the Together newsletter. The letter offers pastoral instruction, encouragement, and guidance regarding God’s gracious will in his beautiful design of the roles and relationships of men and women. Throughout the letter you’ll find Embrace sections offering encouragement toward a deeper embracing of a specific aspect of God’s male and female design. You can find the pastoral letter at wels.net/man-and-woman-roles.

As a follow-up to the pastoral letter, the Conference of Presidents also asked WELS Congregational Services to provide guidelines to congregations in the area of congregational governance. The guidelines will offer ideas and advice that provide flexibility in how congregations can be structured, while maintaining the same biblical principles addressed in the pastoral letter. These guidelines will be available in the upcoming months at welscongregationalservices.net.

The Conference of Presidents offers these materials to our members with the prayer that we will continue as a synod to be faithful to God’s Word and that we will be united in our confession of scriptural truths and apply them in a way that reflects our appreciation for all that God has told us.

Author: Mark Schroeder
Volume 111, Number 12
Issue: December 2024