In good order
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Colossians 2:6-7
As we look forward to our first Synodical Assembly, a Synodical Order document has been prepared by the LM-A Committee of Management to describe how our new LM-A Synod will walk together. This draft document has been sent to congregational leaders and member representatives (including all pastors) for feedback and will be discussed at the Member Representative Forum on 20 June.
What is a Synod?
The word ‘Synod’ comes from Greek words that mean ‘walking together.’ By becoming member congregations of Lutheran Mission - Australia, congregations choose to work together as a church body.
So it’s not just the name we give to the big meeting?
As Synod refers to the activities of LM-A as a church body on an ongoing basis, we have chosen to call our three-yearly meeting our Synodical Assembly to avoid confusion. At the Synodical Assembly, our member representatives gather together to worship, study God’s Word and make decisions about how we will walk together as a church over the next Synodical period.
What is a Synodical Order?
The Synodical Order outlines the roles, relationships and responsibilities of the different offices and bodies within the Lutheran Mission – Australia Synod, seeking to rightly order our life together in a manner that promotes and fosters the mission of the church. It describes how we ‘order’ ourselves as church so that expectations are clear, faithfulness and unity are promoted and processes and responsibilities are transparent. Recognising that ‘God is not a God of confusion but of peace’ (1 Corinthians 14:33), we pray that this document will assist Lutheran Mission – Australia to ‘do all things … decently and in order’ (1 Corinthians 14:40).
The aim of the Synodical Order is to create a framework for the implementation of the mission of the Christian Church in preaching the Word and administering the Sacraments. Because original sin and evil tendencies remain in all Christians, the Synodical Order also provides direction to the congregations and their workers when faced with conflicts, disputes and sinful behaviour which arise out of the sinful nature.
The Synodical Order follows direction on matters that are determined by the Word of God in order to ensure that the salvation of individuals and the welfare of the congregation is not jeopardised. The congregations, pastors and members of the LM-A are required to hold to this Synodical Order, not as a divine provision that binds one’s conscience, but for the sake of unity, since the Word of God advises us in various ways to maintain good order in the congregations (1 Corinthians 14:33, 40; Colossians 2:5; Hebrews 13:17; 2 Corinthians 7:15).
Some areas covered in the Synodical order include:
the Purpose of the Synod (including our Confession, Mission, the Means of Grace and Divine Service, and the process for developing Doctrinal Resolutions and Statements)
the Synodical Structure - how we function as an organisation (including the roles and responsibilities of member congregations, the President, College of Pastors, National Church Council, Lutheran Theological Seminary - Australia etc)
the Relationships between congregations and with external bodies, and
Church Discipline.
It has been an incredible challenge developing the Synodical Order, as we have sought to consider each aspect of building a new Synod with an eye to ensuing that we remain faithful to God’s Word, work together for the sake of the Gospel and consider how best to order our lives together as the Church of Christ. Many hours have already gone into drafting each section, with a great deal of feedback and discussion, and we look forward to receiving further constructive feedback in the coming weeks.
The final version which will go before the Synodical Assembly will not be perfect, because only God is perfect, but we continue to thank the Lord for his goodness, knowing that His grace is sufficient for us, for His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9)