Resolution of Support-St. Luke's Lutheran Church

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A Resolution Concerning Dr. Benke Yankee Stadium Participation

The Synodical Constitution under Article XI – Rights and Duties of Officers, Section B – Duties of the President, Line 8, states: "When matters arise between meetings of the synod in convention which are of such nature that action thereon cannot be delayed until the next convention, the President is authorized to submit them to a written vote of the member congregations of Synod….

Therefore, the members of St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Reno, Nevada submit the following request for presidential and synodical consideration.

Whereas CTCR document, "The Nature and Implications of the Concept of Fellowship," (approved April 1981) states: "At the same time, it must also be recognized that unusual and difficult situations can and do arise in this world. Responsible commitment to our mutually agreed upon fellowship policies does not mean legalistic slavery to rules…..It should also be recognized that individuals equally committed to the Scriptural principles of fellowship may not always come to identical conclusions regarding specific ways of proceeding in administrating pastoral care in such exceptional cases. It is imperative that pastors show a mutual respect for one another's ministry. Uninformed and judgmental criticism of actions which appear to be violations of mutually agreed-upon ways of proceeding are destructive of the trust and confidence which fellow members of the Synod should have in one another." (p. 46) and

Whereas CTCR Report, "The Lutheran Understanding of Church Fellowship," (approved Feb. 2001) states:

"Not every occasion where worship takes place is necessarily a manifestation of church fellowship……Pastors, teachers…are often asked to participate in activities outside of their own and other LCMS congregations. Some of these are civic events….These occasions may provide opportunity to witness to the Gospel. Pastors may have honest differences of opinion about whether or to what extent it is appropriate or helpful to participate in these or similar civic events. In these cases charity must prevail. There are also 'once-in-a-lifetime' situations. It is virtually impossible to anticipate all such situations or to establish rules in advance. Specific answers can be evaluated only on a case by case basis and may evoke different responses from different pastors who may be equally committed to LCMS fellowship principles." (p. 12) and

Whereas above CTCR Report (Feb. 2001, p. 10, see also 1973 opinion titled "What is a service?") clearly states a definition of what worship is and Dr. Benke's participation at Yankee Stadium does not completely fit that definition, and

Whereas CTCR Report (Feb. 2001) states that such activities as offering prayers, speaking, and the reading of Scriptures would be allowable activities to perform at civic events sponsored by governments, public schools, and volunteer organizations and the activity Dr. Benke performed at Yankee Stadium was to only offer a public prayer in a "prayer service," not conduct, nor led, nor participate in a "worship service." And

Whereas the Synodical Constitution, Article XI, Section b, Line 1, part d. directs the President of Synod to have supervision over the District Presidents and the CTCR Document states,"It should go without saying, however, that Christian love includes the exercise of loving admonition and doctrinal oversight, especially by those to whom this responsibility has been entrusted," (April 1981, p. 46) and Dr. Benke did indeed confer with Dr. Kieschnick, Synodical President, seeking his counsel about participation in the civic event sponsored by the civil authorities of New York, and receiving his permission to do so: and

Whereas Dr. Benke offered a Christian prayer using such phrases as "O Lord our God," "those who bear the name of Christ," "O Heavenly Father," and "In the precious name of Jesus, Amen." And such prayer was done individually not jointly, during his own time period, therdby rightly dividing his Christian witness from the presentations and proclamations of other participants,

THEREFORE be it resolved that the charges against Dr. Benke concerning his participation in the Yankee Stadium vents, that were sustained by Dr. Wallace Schulz be dismissed, and

THEREFORE be it further resolved that though there are honest differences among us all on issues of fellowship in order that respect and charity might prevail among us, let all charges against Dr. Benke be dismissed, let his suspended status be removed and let him be reinstated to all the offices and positions in which he served prior to his suspension, and

THEREFORE be it finally resolved that the individuals who brought the charges against Dr. Benke apologize to him and to the church at large for their lack of trust in his pastoral instincts and their lack of respect for his pastoral office.

St. Luke's Lutheran Church
Reno, Nevada
January 31, 2003

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