AUSTRALIA – The Lutheran Church of Australia/New Zealand (LCANZ) will hold another vote on women’s ordination at its upcoming Convention of General Synod in October.
The LCANZ has debated the issue of women’s ordination repeatedly for more than three decades, holding five votes on the matter since 2000. In each case, resolutions seeking the adoption of women’s ordination have failed to reach the 2/3 majority required to change church teaching.
The most recent vote took place in 2023. Despite that vote failing, the church went on to adopt another resolution calling on the LCANZ to prepare a detailed framework by which the church could become “one church with two ordination practices,” with a proposal to be submitted in anticipation of the LCANZ’s Convention of General Synod in 2024. That resolution also asserted: “It is the expectation of this General Convention of Synod that both women and men will be ordained in a District of the LCANZ during the 2024-2027 synodical period.”
The new proposal—known as the Way Forward Detailed Framework—was released at the end of July. It envisions amending the LCANZ’s Theses of Agreement so that “the Church changes its teaching to allow for the ordination of women and men.” The proposal argues that, while there are “different theological positions on the gender (male and female) of pastors in the Church,” such differences are “non-divisive of church fellowship, enabling the LCA to remain as one Church.”
Lutheran Mission – Australia
Other Lutherans in Australia disagree that the issue of women’s ordination is non-divisive; a group of concerned Lutherans in Australia have recently launched a new organization—Lutheran Mission – Australia (LM-A)—to “ensure Confessional Lutheranism has a home in Australia for generations to come.” Elected to serve as LM-A’s inaugural President is Rev. Matt Anker, who formerly served as the LCANZ’s Assistant to the Bishop for International Mission.
“LM-A was established to support, encourage, and strengthen confessional Lutherans in their faithfulness to God and His Word, and to eventually establish a synod which ensures that people are served through the proclamation of the ‘whole counsel of God,’” LM-A’s website explains. “It is committed to ensuring that people in Australia are served with both the Law and Gospel so that God’s desire to bring peace and forgiveness of sins by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone is realised.”
While women’s ordination is one of the most visible areas of contention among Australian Lutherans, LM-A argues that it is just a symptom of a more fundamental disagreement in the LCANZ over the authority of Scripture. Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming vote at the Convention of General Synod, LM-A says, “sooner or later it will be necessary to separate from those who hold to a different confession.”
International Church Relations
In addition to causing internal division in the LCANZ, the adoption of women’s ordination could affect the church’s relations with international partners. For example, the LCANZ is an Associate Member of the International Lutheran Council (ILC), a global association of confessional Lutheran church bodies. But the Bylaws of the ILC state that any Full or Associate Member which changes its church teaching in a way contrary to the ILC’s Doctrinal Basis will be reduced automatically to Observer Member status.
Lutheran Mission – Australia, for its part, has indicated its intention to also seek membership in the International Lutheran Council.
The Lutheran Church of Australia/New Zealand will formally consider the proposal on women’s ordination at its General Pastors Conference from September 29-October 2 before bringing it before the Convention of General Synod from October 4-7.
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