Throughout its history, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) has confessed the sacredness of God’s gift of life. We have sought to understand all life issues in light of God’s plan as laid out in Scripture and to confess these truths, even in the face of ever-changing cultural norms.
Based on its national convention resolutions from 1941 to 2023, the LCMS has compiled a compendium document of the Synod’s action on life-related topics. The content of these statements ranges from Christian marriage and the family to abortion and sexuality. Other life issues addressed in the document include stem cell research, organ donation, human trafficking, domestic and child abuse, mental health, disabilities, euthanasia and assisted suicide.
The LCMS responds to these issues by speaking the truth to the church and to the world, encouraging mankind to heed the Word of God and “put off the old self with its practices and … put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Col. 3:9–10).