# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1953_S384
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

384 INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS

official, chaplain in the Armed Forces, deaconess. These all,
pastorate, are derived from the ministry of the Church.

L. All congregational, synodical, and extracongregat °
fices that are based on a regular call from a congregation, «
of congregations, or a group of Christians, must be consider gle .
vine, because these offices are derived from the divinely i
public ministry.

The norm for characterizing any office as divine is that its
takes of the essence of the public ministry. A call to such an
is extended by those who have the Office of the Keys andi
delegate all or a part of the public exercise of this power
individual. Duties not a part of the ministry of the Church
Christian liberty also be assigned to servants of the Word. *
duties are sacred obligations of the incumbents of such offi
do not in themselves make such offices a part of the ministry!

The needs of the Church often may require services in’:
a person is asked to do both; to serve in all or part of the n
of the Church and also to do work necessary for, and of beni
the Church but not included in the obligations placed on s
of the Word by Christ, the Head of the Church. In such a
person is a minister of the Word by reason of his call and his
in the ministry (iure divino), but he is a President of a. S¥#
President of a District, professor, etc., by reason of the o
constitution of the Church he serves (iure humano).

Again, a person may be assigned work that can only be:
properly in the spirit of Christ and in obedience to His Great;
mission, even though the work may seem to involve mainly :
lar” duties. A Lutheran schoolteacher, for instance, who is }
by a congregation to teach any or all of the subjects popularly 5
sidered “secular,” would be disregarding the divinity of his;
he taught these matters without attempting to fit every su
the pattern of Christian thinking and living. Since his ta:
teach all subjects from a Christian point of view and to
the principles of the Christian faith into all of his activities;
is truly a divine call.

Since the Christian congregation is in immediate possés
the Office of the Keys, the privilege and right of calling’
servants of the Word is inherent in the congregation. Whi
the congregation extends a “call” to an office, it is divine, be
involves some part of the preaching or teaching of the Word’<

A group of congregations or the Synod itself may s
extend a “call” for positions that involve specific functions
public ministry.

Groups of Christians may similarly organize for the pu