# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1953_S400
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

400 INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS /

service has been conferred on him for a lifetime by the Ch
congregation. Hence the Lutheran teacher has a divine call.”

The divine call of the teacher.—In 1930 W. C. Kohn
ident of Concordia Teachers College, River Forest, IL, wre
article calling the teacher’s office an auxiliary office whic
from the public ministry. He asserted that the teacher has a:
call. In answer to the question “What makes a call divine?!
answered: “A call is divine when God says to a certain
‘You shall be My servant.’ God does not do this directly any
but He does it mediately. The Christian congregation
been given the Office of the Keys by the Savior is the 4
through which God says to a person, ‘You shall be My
Although there is this difference between the pastorate ‘an
office of the Christian teacher, that the pastorate was i
by God and the office of the teacher has issued out of this
as an auxiliary, nonetheless there is no difference between
of the teacher and the call of the pastor: both are called
body through which God calls His servants. Both are call
God through the congregation, and both are assigned thei
by the congregation, the pastor the entire office that has
stituted by God, the teacher the important part of this
feed the lambs of Jesus.” 4°

Teacher as an “assistant functionary” in the congreg
In an essay delivered to the Southern Illinois District
C. T. Spitz defined the work of the teacher as follows: “The'G
tian day school teacher is . . . an assistant functionary: ins
congregation. He is not an assistant pastor and yet an a ict
under the pastor in feeding the lambs of Christ. His chief dy
the teaching and training of children. He is called to te
children in his care the one thing needful and to train them
fear and admonition of the Lord. In this capacity he is reprégs
not only the pastor, but also the parents of the children,
these children are away from home and under his care.” #
Spitz points out again the dual role of the teacher. He.c¢l
Sunday school teachers also as assistant functionaries of
ministry. He defines the term “assistant functionaries” as 4 ol
“Assistant functionaries of the holy ministry are not
They may be formally introduced to the congregation or'¢
in the case of a duly called Christian day school teacher, s¢
installed.” 47 : sO

44 L. G. Zobel, “Theses on the Call of the Lutheran Day’
Teacher,” Lutheran School Journal, LVI (June, 1921), p.170:
45 W. C. Kohn, “Eine herzliche Bitte an die Lehrer zum Wohl
Gemeindeschulen,” Lutheran School Journal, LXVI (Sept.,
46 Proceedings, So. Il., 16 (1933).
47 Ibid., p. 44.