# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1953_S1043
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

204 ;
PARISH EDUCATION
A Christian con: i
: gregation m: i sags
its ; ay, in Christian ];
Servants special responsibilities with corresponds ? assj
8 auth

The terms “bishop,”
Dp,” “elder.” «
to refer to this office that is eesen i
Gomer: with it the responsibility for the ent; i
he “aes congregation. In Titus 1:5-9 this: oe
e’der™ and “bishop.” In Acts 20:28 this ieee lesignn
3 office j

tion of the bisho urch
P or deacon j “

paar Is to “take care of »
Ace one te these Bible Passages .. . the terme shia ” wen
I r all imply leadership and rule over pai wcider,”

in on applying what the New Testament sa
aa ocal Congregation to a Particular it ti
plest and most direct application in the calling f

Office of pastor This i
° man is to pr
the Sacraments, He is responsih P to Gots Gospel and administer

the spiritual lead i
ership of the co i i
coneregation according to the Word of Ged we i pe hati Oe
an “episkopos” as described in the New Testam t.
ent,

be determined by the congregation.

K. A congregati i
egation has in Christian liberty the authority to

create additional Offices, d
: ° , delegating t «ces
Certain functions of the public minus 0 them and limiting for them

“together to ¢

PARISH EDUCATION 295

gro
work
“ork they jointly have the author
within the public ministry.
group of Christians from within several congregations banded
arry out some phase of Kingdom work has a similar
but must respect the sovereignty of the local congre-
must be guided by fraternal consideration of the welfare
and interests of the local congregation, the District, and the Synod.

* Persons properly called to such offices created to meet the needs
of the Church as related to its ministry of preaching and teaching
the Gospel in all the world participate in the public ministry of the
Word. amples of such offices are: the parochial school teacher in
the local congregation, missionary at large at home or abroad, pro-
fessor at a synodical college, Lutheran high school teacher, synodical
official, chaplain in the Armed Forces, deaconess. These all, like the
pastorate, are derived from the ministry of the Church.

L. All congregational, synodical, and extracongregational of-
fices that are based on a regular call from a congregation, a group
of congregations, or a group of Christians, must be considered di-
vine, because these offices are derived from the divinely instituted
public ministry.

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

The needs of the Church often may require services in which
a person is asked to do both; to serve in all or part of the ministry
of the Church and also to do work necessary for, and of benefit to,
the Church but not included in the obligations placed on servants
of the Word by Christ, the Head of the Church. In such a case that
person is a minister of the Word by reason of his call and his work
in the ministry (iure divino), but he is a President of a Synod,
President of a District, professor, etc., by reason of the order and
constitution of the Church he serves (iure humano).

Again, a person may be assigned work that can only be done
properly in the spirit of Christ and in obedience to His Great Com-
mission, even though the work may seem to involve mainly “secu-
lar” duties. A Lutheran schoolteacher, for instance, who is called -
by a congregation to teach any or all of the subjects popularly con-.

up of congregations can organize to perform jointly some

which is the responsibility of each congregation. For
ity to create additional

gation and