# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2019_S366
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

366

IX. 2016 RESOLUTION 13-01A TASK FORCE REPORT

Read Acts 8:26–35 where Philip witnessed to the
eunuch; Acts 4:23–30 where Christians prayed for the
Gospel to be proclaimed; see also Acts 8:1, 4; 13:2;
1 Peter 3:15. Within his or her vocations in life every
Christian has the privilege and the duty to speak the
Gospel to others.153

7.

By His Spirit the Good Shepherd also provides undershepherds to feed and nurture His royal priestly flock,
establishing the Office of Public Ministry on behalf of
and for the well-being of the flock. One royal priest
is called apart from the rest—appointed in an orderly
way—to preach, teach, and administer Christ’s gifts on
behalf of all.

We also note again the final concluding item from the 2018
CTCR report, The Royal Priesthood: Identity and Mission: “7. The
royal priesthood does not undermine or negate the Office of the
Public Ministry which Christ gives to the Church. Members of the
royal priesthood, in various ways, choose individuals from among
them who are equipped to teach and called in an orderly manner
to hold the Office of Public Ministry and to perform its distinctive
functions. (See 1 Cor. 4:1; 12:28–29; Eph. 4:11; James 3:1; Titus
1:5.)”
What God joins together—in this case the royal priesthood
and the Office of Public Ministry—we must not put asunder.

8.

Lutherans speak of the ministry both in wider, general terms and in a more narrow, formal, pointed, and
specific manner.160 In this way, the complementarity of
the royal priesthood and the Office of Public Ministry is
made evident. Romans 1:16 substantiates the wide sense
of the Gospel ministry while Ephesians 4:11–12 underlies the narrow sense, substantiating God’s provision of
specific office holders who speak with His authority on
behalf of and for the benefit of the Church.161

9.

In its wide sense (abstract dimension) the office of
preaching is the work of making the Gospel known
(verbally and sacramentally), so that Christ, the High
Priest and Great Shepherd, is heard and, by God’s Spirit,
believed.

IV. Summary Considerations on a Complementary
Relationship: the Royal Priesthood and Office of Public
Ministry
The relationship between the royal priesthood and the Office
of Public Ministry is, as the foregoing makes clear, complementary
and not competitive. We can summarize it in the following theses:
1.

Fallen humanity has no capacity to know God in truth,
to please Him, or to trust in Him, but He graciously
makes Himself known in His Word—spoken, written in
the Scriptures and, above all, made flesh in His Son.154

2.

In the person of His Son, God has revealed His grace
and truth (prophet), offered the atoning sacrifice for
the sins of the world (priest), restored His reign and
inaugurated the new creation (king). By faith—believing—in Christ Jesus and His promises, sinful people are
forgiven and made one with Him.155

3.

Faith exists only where the Shepherd’s voice is heard,
either directly, as during His earthly ministry, or indirectly, when by His Spirit the Gospel is made known.
The Gospel is made known in the words and signs that
God has given—His Word and Sacraments.156

4.

The one, holy, catholic (Christian), and apostolic Church
is all believers, “from every tribe and language and
people and nation” (Rev. 5:9), who trust the promise
of forgiveness on account of the atoning sacrificial
death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.157 By Baptism
into Christ, the Church is His Body, the communion of
saints, the people of God, His flock, the royal priesthood.158

5.

6.

The calling of royal priests reflects the work of the Great
High Priest. The royal priesthood offers sacrifices of
thanksgiving—not atonement—to God. It intercedes in
prayer on behalf of all others. And it makes known the
excellencies of God in Christ—sharing His Word, gifts,
and blessings with others.159
Having heard Christ’s voice, every royal priest echoes it,
sharing the Gospel in daily life.

2019 Convention Workbook

a.

In this sense the preaching office (Predigtamt) is
simply the ministry or proclamation of the Word
and is the responsibility of every believer.

b.

The Office of the Keys therefore belongs to the
whole Church and the Gospel is efficacious for
salvation as it is rightly proclaimed by every
Christian, that is, by every royal priest.162

10. As the original possessors of the Office of the Keys,
believers use the keys of the kingdom of heaven both
directly and indirectly.
a.

Members of the Church teach the Word to their
family, tell others of Christ and His saving work,
forgive one another, encourage one another in
faith and good works, and—when called upon
by fellow believers in extraordinary circumstances—teach the Word and lead in prayer in the
congregation.

b.

Indirectly, the members of the royal priesthood
make provision for the public ministry to be exercised in an orderly way in their congregations by
calling a competent man or men to the Office of
Public Ministry.

11. In its narrow sense (concrete dimension) God established the office of preaching (Predigtamt or Pfarramt
used synonymously) for the Church and fills it by men
from the royal priesthood who are well-prepared to
teach, whose lives adorn the Gospel, and who are rightly
called by God through the Church.
a.

God establishes a church Office with the responsibility of publicly preaching and teaching the
Gospel and publicly administering the Sacraments in Christ’s stead, called by and on behalf
of the entire royal priesthood in a given place or
context.