# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2001_S444 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 444 ADDITIONAL THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS AND REPORTS——-OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT sant Pastors are shepherds of Christ’s sheep called to feed them with His Word and Sacraments and hus to lead them in the mission of the church. « Jesus Christ gave His church the preaching office precisely for the missionary proclamation of the Gospel. (Romans 10:14,15; 2 Corinthians 3:6; 4:5; 5:20; Augsburg Confession V & XIV) * God has given pastors to His church to feed His flock and defend it against error. This includes both teaching the pure doctrine, and overseeing the doctrine and life of the community of faith. John 21:15-17; 1 Timothy 3:1; 4:13 & 16; Titus 1:5 & 9; 2:1; Hebrews 13:7 & 17; Augsburg Confession XX VII) The ordination and installation rites of our church specify the real responsibilities of the pastor and the promises of God concerning the Holy Ministry. Since Christ builds His church through the Gospel, the preaching of that Gospel is the highest office or activity in the church and the chief instrument of its mission. (Acts 6: 1-7, Romans 1:16, Romans 10:14—17) “Practical and clear sermons hold an audi- ence. The real adornment of the churches is godly, practical, and clear teaching, the godly use of the Sacraments, ardent prayer, and the like.” (Apology XXIV [50-51], ) In addition to public preaching of the Word, administration of the Sacraments, and confession and absolution, a pastor’s own re- sponsibilities include teaching, comforting the sick and dying, ad- monishing the erring, evangelizing the lost. counseling the in- quirer, reconciling the alienated, etc. (Luke 15; | Timothy 4:16; 2 Timothy 4:5) God’s people are a glorious priesthood (priesthood of all believers), which is far greater than and different from the new idea of “everyone a minister.” The public Gospel ministry, in turn, serves this priesthood of all God’s people. Therefore, it is spiritually harmful: ¢ When the modern concept “everyone a minister” is equated with the priesthood of all believers: a) This denies the true priesthood of all believers, which is exercised not only in worship and prayer, but also in daily vocation (i.c., the work of one’s earthly calling, Christian witness in daily life, parental teaching in the home, etc.) (] Peter 2:9; Romans 12:1—2); b) It confuses individ- ual Christian lives with public offices in the church. (Acts 6); c) It can be used to undermine Jesus’ gift of the office of preaching the Word and administering the Sacraments (pastoral office). (Ephesians 3:7-10, 4:11; 1 Corinthians 12:28-29 (Augsburg Con- fession V, XIV, XXVIII [8]). ¢ When congregations or smal! groups are encouraged to regard fel- low Jay Christians or church staff personnel as their pastors rather than those men properly trained, qualified, called and ordained to the pastoral office. ¢ When the pastor is viewed as a chief executive officer, adminis- trator, or director whose primary purpose is to train laity to do the real pastoral care. * When it is held that some ethnic groups or small congregations do not need properly educated, called and ordained ministers of the Gospel. * When pastors lord it over their flocks, not giving patient attention to careful instruction and faithful service as Christ’s undershep- herds to His sheep. IV Worship is the center of the church’s life both in this world and in the next. * Christ’s church is the assembly of saints gathered’ around His Gospel and Sacraments. (Ephesians 2:20; 4:5.6, Hebrews 12:18-24; Augsburg Confession VII) ¢ Though ceremonies and rites for such gatherings are not dictated, Christ’s holy presence and His promised gifts determine both the substance and the reverent style of the Divine Service. ¢ Christian freedom with respect to rites and ceremonies is defined and determined by Scripture and Confessions. [n part, our 2001 Convention Workbook churches retain ancient worship forms for the purpose of teaching, order and continuity with the worshipping church universal as our joyful confession of the presence and life-giving treasures of Christ. (Apology VII and VIII, 33; XV, 38-39; 44; 51; Formula of Concord X ) * Because church fellowship rests on true confession (agreement in the apostolic doctrine), not on an assumed “faith in the heart,” loving pastoral care in public worship leads a congregation in the practice of close(d) communion. (Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 1 1:27-30) ¢ Worship is first of all God’s service to us—His giving forgive- ness, life and salvation in Christ; only upon receipt of His gifts by faith can worship be said to be our offering to God. ¢ The church's life in its worship is transcultural. The Law and Gospel message of the church is otherworldly and is not a servant to satisfy the felt needs of the world. Rather, felt needs provide an occasion for the clear proclamation of Law and Gospel. It follows that not all humanly devised ceremonies faithfully confess the presence of Christ in worship. Therefore, it is spiritually harmful: * When it is taught that worship is essentially “celebration” rather than receiving the mercies of Christ in His Word and Sacrament. ¢ When man-centered ceremonies replace God-centered worship. ¢ When orders of service are subjectively devised quite indepen- dently from orders of worship that are the property of the church universal and that faithfully confess and receive the presence of Christ in His Word and Sacrament. * When the church’s preaching, teaching, music and worship are changed to be more like the world in order to be accepted by the world. ¢ When the church’s solemn public worship is treated as a matter of experiment and entertainment. * When the loving God-given practice of close(d) communion is abandoned for the sake of perceived friendliness, inclusiveness in worship and numerical growth. * When so-called “liberty” in worship ceremonies, customs and rites leads to orders of worship that compromise our confession. (Formula of Concord X) The Divine Service includes those rites that confess the saving presence of the risen Christ in His Gospel, such as confession and absolution, Law and Gospel preaching, Creed, the Lord’s Supper, prayer for the church universal, etc. (Apology XXIV) ¢ When music and hymnody used in worship focus principally on human sentiment and emotion rather than on the Biblical content of the Christian faith, ¢ When well-meaning pious language is substituted for the historic creeds of the church. Vv The Lutheran church has a distinct confessional identity. ¢ The three Ecumenical Creeds (Apostles’, Nicene and Athanasian) are to be upheld, and initiatives to alter, amend, or replace them with contemporary compositions must be resisted. * The Ecumenical Creeds articulate the faith confessed by the church universal, as opposed to the teachings of heretics and sec- tarians. (Formula of Concord Epitome Rule and Norm [3]) * Because the language and expressions of the Creeds have been carefully refined, any change in words or phrases may result in distortion or loss of the life-giving truths confessed so clearly by the church down through the ages. * When the Ecumenical Creeds are subject to individualized refor- mulation, they are no longer ecumenical nor are they what they have been for centuries, a tried and true doctrinal standard. * Preaching and teaching provide the opportunity for presenting Lutheran Confessional identity in the contemporary context. * The name Lutheran should be retained among congregations of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod because “Lutheran” sig-