# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2004_S190 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 190 THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS sense of | Tim. 3:l-7 and Titus 1:5—9. In addition St. Paul cau- tions against placing anyone in this office hastily (1 Tim. 5:22). The completion of the first 10 courses of the DELTO program or their District equivalent and formal action by the congregation and the District President satisfies these directions. Thus the action of the congregation can be considered a “divine call.” Rather than or- daining the Licensed Deacon, the congregation should consecrate this person for ministry in a public worship service, which should include prayer and the laying on of hands by the District President or his designated representative. Upon completion of the full 30- course DELTO program the licensed deacon (DELTO vicar) may be considered for ordination. Bylaw 2.45 b states “Congregations that are members of the Synod shall call and be served only by ordained ministers who have been admitted to their ministries in accordance with the rules and regulations set forth in these Bylaws and have thereby become members of the Synod.” An addition within Bylaw 2.45 would be in order to the effect that “So that people may not be deprived of Word and Sacrament, an exception is allowed in circumstances where there is no resident pastor and no pastor available to lead worship and administer the Sacraments. Arrangements may then be made by a congregation, with the approval of the District Pres- ident, to secure a licensed deacon to serve under the supervision of an ordained pastor. “Licensed deacon” is the title used for a man who shall have completed the first 10 courses of the Synod’s DELTO curriculum as taught through District-level programs, based on equivalency to the syllabi agreed to by the seminaries.” Resolved, That Districts use the title “licensed deacon” for those men who have completed courses taught through District-level pro- grams, based on the equivalency of syllabi for the first 10 DELTO courses agreed to by the seminaries, and who, with the approval of the District President, are conducting Word and Sacrament min- istry; and be it further Resolved, That a “licensed deacon,” after completion of such courses and with the approval of the District President, shall re- ceive a regular, divine call from the congregation served and that the congregation consecrate this man for ministry in a public wor- ship service, which should include prayer and the laying on of hands by the District President or his designated representative; and be it further Resolved, That the Council of Presidents in consultation with the Commission on Worship develop a common “Rite of Conse- cration” of licensed deacons; and be it further Resolved, That District Presidents, as the ecclesiastical super- visors, maintain a District roster of licensed deacons and partici- pate in an annual evaluation and recertification of the licensed dea- con, such evaluation to include progress toward completing the full DELTO program toward ordination or other District-approved con- tinuing education programs; and be it finally Resalved, That the Commission on Constitutional Matters be requested to make the necessary Bylaw changes to implement this resolution. Faith Woodland Park, CO 3-85 To Approve Ordination of Deacons WuHEeREAS, The history of the early Christian church clearly teaches that the apostles quickly recognized the need to seek out men “who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom” and to whom were turned over the responsibilities that they could no longer handle (see Acts 6:1-7); and WHEREAS, It is apparent in the history of the early Christian church (specifically in the third and fourth centuries) that all “or- ders” of professional church workers were ordained via the laying on of hands; and WHEREAS, Art. XIV of the Augsburg Confession reads, “It is taught among us that nobody should publicly teach or preach or ad- minister the sacraments in the church without a regular call,” and our denomination has interpreted this to mean “called and or- dained”; and WHEREAS, Other denominations within the Christian church or- dain their deacons to the diaconate (both temporary and perma- nent); and Wuere_as, In our denomination deacons clearly function as the seelsorger (German for “one who cares for souls”) of the congre- gations they serve by participating in every aspect of Word and Sacrament ministries, including teaching, preaching, counseling, baptizing, evangelizing, and exercising leadership within the con- gregation; and WHEREAS, The deacons in our church body are trained and li- censed to serve within their District in these ways: * Ethnic ministries (serving congregations that would otherwise be without pastoral services in their native languages) Inner-city ministries (serving congregations that would otherwise be without pastoral support to reach their neighborhoods) Rural ministries (serving congregations in areas of declining popula- tions that would otherwise be without pastoral guidance) ¢ Specialized ministries (serving in institutions, in prisons, and in start- ing new congregations as church planters) Assistant to the Pastor ministries (assisting pastors in growing con- gregations without further impacting the shortage of ordained pas- tors); and WHEREAS, Our denomination has chosen to respect the value of these deacons by allowing them to be considered for entry into the ordained ministry after a minimum of 10 years of full-time parish experience; therefore be it Resolved, That The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in con- vention approve the ordination of deacons as deacons, with the fol- lowing restrictions: ¢ They will continue to serve in the District in which they are or- dained. * They will continue to be trained (both type and amount) in ac- cordance with the wishes of their District President. ¢ They will continue to function under the guidance of a supervis- ing pastor. St. Michael, Wayne, MI; Trinity, Arcadia, MI; Good News Ministries, Whittemore, MI; Nativity, St. Charles, MI; Drummond Island, Drummond Island, MI; Our Savior, Glennie, MI 3-86 To Amend Synod’s Constitution to Reflect Explicitly That Only Men May Be Pastors WuerREAS, Holy Scriptures indicate that only qualified males may be called as pastors (1 Tim. 2:11-12; 1 Cor. 14:34-35); and WHEREAS, The 1998 convention of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod adopted Res. 3-25A, “To Affirm Position of Synod That Only Men May Hold the Pastoral Office”; and WHEREAS, The current Constitution of the Synod does not ex- plicitly address this issue; therefore be it Resolved, That the Indiana District in convention commend to the 2004 LCMS convention an amendment of Constitution Art. VI 3 by adding the sentence, “In the case of pastors, only qualified males may be so received.” Indiana District 3-87 To Reaffirm Roles of Women in Church WHEREAS, Clear passages of Scripture teach that ordination into the Office of the Public Ministry is limited to males only (1 Tim. 2:12; 3:2; 1 Cor. 14:34; Titus 1:5-6); and