# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1941_S159
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Elementary Education . 157

the opinion of the majority, by social trends, or by expediency,
but solely by the Word of God.
Be For purposes of determining the status of the woman teacher
‘two general factors call for consideration:
1. The woman in so far as she is a parochial-school teacher.
2. The parochial-school teacher in so far as she is a woman.

The Woman in So Far as She Is a Parochial-School Teacher

The position of a parochial-school teacher involves Scriptural
principles concerning the office of the ministry. God has insti-
tuted the office of the holy ministry as the highest office in the

- Church, from which all other offices in the Church are derived.
“This office comprises all the functions which God has assigned to
the ministry, such as public preaching, administration of the Sacra-~
ments, etc., and includes the spiritual oversight over the whole
flock. (Acts 20:28; 1 Tim. 3:5; 1 Pet. 5:2.) The office of the
ministry viewed in this respect may be called the “ministry proper.”

(For a full discussion of these matters we refer to Walther,
Kirche und Amt, and Kretzmann, The Doctrine of the Call.)

The Bible also recognizes certain auxiliary offices of the min-
istry. These auxiliary offices comprise some, but never all, of the
functions of the ministry proper. Some of the functions of such
auxiliary offices are: taking care of the needy (Acts 6:1-16), teach-
ing and governing (1 Cor. 12:28), serving as deacon (1 Tim. 3:8).
The assignment and limitation of these auxiliary functions are
left to the congregation (Acts 6:1-6).

The woman parochial-school teacher has been designated by
a congregation to function as the religious instructor and Christian
trainer of a part of the local congregation. In this respect she
carries out a function of the ministry; for the religious training
of the young in the name of the congregation is a function of the
ministry. She therefore occupies one of the auxiliary offices of
the ministry, whose duties have been assigned to her by the
congregation.

The Parochial-School Teacher in So Far as She Is a Woman

The Bible places certain limitations upon women in various
situations of life:

1. In relation to men in general God places women into a sub-
ordinate position. 1 Cor. 11:3: “The head of every man is Christ;
and the head of the woman is the man.” This divine rule applies
also to the woman teachers.

2. God has excluded women from the ministry proper, that is,
a woman may not perform all the functions of the holy ministry.
1 Tim. 2:11, 12: “Let the woman learn in silence with all sub-