LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 241

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VII. 2013 RES. 4-06A TASK FORCE REPORT TO THE SYNOD
preside for the Supper is, at its core, not clear. In an important paper
considered by the systematic faculties of both our seminaries, Dr. Joel
Okamoto concludes that “call and ordination are essential for conduct
of the ministry. Ministers do things in the place of Christ. They forgive and retain sins. They judge doctrine. They administer the signs
of God’s favor. They warn and admonish against sin and error. They
exclude and include particular persons. In all these things they stand
over against others, and so the question follows naturally: By what
right? On whose authority? What is the sign of authority for ministers today? It is their call and ordination, which assure that they act
by divine right and on the authority of Christ.”50
In essence, licensed lay deacons are locally certified as “able to
teach” rather than certified by the whole Synod fellowship. While
there is a call of sorts by the congregation, when the church inducts
a licensed lay deacon, it specifically does not place the man into the
pastoral office. Yet the church is telling the man to go and to do pastoral work (albeit under supervision). The people see the man behaving
as their pastor, yet they are not to call him pastor, but deacon.51
Although it is often noted that “oversight” (episcope) is a pastoral responsibility and that at various times in history deacons have
served under a pastor’s (or bishop’s) oversight, such practices have
not been widespread in Lutheran tradition. Where the office of deacon has occurred, it has been defined and practiced with great variety
and, most often, with its sole focus on serving the physical needs of
believers. Moreover, the practice of licensing preachers has historically been condemned by Lutheran fathers (Walther, for example).
Given such historical uncertainties, it is not surprising that the practice of licensing lay deacons to provide some pastoral responsibilities
has led to confusion and strenuous debate rather than order and harmony (see above, pages 4ff.).
Our concern here has nothing to do with the power of the Word or
the efficacy of the Sacraments. The Word of God is the Word of God,
whoever speaks it. The Sacraments are sure and certain because of
the Word and promise of Christ, not because of the character or position of the officiant (cp. AC VIII). Yet when the church tells a man to
do pastoral work (i.e., to publicly administer Word and Sacrament)
but does not recognize the man as a pastor, the church is not being
clear (or fair!) to the man or to the people. This, we believe, is the real
source of the unease in the Synod regarding the sending of licensed
lay deacons to publicly preach, teach, and preside. This is not the fault
of the licensed lay deacon or of the congregation simply seeking to
provide for Word and Sacrament in its midst. Instead, it is the Synod
itself that has allowed this unclear situation to continue. Therefore, it
behooves the Synod to provide a path forward toward a more unified
and unifying approach for everyone, faithful to the Word of God and
our confessions—something more clearly consonant with AC XIV.
The task force recognizes that without agreement regarding the
theological understanding of the ministry as it is taught in Holy
Scripture and confessed in the Book of Concord, divisions within
the Synod will remain over this particular issue and that such dissension and misunderstanding will continue to distract us from the
missionary mandate of our Lord. Moreover, because the Lay Deacon
programs are designed and administered by LCMS districts, the task
force sought guidance and reactions from the Council of Presidents
on several occasions. While various district presidents have expressed
reservations about how to address various practical aspects of the
proposals offered below, no one on the council has expressed any
theological objections to the understanding of rite vocatus provided
in the preceding sections. It is our prayer, then, that the Synod can
move forward in its practice on the basis of a common theological

241

understanding of the need to rightly train, examine, call, and affirm the
ministerial validity of those who will preach the Gospel and administer the Sacraments in our congregations and missions.
The Role of Colloquy in the Synod
There are essentially two means by which a man can be certified
for call, placement, and ordination into the ministerium of the LCMS.
1.

He may be certified by one of our two seminary faculties through
one of several degree or certificate programs offered by that seminary (MDiv, alternate route, SMP, EIIT, CHS, etc.).

2.

He may be certified by the Colloquy Committee for the Pastoral
Ministry (consisting of the First Vice President as Chairman, one
district president selected by the Council of Presidents, and the presidents of our two seminaries or their representatives).

Colloquy is from the Latin colloquium, meaning essentially “a
conversation.” So, a man entering the ministry of the Synod by colloquy submits an application package through a district, the Colloquy
Committee decides whether the man is eligible to proceed, and if the
person qualifies, the Colloquy Committee invites him for an interview, a colloquy. On the basis of the application and the colloquy
interview, the Colloquy Committee decides whether to certify the
man, to decline the application, or to require the completion of further study. Further study might include a reading program, seminary
classes, SMP classes, a vicarage, or various combinations of the same.
As one might expect, colloquy is highly individualistic and can vary
greatly, depending on the needs of the particular applicant. The goal,
however, is always to ensure that the individual is “able to teach” and
will think and act as a Lutheran pastor.
Who is eligible for colloquy? In addition to the general characteristics necessary for the pastoral office laid down in Scripture (see
1 Tim. 3:1–7; 4:1–16; 2 Tim. 4:1–5; Titus 1:5–9, etc.), there are three
categories of individuals presently eligible to apply for colloquy:
1.

Ordained men who are currently active pastors in good standing of
another church body, and who have completed a recognized academic
program leading to ordination

2.

Men who have been members in good standing of a Missouri Synod
parish for at least two years, who possess a Master of Divinity or
equivalent from a recognized academic program leading to ordination

3.

Licensed lay deacons of the Missouri Synod who have been serving
in full Word and Sacrament ministry for at least ten years

All others, including LCMS commissioned ministers and lifelong
LCMS members who have received the Master of Divinity degree
from schools outside the LCMS, are directed to one of the seminaries for the “alternate route” program.52
Though the details have varied through the years, the Missouri
Synod has always admitted pastors to its ministerium by a colloquy
of one form or another. The 1854 Constitution of the Synod states,
“If pastors, candidates for the ministry, or schoolteachers apply for
membership in Synod, who have previously not been members of recognized orthodox church bodies, they must first submit themselves to
a colloquy by the examination commission or substitutes appointed
by it.”53 The constitution then called for two examination commissions to ensure that the applicants were “able to teach”—does the man
think and act as a Lutheran pastor?54
The path to ordination proposed below uses this time-honored
process in a modified way to address the specific needs of lay deacons who have been licensed for Word and Sacrament ministry. The
goal is to provide a means by which every congregation is served by
a pastor, and every man whom we charge to do pastoral work—to
administer Word and Sacrament on behalf of God’s people—is recognized by the wider church as a pastor.
2016 Convention Workbook