LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 242

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

242

VII. 2013 RES. 4-06A TASK FORCE REPORT TO THE SYNOD
Basic Proposal Regarding the Current Service
of Licensed Lay Deacons

Res. 4-06A charged the President of the Synod to appoint a task
force to “develop a plan anchored in the Word, in consultation with
licensed lay deacons and those who supervise and are served by them,
to resolve questions about the service of licensed lay deacons serving congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod with the
Word and Sacraments of Christ.”55 The present task force believes that
the Synod, by such a plan, should provide a clear path forward to certify,56 call, and ordain men presently serving as licensed lay deacons.57
The priorities of the task force as it has met, prayed, and worked
together are the following:
1. Remaining faithful to Scripture and the Confessions
2. Promoting and facilitating the mission of proclaiming the Gospel in
our congregations and communities
3. Promoting greater concord within the LCMS
4. Promoting greater implementation of existing assets:
a. SMP
b. EIIT, CHS, Cross-cultural Ministry Center (CMC)
c. Multi-point ministries
d. Inactive pastors
e. District training programs for laity
5. Encouraging and facilitating increased lay involvement in the mission
of the church, especially in evangelism

While the foregoing are not necessarily in order of priority, the task
force believes it is necessary to say that the first two points mentioned
should not be placed in conflict with each other. Without theological
faithfulness, there is no clear missionary mandate. Without the work
of mission—proclaiming the Gospel to the world in and outside of
our churches—theology is hollow and the church is being unfaithful
to Scripture and the Confessions.
The following proposal is designed to address both questions
about the service of licensed lay deacons in keeping with 1989 Res.
3-05B and also to eliminate possible abuses of the resolution. It would
eliminate, for example, two reported practices in particular, both of
which are in violation of 1989 Res. 3-05B and existing Licensed Lay
Deacon programs: first, the improper use of licensed lay deacons
in congregations when pastors are serving or are readily available
to serve and, second, the improper use of licensed lay deacons to
fill pastoral vacancies at neighboring congregations where they are
not licensed to serve. (Moreover, although this report’s task is to
address concerns and controversy over licensed lay deacons, it should
be added that the occasional practice of commissioned ministers—
DCEs, DCOs, teachers, commissioned lay ministers, etc.—preaching
or administering the Sacraments, filling vacancies, and so forth, rather
than ordained ministers, is also illegitimate.58)
The path forward outlined below is clearly meant to replace and
make unnecessary in our Synod the practice of licensing lay deacons
for Word and Sacrament ministry, which the Synod began to allow
with the adoption of Res. 3-05B in 1989.59 This proposal allows for an
adequate transition period to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to avail themselves of this opportunity. However, there will
be a terminus ad quem. In other words, there will need to be a date
after which lay deacons will no longer be licensed by districts for
Word and Sacrament ministry. The task force recommends that no
new lay deacons be licensed to preach or administer the Sacraments
after January 1, 2018.
A central theological concern of the task force is the biblical
requirement that those who serve in the Office of Preaching (the
2016 Convention Workbook

public ministry) must be able to teach the whole counsel of God (cf.
1 Tim. 3:2; 2 Tim. 2:2, 24). This requirement, not mere custom, is
the reason our churches have emphasized the most thorough preparation possible for pastors and has established seminaries. It is true
that our seminaries provide a challenging residential program that is
not always a realistic means of pastoral formation for every potential
candidate, but it is also true that our Synod has provided very welldesigned alternatives to residential programs that still maintain high
standards of theological and personal preparation for the holy ministry that the Synod can endorse as a whole. Therefore, our task force
is strongly recommending that, moving forward, such programs—
namely, SMP, EIIT, CHS, CMC—be fully utilized to provide the best
possible pastoral formation for individuals who may have in recent
years sought to be licensed lay deacons instead.
These recommendations should not be misunderstood. The task
force’s work is not in any way intended to demean or discount the
commitment or the efforts of current lay deacons. Lay deacons
have been humbly serving their Lord and His church, often without
remuneration, to the full extent of their abilities and training. Such
commitment deserves commendation and honor. Moreover, some
deacons have surely attained a level of theological competence equal
to seminary-trained pastors, just as surely as some seminary-trained
pastors are of limited theological and practical competence. For these
reasons, the task force recommends that all those licensed lay deacons
who are presently serving as de facto pastors of congregations—
regularly preaching and administering the Sacraments—should be
eligible for a colloquy examination to judge their theological understanding, pastoral capabilities, and commitment to Scripture and the
Confessions.
Just as the following recommendations are not intended to belittle the commitment of current licensed lay deacons, so also the task
force does not intend to disparage in any way the value of the training
programs designed by various districts. Such programs have provided significant benefit not only within given districts, but in the
Synod as a whole, as witnessed by the fact that the ten-course competencies are the basis for admission into the SMP program and that
several of the courses within the programs meet requirements for residential seminary admission. Whether the training programs were
equipping deacons, other certified parish workers, or individuals who
took classes on a case-by-case basis, they enabled individuals to grow
in the Word of God and in an understanding of Lutheran doctrine and
practice. For these reasons the task force wishes to retain the training programs and, especially, to emphasize the potential for them to
serve in training and equipping laity for evangelism.
Recommendation 1: Colloquy for Licensed Lay Deacons
The task force recommends that those licensed lay deacons
who are regularly preaching and administering the Sacraments
be required to apply for a colloquy to examine their ability to
teach and overall fitness for ministry. Upon certification by the
Colloquy Committee, they will be called by the congregations
where they have been serving, ordained into the Office of the
Public Ministry, and placed on the roster of Specific Ministry
Pastors.60
What does this mean? How is this done? First, some general
thoughts: of course, licensed lay deacons may always (and many
do) apply to one of our seminaries to prepare for “alternate route”
or Master of Divinity certification. Licensed lay deacons and others unable to leave their present situations are encouraged to prepare
for ordination through the Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program.