LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 260

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260
260

VII.
OPINIONS
FAQS ON
OFTASK
COMMISSION
FORCE ON
REPORT AND
CONSTITUTIONAL
RECOMMENDATIONS
MATTERS

Sacraments—very little change and virtually no expense will
be required to change from a deacon to a specific ministry
pastor. Wherever financial need is an obstacle to the transition, support will be available through the Synod’s Office of
Pastoral Ministry. Such deacons will be eligible for a streamlined, regional colloquy process that will result in their ministry being recognized as fully legitimate and answer the
objections of those who have been troubled by practices that
are inconsistent with our biblical theology of the pastoral
ministry and the call, as exhibited in the Augsburg Confession (Art. XIV). The change will conclude the controversy
and an ongoing criticism of the work of such deacons as they
transition from being licensed deacons to ordained pastors.
Current limitations on their ministries, such as their inability
to pronounce the absolution, will no longer exist.
Q22. Does the task force report press all deacons into tracks to
ordination?
A.
No, it certainly does not. No one is to be coerced into the
Holy Ministry. When a deacon is fulfilling the responsibilities and functions of the Holy Ministry—that is, when he is
the chief servant of the Word, preaching and teaching for a
congregation, and administers Christ’s Sacraments on their
behalf, then he is already engaged in the Holy Ministry. The
first concern of the task force report is that whenever that
is the case, this man’s ministry should be recognized and
validated by the whole church through the colloquy process
(Recommendation 1). If other individuals, deacons or otherwise, wish to serve as preachers and in the administration
of the Sacraments, then for the sake of good order, they, too,
ought prayerfully to consider the ministry. Many other deacons who wish only to assist in other ways, from teaching to
evangelism to visitation, should feel no compulsion to enter
a track toward ordination.
Q23. The current need for ordained pastors to serve challenging ministries may be met in part through the colloquy of
the deacons serving them (Recommendation 1). But what
about the future, when these men retire or can no longer
serve? How do we, in an ongoing way, provide men to serve
the congregations and ministries with minimal resources
in isolated areas or those made up of new immigrants or
other minorities?
A.
This important question is addressed, in part, by the report’s
second recommendation that not only endorses greater use
of SMPs to provide pastors for congregations facing challenges such as minimal financial resources or geographic
isolation but also includes this: “Synod must ensure that
financial constraints do not prevent any eligible candidate
from participating in the SMP program.” The task force
included this final sentence only after receiving firm assurances from the Office of National Mission that financial resources are available and would be provided to aid eligible
SMP candidates with demonstrated need. The very same
financial commitment is part of Recommendation 3 that affirms and encourages participation in training programs that
have been created as vehicles for the theological education
of individuals from ethnic and linguistic minority groups.
SMP and the cross-cultural programs mentioned in Recommendation 3 are structured along the lines of “on the job
training” or, we might also say, extended vicarages, so that
individuals can be trained for the Office of the Holy Ministry
while remaining in their current location and serving existing congregations and ministries. Currently, no financial aid

2016 Convention Workbook

is available for such men. The recommendations change that,
enhancing these programs’ feasibility and appeal.
Q24. Does the task force recommend that there be no new
trained ecclesiastically supervised lay deacons licensed
after January 2018?
A.
The answer depends on what aspect of the present practice
of licensing lay deacons is referenced. Yes, if the task force
recommendations are adopted, by January 2018 there will
no longer be licensed lay deacons serving as de facto pastors
of congregations, that is, regularly preaching and administering the Sacraments, because these men will have become
ordained pastors recognized by the entire Synod.
But does that mean the end of our practice of training lay
people for service in the church? No. Those individuals who
have completed diaconal training and serve in ways other
than preaching and the administration of the Sacraments—
over one-third of all deacons—will continue to do so. The
task force Recommendations 7 and 8 commend district-level
programs with the desire for them to continue to prepare lay
men and lay women for service in the church to assist pastors and congregations in a variety of ways. We need more,
not fewer, lay people trained as leaders, especially in the role
of evangelism. Of course, should a man trained locally desire to serve as a pastor, he may apply to one of our residential seminaries, or he may apply to one of our SMP programs
for pastoral training in place. In other words, we need more
lay leadership training, but if we ask a man to do pastoral
work, we need to train him and clearly recognize him as a
pastor.
Q25. I am a deacon trained in my district and licensed to help
my pastor mostly with visitation. He might ask me to
preach once or twice a year, but I never preside for the
Lord’s Supper. I visit sick and shut-ins, and I help with the
distribution of Holy Communion. Do the recommendations
of the report apply to me? Will I need to colloquize if I want
to continue doing what I’m doing in my congregation?
A.
The simple answer is no. Recommendation 1 of the 4-06A
Task Force applies specifically to those licensed lay deacons who are functioning as de facto pastors of a congregation. That’s not what you are doing. Indeed, there are many
trained deacons across the Synod for whom the task force’s
first recommendation does not apply. However, the task
force is also recommending that district programs for training lay leaders to assist pastors, particularly in evangelism,
are to be encouraged and strengthened (Recommendations 7
and 8).
Q26. I am president of a district that has many trained and licensed deacons. The majority of them serve within their
congregation under the direct supervision of their pastor
to assist the pastor in visitation and teaching Bible study.
They rarely preach and never preside for the Supper. We
have a few men who do regularly preach and teach and
administer the Sacraments under some light supervision
from a pastor in the area. How will the recommendations
of the task force, if adopted, affect us?
A.
The task force’s first recommendation will not affect the
majority of deacons who are not doing regular Word and
Sacrament ministry and are not serving as pastors of congregations. However, the men in your district who are
functioning as pastors will be required, if the task force recommendations are adopted, to do one of the following (by
July 1, 2018): apply to one of our seminaries for an alter-