LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 438

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438

ROUTES TO MINISTRY

2:9; AC XXVIII 10; SA III 7; Tr 11), He also established an office for
teaching and nurturing His royal priests by means of preaching the
Gospel and administering the Sacraments (the Office of the Public
Ministry) that is distinct from the priesthood of believers (1 Cor.
12:29; Rom. 10:15; James 3:1; AC XIV); and
Whereas, The royal priesthood and the Office of the Public
Ministry are to have a complementary and not a competitive or conflicted relationship; and
Whereas, In its history, the Lutheran Church has in various ways
prepared men for the Office of the Public Ministry; and
Whereas, The Lutheran Church has always ensured (1) that men
who are to serve in the Office of Public Ministry be examined as to
their doctrine and life; (2) that the congregations they serve willingly
call them into service; and (3) that the wider church (other churches
in fellowship with the congregation) also affirms them as fellow ministers of the Word and Sacraments (see Acts 1:15–26; 14:23; 1 Tim.
3:1–7; Titus 1:5; Tr 24, 26, 67–70); and
Whereas, Ordination, although not a divine institution (Church
and Ministry, Ministry Thesis VI), is the apostolic custom by which
Lutherans have designated and publicly acknowledged a man as a
minister of Word and Sacrament; that is, as one who is in the Office
of the Public Ministry and recognized by the wider fellowship as a
fellow minister (Ap XIII 11–13); and
Whereas, In faithfulness to the Word of God and to its confession requiring a regular call for those who preach and administer the
Sacraments publicly in the church (AC XIV), the LCMS has followed
the practice of identifying those who are eligible to be called into the
Office of the Public Ministry either by the endorsement of its seminaries or through colloquy; and
Whereas, There is a need in every congregation and also in mission efforts for “men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the
sight of God [who] speak in Christ” (2 Cor. 2:17) to proclaim publicly the saving Gospel and administer our Lord’s Sacraments; and
Whereas, There is a need within the LCMS to regularize the status of licensed lay deacons who are engaged in Word and Sacrament
ministry at the request and call of a local congregation with appropriate oversight by their respective district presidents; and
Whereas, The presence of continuing dissension about licensed
lay deacons is an aspect of further disagreement about elements of
doctrine and practice (e.g., the understanding of the pastoral office;
the relationship between the Office of the Public Ministry, call, and
ordination; and faithful and effective ways to share the Gospel and
plant churches in our post-Christian world); and
Whereas, The Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program was
established by the LCMS as an effective way to provide theological
education and training for pastors in appropriate settings and situations; and
Whereas, Both Concordia Seminary (St. Louis) and Concordia
Theological Seminary (Fort Wayne) provide SMP students with the
theological and practical education necessary to carry out that ministry appropriately and become rostered as specific ministry pastors
in the LCMS; therefore be it
Resolved, That the LCMS, while mindful of the need for continued conversation within the church, affirm the theological framework
of the 2013 Res. 4-06A Task Force Report; and be it further
Resolved, That the LCMS establish and implement an expanded
colloquy program to regularize the status of those men who regularly
preach and administer the Sacraments (who are de facto pastors) so
that these servants of Christ can be called and ordained according to
the order of the LCMS and be rostered as pastors with SMP status;
and be it further
2016 Convention Workbook

Resolved, That, as recommended by the Res. 4-06A Task Force,
the LCMS provide funding to ensure that financial constraints will
not prevent any eligible licensed lay deacon from participating in an
LCMS seminary ordination-track program; and be it finally
Resolved, That the LCMS thank and commend the Res. 4-06A
Task Force for its work on the question of licensed lay deacons.
Concordia Seminary Faculty
St. Louis, MO
13-04

To Implement Res. 4-06A Task Force
Recommendations
Whereas, The Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions teach that
while our Lord gave the keys of the kingdom to His whole Church, the
royal priesthood of believers (Matt. 16:15–19; Matt. 18:18–20; 1 Pet.
2:9; AC XXVIII 10; SA III 7; Tr 11), He also established an office for
teaching and nurturing His royal priests by means of preaching the
Gospel and administering the Sacraments (the Office of the Public
Ministry) that is distinct from the priesthood of believers (1 Cor.
12:29; Rom. 10:15; James 3:1; AC XIV). Thus, the royal priesthood
and the Office of the Public Ministry are to have a complementary
and not a competitive or conflicted relationship; and
Whereas, In its history, the Lutheran Church has in various ways
prepared men for the Office of the Public Ministry, ensuring that men
who are to serve in the Office of Public Ministry be examined as to
their doctrine and life, that the congregations they serve willingly call
them into service, and that the wider church (other churches in fellowship with the congregation) also affirms them as fellow ministers
of the Word and Sacraments (see Acts 1:15–26; Acts 14:23; 1 Tim.
3:1–7; Titus 1:5; Tr 24, 26, 67–70); and
Whereas, Ordination, although not a divine institution (see
Church and Ministry, Ministry Thesis VI), is the apostolic custom
by which Lutherans have designated and publicly acknowledged a
man as a minister of Word and Sacrament—that is, as one who is in
the Office of the Public Ministry and recognized by the wider fellowship as a fellow minister (Ap XIII 11–13). In faithfulness to the
Word of God and to its confession requiring a regular call for those
who preach and administer the Sacraments publicly in the church
(AC XIV), the LCMS has followed the practice of identifying those
who are eligible to be called into the Office of the Public Ministry
either by the endorsement of its seminaries or through colloquy; and
Whereas, There is currently within the LCMS the need to regularize the status of licensed lay deacons who are engaged in Word
and Sacrament ministry at the request and call of a local congregation with appropriate oversight by their respective district presidents.
Because the presence of continuing dissension about licensed lay
deacons is an aspect of further disagreement about elements of doctrine and practice (e.g., the understanding of the pastoral office; the
relationship between the Office of the Public Ministry, call, and ordination; as well as faithful and effective ways to share the Gospel and
plant churches in our post-Christian world), the LCMS established
the Specific Ministry Pastors (SMP) program in 2007 as an effective
way to provide theological education and training for pastors in appropriate settings and situations. Both Concordia Seminary (St. Louis)
and Concordia Theological Seminary (Fort Wayne) provide SMP students with the theological and practical education necessary to carry
out that ministry appropriately and become rostered as specific ministry pastors in the LCMS; therefore be it