LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 450

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450

ROUTES TO MINISTRY

congregations in light of the words of our Lord, “Feed My lambs
… take care of My sheep” (John 21:15−16). Thankfully, the Synod
has provided additional means of sending workers into the field—
Colloquy, DELTO, SMP, EIIT, etc. Still, it has been said, the Synod is
in irreversible decline. Districts, it should also be pointed out, indeed
continue to do their share in providing pastoral care to congregations
challenged by economic and demographic shifts—encouraging dual/
multi-site pastoral arrangements, advising congregations to merge
when appropriate, promoting worker-priest vocations, engaging the
retired and inactive in long-term interim pastoral settings—and still,
districts are hard-pressed to keep pace with congregations in need of
Word and Sacrament ministry. Today, the number of congregations
served by deacons is somewhere between 250 and 350. That number
will swell, and with it, the opportunity of leading men to our seminaries for enhanced training. We need to continue the practice of
offering deacons as an option to congregations calling for Word and
Sacrament nourishment when a pastor is not available.
Therefore, because Scripture affirms diaconal ministry as a blessing from God and does not deny the Church their service and ministry
but, in fact, upholds it; and because diaconal ministry, as implemented
in our districts, evidences the tripartite understanding of the “proper
call” expressed in the Augsburg Confession; and because diaconal
ministry is already widely used in our church and under the care of
ecclesiastical supervisors and, as such, has been an evidenced blessing
to the Church; and because diaconal ministry is already well integrated and accepted in many congregations and districts; and because
churches and ministries in our fellowship, no matter how many or how
few, are to be provided and not denied Word and Sacrament ministry
as directed by our Lord, the following memorial is presented to the
2016 LCMS convention.
Proposed Action
Whereas, The 1989 LCMS Convention in Wichita passed Res.
3-05B “To Adopt Recommendations of Lay Worker Study Committee
Report”; and
Whereas, Res. 3-05B implemented in the LCMS “that the title
deacon be established by which a layman would be addressed while
he is temporarily serving in Word and Sacrament ministry in exceptional circumstances or in emergencies” (Section B “Nomenclature,”
paragraph 4); and
Whereas, The Synod upholds Holy Scripture as the sole norm of
all Christian doctrine and practice (Constitution Art. II); and
Whereas, Deacons were clearly present in New Testament church
life, and their work was attested to in the New Testament Scriptures
(1 Tim. 3:1−13; Phil. 1:1; Acts 6:1−7; 8:26−40); and
Whereas, Many deacons have blessed the ministry of congregations and districts and continue to do so where they serve, particularly
in a post-Christian Western context, where due to economics, demographics, and location, a growing number of congregations are in
need of Synod-supervised Word and Sacrament ministry augmenting the pastoral office; and
Whereas, Among partner churches of the LCMS, the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Ghana (ELCG), Japan Lutheran Church,
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil (IELB), Lutheran Church—
Canada (LC−C), and The American Association of Lutheran Churches
(TAALC) include the use of specially selected, trained, and supervised deacons to assist their congregations; therefore be it
Resolved, That the LCMS in convention and throughout the Synod
give all praise and thanks to the Lord of the Church for all His gifts
to the churches and laborers in His harvest field; and be it further
2016 Convention Workbook

Resolved, That diaconal ministry in the LCMS, as implemented
in 1989 Wichita Res. 3-05B, be affirmed, and deacons be acknowledged as gifts of God to His Church; and be it further
Resolved, That Recommendation 1 of the Res. 4-06A Task Force
report (pp. 19 ff.) be returned with no further action to the task force
with thanks; and be it further
Resolved, That the Res. 4-06A Task Force be thanked for its work
in reminding our church of its great and humble need to turn to the
Lord for His gifts in sending laborers into His harvest field; and be
it finally
Resolved, That Recommendation numbers 2–8 of the task force
report be commended for further study with subsequent and timely
implementation to the Council of Presidents and in turn, as deemed
necessary, to appropriate Synod entities for study.
Board of Directors
Eastern District
13-20

To Use Ministry of Licensed Lay Deacons
to Help Spread the Gospel
Whereas, Jesus shares the purpose of His ministry to be saving the lost: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was
lost” (Luke 19:10); and
Whereas, The primary job Jesus gives His Church is mission
work, the sharing of His saving love with all creation. “Therefore go
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to
obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:19−20). He told them,
“This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the
dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be
preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke
24:46−47, emphasis added). “But you will receive power when the
Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8,
emphasis added); and
Whereas, God tells the Early Church that He wants all to be
saved: “God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come
to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:3b−4). “The Lord is not slow
in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient
with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9); and
Whereas, Jesus calls His Church to pray for workers: “When
He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were
harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said
to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask
the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field’ ” (Matt. 9:36–38, emphasis added); and
Whereas, Deacons are appointed in Acts 6 to wait on tables, but
the Holy Spirit leads Philip and Stephen to spread the Good News as
they also baptize and teach (Acts 6−8); and
Whereas, The ministry of deacons, distinguished from the ministry of bishops and overseers, is noted in Holy Scripture in such
passages as Philippians 1:1 and 1 Timothy 3:1−15; and
Whereas, In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul instructs Pastor Timothy to
train others for ministry: “And the things you have heard me say in
the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also
be qualified to teach others”; and