LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 225

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II. THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS­­—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
gift.78 Every sinner is blessed when hiding ends and sins
are laid bare before our gracious God — and pastors
are not excluded.

preserved in the Creed.82 Thus, with the ranks of all the
sinful, pastors ought to cherish the Gospel in private
absolution.

‘Seeking and imploring Your grace’

Help for the Pastor in His Unique
Calling

Liturgical confessions of sin explicitly declare the confidence expressed throughout Scripture, as noted above in
Joel 2 and Psalm 32: The poor sinner who flees toward
God is welcomed, not spurned. In faith’s paradox, even
as we recognize the weight of sin and the legitimacy of
divine wrath, we also confidently confess that “with you
there is forgiveness, that you may be feared” (Ps. 130:4).
Lex orandi, lex credendi — our worship here reflects
our faith.79
We urge you, however, to confess and express
your needs, not for the purpose of performing a
work but to hear what God wants to say to you.
The Word or absolution, I say, is what you should
concentrate on, magnifying and cherishing it as a
great and wonderful treasure to be accepted with
all praise and gratitude.80
If this motivation is true in public heartfelt confession of sin, it is doubly true in private confession. The
absolution is an even more precious treasure when
Christ’s servant, having heard a shamed admission of the
particular sin(s) troubling the penitent, gently lays his
hands on the penitent’s head and declares: “In the stead
and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ, I forgive
you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.”81
Certainly no less than for any lay member, for every
pastor this is “a great and wonderful treasure.” Regular
study of the Word for preaching and teaching makes pastors especially aware of God’s Law and His Gospel. But,
as it does for every child of God, the proclaimed Law of
God is in many ways the message that resonates most
readily for pastors, since it is echoed by the law already
written on our hearts (Rom. 2:15). Even in a fallen creation
and in sinful hearts, the Law of God is still reflected in
nature itself and is written on our hearts. But the Gospel
must come exclusively from outside us, always breaking through the wall of human reason. Luther reminds
us of this, noting the precious nature of the Gospel as

In Luther’s guidance for one who is preparing to confess,
he answers the question about which sins one should
confess:
Here reflect on your walk of life in light of the
Ten Commandments: whether you are father,
mother, son, daughter, master, mistress, servant;
whether you have been disobedient, unfaithful,
lazy, whether you have harmed anyone by word or
deed; whether you have stolen, neglected, wasted,
or injured anything.83
This invites each individual to look at sin in light of
his or her daily callings (vocation).84 The father’s sins
will be unique to his fatherly responsibilities, even as the
mother’s will be to hers; so also the master versus the
servant. Therefore, the pastor will confess as a citizen
and, likely, as a husband and a father. But he will also
confess as a pastor in ways that are unique to his office
and different from a layman’s. The pastor may helpfully
reflect on Scripture that addresses his office as, for
example, in 1 Tim. 3:1–7:
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to
the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.
Therefore an overseer must be above reproach,
the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a
drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome,
not a lover of money. He must manage his own
82

78
Note Luther’s frustration with those who see no need for or value in
confession in “A Brief Exhortation to Confession,” KW 476–477.5–7.
79
The Latin expression Lex orandi, lex credendi literally means “the law
or rule of prayer is the law or rule of faith.”
80

“A Brief Exhortation to Confession,” KW 478.22.

81

LSB 292.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

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See his comment from LC II 67–69, KW 440.
From this you see that the Creed is a very different teaching than
the Ten Commandments. For the latter teach us what we ought
to do, but the Creed tells us what God does for us and gives to
us. The Ten Commandments, moreover, are written in the hearts
of all people, but no human wisdom is able to comprehend the
Creed; it must be taught by the Holy Spirit alone. Therefore the
Ten Commandments do not succeed in making us Christians,
for God’s wrath and displeasure still remain upon us because we
cannot fulfill what God demands of us. But the Creed brings pure
grace and makes us righteous and acceptable to God. Through this
knowledge we come to love and delight in all the commandments
of God because we see here in the Creed how God gives himself
completely to us, with all his gifts and power, to help us keep the
Ten Commandments: the Father gives us all creation, Christ all his
works, the Holy Spirit all his gifts.

83
SC, “The Sacrament of Holy Baptism” (How simple people are to be
taught to confess), KW 360.20.
84
The German word Stand is behind KW’s phrase “walk of life.” KW
360, fn. 84.

PART TWO: HELPING THE PASTOR

trying to measure the ocean.”91 A seemingly endless list
of demands invites an overwhelming sense of failure to
seep into the pastor’s soul.92 Endless expectations and
demands may also make the ministry a lonely vocation
in which the pastor feels spiritually and emotionally
starved.93
In the midst of myriad ministerial models, philosophies and paradigms, the pastor’s fundamental identity
is one who proclaims Jesus and administers publicly
the forgiveness of sins that He alone provides. Yet, as
he serves so that Jesus may be known, the pastor will
realize his failures in this high calling, not only because
his proclamation may fall on deaf ears, but especially in
the face of his own sins. Such guilt is one reason pastors
leave the ministry or, if they remain, lose the joy of their
calling. Such guilt-ridden despair is Satan’s lie. It tempts
the pastor to neglect the resources of the Gospel and lose
both his baptismal and pastoral identity.
Our gracious God would use these trials to serve
a purpose. As Franzmann says, “Until a man has been
molten in the fires of failure and has been shaped by
divine forgiveness, he is not yet a real disciple of Jesus.”94
Such testing (1 Peter 1:6–7) is “part of [our] training,” and
our failure brings us to a “beggary”95 that readies us for
absolution and fits us for service:
The new faith, the new love, the new hope that are
the disciple’s by the resurrection of his Lord are
designed to fit him for service. The beggar receives
the Kingdom as gift and as promise in order to become the instrument and vehicle of the kingdom
of God. He receives mercy in order that he may
bestow mercy.96
Goesswein reminds pastors of their acute need for
God’s mercy and love. “Who needs it more than we do?
Where does temptation more dearly love to live than in
the parsonage? And how can you emphatically advise
everyone to take a medicine, the healing powers of which
you haven’t experienced yourself?”97 Our need for such
91

Oden, Ministry Through Word and Sacrament, 10.

92

Oden, Ministry Through Word and Sacrament, 13.

Tidball, Skillful Shepherds, 316. The practice of hearing confession itself will often add an additional burden on the pastor as he bears secret
sins and burdens of the dear sheep that he seeks to forgive, console and
guide.

93

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household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know
how to manage his own household, how will he
care for God’s church? He must not be a recent
convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit
and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so
that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of
the devil.85
The Law always accuses.86 As the pastor examines
his conscience, Paul’s words will enable him to see areas
of his life in which personal confession is needed. His
character, the character of his marriage, his fatherly
responsibilities, his use of money, his reputation among
others — all are under scrutiny.

‘Measuring up’
The demands of the Law are severe, but just and godly.
Oftentimes, however, other demands feel even heavier. Is
the pastor “measuring up” in comparison with his peers?
Is the pastor “bearing up” under the demands of congregational needs and ecclesial superiors?
Sinful flesh turns ministry into competition. One
pastor’s church is thriving, and another feels like a failure
in comparison. One pastor’s family life appears rosy, but
another has a faltering marriage or a dear child who is
in trouble. One pastor can afford things that another
cannot. One pastor is confident and articulate; another
fumbles for words.
Pastors may begin to dread conferences where experts and successful models only point out inadequacies
— or at least that is all some may hear. Pressure groups
on one side may leave pastors feeling like theological
dunces, if not heretics, and another side’s exhortations
make them doubt their love for Christ and His mission.
The Law’s terrifying function can be a tool of Satan.
Its standards and judgments can drive us from God into
Satan’s arms. He gladly adds a whole list of “laws” that
are from man alone. “Run and hide, you are unworthy!”
is his message. The Word alone can silence him:
Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves
with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one
another and compare themselves with one anoth85

“Paul says [Rom. 4:15]: ‘The law brings wrath.’ He does not say that
through the law people merit the forgiveness of sins. For the law always
accuses and terrifies consciences.” Ap IV 38, KW 126.

to those he serves and those who supervise him.101
Such an evangelical cycle inherently “sorts out” confusion over priorities as pastors are reminded through
direct experience that in absolution we receive the Gospel, which is the heart of the ministry to which they are
called. “Majoring in majors” is not theoretical, but lived
as they receive “the one thing needful” — the very gift
that we are also called to give (Luke 10:42).

For I know [says Christ] that the devil will harass
you severely for My sake, to sadden and weary
you, to make you impatient, to induce you to defect, and to make you say: “I wish I had never had
anything to do with this!” That is the sentiment
of many right now. I myself have been assailed
by such aversion and weariness, and the thought
has come to me: “If I had not begun to do so, I
would never again preach another word; I would
let everything take whatever course it may.” …
But Christ declares: “That is not the right attitude.
Do not let the devil, the world, or your own flesh
overcome you; but think of how I have loved you
and still love you.”100

One great value of the confessional for the pastor in
particular is that a fellow brother in the ministry will
hear his anguish. That brother can not only absolve real
sin, but he can also encourage the pastor to see where he
may “[lack] wisdom” (James 1:5), having believed Satan’s
lie that the judge of the pastor’s vocation is not God,
but man. Such conversation and consolation is also the
Gospel.102 Here, private confession facilitates a freeing
path toward an open admission of a debilitating sin and
a joyful reception of Christ’s forgiveness spoken directly
to that sin — lest his bones waste away or his strength
dry up (Ps. 32:3–5). Just as directly relevant is the counsel
and encouragement of a brother who knows the journey
that pastors are called to walk.

Pastors of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod serve
in circuits with brother pastors more or less close by.
Some pastors, therefore, may look to a pastor near them
with whom they might develop an ongoing confessor-penitent relationship. Others may prefer a classmate
some distance away. Still others may wish simply to seek
out another pastor — it doesn’t matter whom — if and
when they sense the need for private absolution. Our
guidance here does not run in the realm of the Law, so
as to say, “You must find a regular confessor.” Absolution
is a Gospel gift that any brother pastor could give as the
need may arise. We do note, however, that the pastor
himself generally does not have a “pastor loci,”103 that
is, a pastor specifically assigned to him by God’s call.
But this also means the door is open for him to seek a
brother pastor, whether or not an ongoing relationship
101
On the struggle with depression that pastors also sometimes face,
see Todd A. Peperkorn, I Trust When Dark My Road: A Lutheran View
of Depression (St. Louis: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, 2009),
at lcms.org/Document.fdoc?src=lcm&id=721.

Franzmann, Follow Me, 185.

2009), also at wlsessays.net/files/GoesswienAC11.pdf: 19.

102

Franzmann, Follow Me, 206.

98

Oden, Ministry Through Word and Sacrament, 14.

103

96

Franzmann, Follow Me, 220.

99

Oden, Ministry Through Word and Sacrament, 14.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

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I will “refine them as one refines silver, and test them
as gold is tested,” says the Lord God (Zech. 13:9). This is
both promise and threat.
The threat is real. What we often refer to as “burnout” is the result of the ongoing fires of life — fires that
God would use for good, but that often overwhelm us.
Exhaustion and despair to the point of inability to serve
is too often the result of the combination of genuine guilt
over sin and the demands, both legitimate and illegitimate, that pastors face. What do we mean by “burnout?”
One definition of burnout is:
A syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment
that can occur among individuals who do “‘people
work’ of some kind.” Its symptoms include
increased fatigue, tiredness even after a good
night’s sleep, loss of interest in one’s work, and a
pessimistic, critical spirit often accompanied by
withdrawal, depression, and a feeling of futility.87
Pastoral stress or burnout often results from over-involvement — wearing too many “hats.” As pastoral
identity blurs, burnout may ensue, leading to withdrawal
from others, a loss of vocational meaning, hopelessness
and depression.88 One study revealed that one-third of
pastors had considered leaving the ministry on account
of burnout. While any worker in any vocation can experience burnout, pastors are especially susceptible.89
Luther describes the burden of the ministry: “The
household sweat is great; the political sweat is greater;
the church sweat is the greatest.”90 Chrysostom’s characterization of ministerial stress is no better: “[M]aking
a list of all the difficulties involved [in ministry] is like
87
Erwin Lutzer, Pastor to Pastor: Tackling the Problems of Ministry
(Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1998), 59.

89

Lutzer, Pastor to Pastor, 60.

90
Thomas C. Oden, Ministry Through Word and Sacrament (New York:
The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1989), 10.

Oden, Ministry Through Word and Sacrament, 15, quoting Luther’s
sermonic comments on John 15:9 from AE 24:247.

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develops, with whom he is comfortable and of whom he
is confident.

Luther’s example
Part and parcel of Martin Luther’s transformation from
fearful sinner to bold Gospel witness was his having a
confessor, Johannes von Staupitz, “who presented him
with quite a different version of confession, one that
stressed divine agency, divine love, and the importance
of faith.”104 As a result of this confessor-penitent relationship, Luther also found a trusted teacher and counselor.
Luther described his ecstatic joy after having received
Staupitz’s counsel on true penitence as the love of God’s
righteousness:
Your word pierced me like the sharp arrow of the
Mighty. As a result, I began to compare your statements with the passages of Scripture which speak
of poenitentia [repentance]. And behold — what a
most pleasant scene! Biblical words came leaping
toward me from all sides, clearly smiling and nodding assent to your statement. They so supported
your opinion that while formerly almost no word
in the whole Scripture was more bitter to me than
poenitentia (although I zealously made a pretense
before God and tried to express a feigned and
constrained love for him), now no word sounds
sweeter or more pleasant to me than poenitentia.
The commandments of God become sweet when
they are read not only in books but also in the
wounds of the sweetest Savior.105
From Staupitz, his father-confessor, Luther learned
that true penitence began with the heart having turned
to God. Undergirding this insight was that the only way
this could happen was by the grace of God, who reveals
Himself in Jesus Christ.106 Clear absolution brought great
joy! So, Luther’s need for a pastor encourages pastors
today also to have their own pastor.

Qualities of a confessor
How does a pastor go about seeking another pastor to
serve as his confessor? Whether a pastor in need of absolution desires a continuing confessor-penitent relationship or simply has an immediate acute need, what he is
looking for in a confessor are the very qualities the people of his parish have a right to expect from him. Thus,

SA III, 4, KW 319.

“Pastor loci” is a Latin phrase meaning “pastor of the place.” The
pastor’s wife and children, in a technical sense, have as pastor their
husband and father. Because of these unique and close relationships,
there may be circumstances where the pastor’s family may wish to seek
the gift of private absolution from another nearby pastor.

100

PART TWO: HELPING THE PASTOR

‘Bearing up’

Guidance for the Pastor

The pastor who finds himself under such attack
should not wait until he gains the victory over these
spiritual foes before availing himself of the benefits of
private confession and absolution. On the contrary, he
will find in confession and absolution the very allies that
can bring support and encouragement as he continues to
wage war on these satanic forces. Confessing his failures
and acknowledging his helplessness may even bring the
pastor to a better understanding of the sources of the
anger and discouragement. It will work to restore and
strengthen his conviction that all pastors serve their Lord
as both recipients and stewards of the Gospel’s absolution, helping him once again to “major in” the things that
really are important. Although private absolution is addressed individually, its promises also hold true towards
parishioners and ecclesial leaders. A pastor’s anger and
disappointment and despondency are not defended, but
absolved in Christ’s words spoken by the confessor. That
absolution enables the pastor to extend forgiveness back

95

J.G. Goesswein, “The 11th Article of the Augsburg Confession,” trans.
Christopher Doerr, Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly 106, no. 2 (Spring,

One little Word stands against all sin, both genuine
and imagined (the kinds of “sins” that are really based
on human values and not the Word of the Lord). It is
God’s “I forgive you all your sins.” This is the treasure the
pastor needs not only in general, but also in the face of
the unique responsibilities of the ministry.

PART TWO: HELPING THE PASTOR

‘Conversation and consolation’

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medicine is real.
While some may view all this only from a psycho-social
perspective, Luther sees it — especially depression — as
a spiritual battle. For Luther, “it is the influence of the
adversary that elicits depression.”98 The same may be said
for destructive comparisons and attempts to measure up
to others. Why should we regard this as a spiritual battle?
Because the adversary’s goal is to drive the pastor out of
the ministry!99 Luther elaborates:

er, they are without understanding. (2 Cor. 10:12)

88
Lutzer, Pastor to Pastor, 59. See also Thomas C. Oden, Pastoral
Theology: Essentials of Ministry (New York: HarperCollins, 1983), 5.

Cf. Titus 1:5–9.

86

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

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CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

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104
Repentance in Christian Theology, eds. Mark J. Boda and Gordon T.
Smith (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2006), 193.
105

AE 48:66.

106

AE 48:66.

PART TWO: HELPING THE PASTOR

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2019 Convention Workbook