LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 317

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THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
WHEREAS, The members of The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod, by God’s grace, have by their unequivocal and
unconditional subscription to the Lutheran Confessions publicly
confessed this understanding of the Church and the ministry
throughout the Synod’s history; and
WHEREAS, C.F.W. Walther, in Thesis I of “Church and Ministry”
confessed, “The holy ministry or pastoral office is an office distinct
[The German word translated as “distinct” is unterschiedene, which
can be translated distinguished, different from, distinctive, and
unique] from the priesthood of all believers” (C.F.W. Walther,
Church and Ministry [Kirche und Amt] [St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1987], 161); and
WHEREAS, The New Testament also includes many functions
and titles for the Office of the Public Ministry, including apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, among others (Eph.
4:10; Titus 1:5–9; 1 Tim. 3:1–7; 1 Peter 5:1–4), and sets aside other
functions and titles for those who assist the Office of the Public
Ministry in carrying out its tasks, including deacons (Acts 6:1–5; 1
Tim. 3:8–13); and
WHEREAS, The 2016 convention urged Synod to uphold the
biblical and confessional qualifications for the pastoral office (2016
Resolution 6-02A) and to remove any confusion of the pastoral
office with other forms of helping or auxiliary offices in the church,
such as deacons (2016 Res. 13-02A); and
WHEREAS, 2016 Res. 13-02A brought an end to the licensing of
laymen for Word and Sacrament ministry, yet also commended the
work of educated lay evangelists to assist in bringing the Gospel to
an increasingly secular, unbelieving world; and
WHEREAS, Ongoing training programs in several districts for lay
assistants, making use of various titles such as evangelist, pastoral
assistants, pastoral ministry assistants, and deacons, include
instruction and training for functions unique to and reserved for men
called into the Office of the Public Ministry. For example, a course
offered by the Mission Training Center of the Pacific Southwest
District entitled “Homiletics” includes the description: “In this
course the deacon applicant will concentrate on the basic
preparation and delivery of a sermon”; and
WHEREAS, Although well intentioned, these lay training
programs have created confusion because of the use of terms
historically associated with the Office of the Public Ministry; and
WHEREAS, In attempting to comply with timelines and
expectations set by 2016 Res. 13-02A for ending the licensure of
lay deacons for Word and Sacrament ministry, confusion has arisen
over the use of the terms of deacon and evangelist in relation to
those who occupy the Office of the Public Ministry; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod commend the publications of the
Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) which
define the theology, nomenclature, and responsibilities of the office
of the ministry, especially The Ministry in Its Relation to the
Christian Church (1973), The Ministry: Offices, Procedure, and
Nomenclature (1981) [Such as: “Thus, we may speak of various
“ministries” in and of the church, but we must be careful to
distinguish them properly. An office is not defined solely by what
one who holds it does (function) but by the duties, responsibility,
and accountability assigned to it. The pastoral office is unique in
that all the functions of the church’s ministry belong to it.” The
Ministry: Office, Procedure, and Nomenclature (1981)]; and be it
further

317

Resolved, That the CTCR be directed to produce a report that
defines and distinguishes the New Testament terms used for the
Office of the Public Ministry and its auxiliary offices, including
special discussion of the offices of deacon and evangelist, in
preparation for the 2026 convention; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Council of Presidents take this report under
consideration as it seeks to formalize the functions and
requirements of these auxiliary and helping offices in their
respective districts in keeping with 2016 Res. 13-02A.
Board of Directors
Iowa East District
Ov. 5-49

To Affirm Use of “Deliver Us from the Evil One”
WHEREAS, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable
for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16); and
WHEREAS, No one should ever add to nor take away from God’s
Holy Word (Rev. 22:18–19); and
WHEREAS, St. Paul makes it clear that our struggle is not “against
flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the
spiritual forces of evil” (Eph. 6:12); and
WHEREAS, St. Peter informs us that our enemy is the devil, and
that he prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour
(1 Peter 5:8); and
WHEREAS, Our Lord Jesus, in teaching his disciples to pray, said
in the prayer that we commonly call The Lord’s Prayer, that we
should pray to our Father in heaven to “deliver us from the τοὐ
πονηροὐ (tou ponerou),” which translated from the Greek text
literally means “the evil one,” of course referring to the devil (Matt.
6:13); and
WHEREAS, Jesus in John 17:15 prays to his heavenly Father
asking Him to protect his disciples from τοὐ πονηροὐ (tou ponerou,
the evil one), and St. Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:3 assures the
Christians in Thessalonica that the Lord would protect them from
τοὐ πονηροὐ (tou ponerou, the evil one); and
WHEREAS, Martin Luther has written in the Large Catechism in
the explanation of the Seventh Petition, “but deliver us from evil,”
these words: “In the Greek this petition reads, ‘Deliver or keep us
from the Evil One, or the Wicked One.’ The petition seems to be
speaking of the devil as the sum of all evil in order that the entire
substance of our prayer may be directed against our archenemy.”
(Book of Concord, ed. Tappert, 435); and
WHEREAS, This is also supported by such texts as Genesis 3:1–
5, Job 1–2, Matthew 4:1–11, Mark 1:12–13, Luke 4:1–13, Matthew
13:39, Luke 8:12, John 13:2, Acts 10:38, Ephesians 4:27, 2 Timothy
2:26, Hebrews 2:14, James 4:7, 1 John 3:8, Revelation 2:10,
Matthew 16:23, and Luke 22:3, all of which show that our fight is
not against some vague, metaphysical concept called evil, but
against a very real and dangerous enemy and entity known as the
evil one, the devil, Satan, Lucifer, and/or Beelzebub; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention affirm that our struggles
are not merely against some abstract, nebulous thing called evil, but
against a very real entity and enemy known as the devil; and be it
further

2023 Convention Workbook