LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 444

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444 ADDITIONAL THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS AND REPORTS——-OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

sant
Pastors are shepherds of Christ’s sheep called
to feed them with His Word and Sacraments and
hus to lead them in the mission of the church.

« Jesus Christ gave His church the preaching office precisely for
the missionary proclamation of the Gospel. (Romans 10:14,15; 2
Corinthians 3:6; 4:5; 5:20; Augsburg Confession V & XIV)

* God has given pastors to His church to feed His flock and defend
it against error. This includes both teaching the pure doctrine, and
overseeing the doctrine and life of the community of faith. John
21:15-17; 1 Timothy 3:1; 4:13 & 16; Titus 1:5 & 9; 2:1; Hebrews
13:7 & 17; Augsburg Confession XX VII)

The ordination and installation rites of our church specify the real
responsibilities of the pastor and the promises of God concerning
the Holy Ministry.

Since Christ builds His church through the Gospel, the preaching
of that Gospel is the highest office or activity in the church and
the chief instrument of its mission. (Acts 6: 1-7, Romans 1:16,
Romans 10:14—17) “Practical and clear sermons hold an audi-
ence. The real adornment of the churches is godly, practical, and
clear teaching, the godly use of the Sacraments, ardent prayer,
and the like.” (Apology XXIV [50-51], )

In addition to public preaching of the Word, administration of the
Sacraments, and confession and absolution, a pastor’s own re-
sponsibilities include teaching, comforting the sick and dying, ad-
monishing the erring, evangelizing the lost. counseling the in-
quirer, reconciling the alienated, etc. (Luke 15; | Timothy 4:16; 2
Timothy 4:5)

God’s people are a glorious priesthood
(priesthood of all believers), which is far greater than
and different from the new idea of “everyone a minister.” The public
Gospel ministry, in turn, serves this priesthood of all God’s people.

Therefore, it is spiritually harmful:

¢ When the modern concept “everyone a minister” is equated with
the priesthood of all believers: a) This denies the true priesthood
of all believers, which is exercised not only in worship and
prayer, but also in daily vocation (i.c., the work of one’s earthly
calling, Christian witness in daily life, parental teaching in the
home, etc.) (] Peter 2:9; Romans 12:1—2); b) It confuses individ-
ual Christian lives with public offices in the church. (Acts 6); c) It
can be used to undermine Jesus’ gift of the office of preaching
the Word and administering the Sacraments (pastoral office).
(Ephesians 3:7-10, 4:11; 1 Corinthians 12:28-29 (Augsburg Con-
fession V, XIV, XXVIII [8]).

¢ When congregations or smal! groups are encouraged to regard fel-
low Jay Christians or church staff personnel as their pastors rather
than those men properly trained, qualified, called and ordained to
the pastoral office.

¢ When the pastor is viewed as a chief executive officer, adminis-
trator, or director whose primary purpose is to train laity to do the
real pastoral care.

* When it is held that some ethnic groups or small congregations
do not need properly educated, called and ordained ministers of
the Gospel.

* When pastors lord it over their flocks, not giving patient attention
to careful instruction and faithful service as Christ’s undershep-
herds to His sheep.

IV
Worship is the center of the
church’s life both in this world and in the next.

* Christ’s church is the assembly of saints gathered’ around His
Gospel and Sacraments. (Ephesians 2:20; 4:5.6, Hebrews
12:18-24; Augsburg Confession VII)

¢ Though ceremonies and rites for such gatherings are not dictated,
Christ’s holy presence and His promised gifts determine both the
substance and the reverent style of the Divine Service.

¢ Christian freedom with respect to rites and ceremonies is defined
and determined by Scripture and Confessions. [n part, our

2001 Convention Workbook

churches retain ancient worship forms for the purpose of teaching,
order and continuity with the worshipping church universal as our
joyful confession of the presence and life-giving treasures of
Christ. (Apology VII and VIII, 33; XV, 38-39; 44; 51; Formula
of Concord X )

* Because church fellowship rests on true confession (agreement in
the apostolic doctrine), not on an assumed “faith in the heart,”
loving pastoral care in public worship leads a congregation in the
practice of close(d) communion. (Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians
1 1:27-30)

¢ Worship is first of all God’s service to us—His giving forgive-
ness, life and salvation in Christ; only upon receipt of His gifts
by faith can worship be said to be our offering to God.

¢ The church's life in its worship is transcultural. The Law and
Gospel message of the church is otherworldly and is not a servant
to satisfy the felt needs of the world. Rather, felt needs provide
an occasion for the clear proclamation of Law and Gospel.

It follows that not all humanly devised ceremonies
faithfully confess the presence of Christ in worship.

Therefore, it is spiritually harmful:
* When it is taught that worship is essentially “celebration” rather
than receiving the mercies of Christ in His Word and Sacrament.

¢ When man-centered ceremonies replace God-centered worship.

¢ When orders of service are subjectively devised quite indepen-
dently from orders of worship that are the property of the church
universal and that faithfully confess and receive the presence of
Christ in His Word and Sacrament.

* When the church’s preaching, teaching, music and worship are
changed to be more like the world in order to be accepted by the
world.

¢ When the church’s solemn public worship is treated as a matter of
experiment and entertainment.

* When the loving God-given practice of close(d) communion is
abandoned for the sake of perceived friendliness, inclusiveness in
worship and numerical growth.

* When so-called “liberty” in worship ceremonies, customs and
rites leads to orders of worship that compromise our confession.
(Formula of Concord X) The Divine Service includes those rites
that confess the saving presence of the risen Christ in His Gospel,
such as confession and absolution, Law and Gospel preaching,
Creed, the Lord’s Supper, prayer for the church universal, etc.
(Apology XXIV)

¢ When music and hymnody used in worship focus principally on
human sentiment and emotion rather than on the Biblical content
of the Christian faith,

¢ When well-meaning pious language is substituted for the historic
creeds of the church.

Vv
The Lutheran church has a distinct confessional identity.

¢ The three Ecumenical Creeds (Apostles’, Nicene and Athanasian)
are to be upheld, and initiatives to alter, amend, or replace them
with contemporary compositions must be resisted.

* The Ecumenical Creeds articulate the faith confessed by the
church universal, as opposed to the teachings of heretics and sec-
tarians. (Formula of Concord Epitome Rule and Norm [3])

* Because the language and expressions of the Creeds have been
carefully refined, any change in words or phrases may result in
distortion or loss of the life-giving truths confessed so clearly by
the church down through the ages.

* When the Ecumenical Creeds are subject to individualized refor-
mulation, they are no longer ecumenical nor are they what they
have been for centuries, a tried and true doctrinal standard.

* Preaching and teaching provide the opportunity for presenting
Lutheran Confessional identity in the contemporary context.

* The name Lutheran should be retained among congregations of
the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod because “Lutheran” sig-