LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 429

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THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 429

This arrangement satisfies the pious recognition of most laity
that a pastor’s Call endures for life. They will continue to address
him as “Pastor” and not “Mister.” It also accommodates the reality
of diminished capabilities that comes with the onset of advanced
maturity. Best of all, it also does no violence to the scriptural prin-
ciple of the permanence of the Divine Call to the one office of the
Holy Ministry.

When a pastor chooses voluntarily to resign his Divine Call in
the name of “retirement,” however, there is no biblical or confes-
sional reason to consider him as remaining “in the ministry.” (No-
tions of an indelible character given at ordination emanate from
Rome more than Wittenberg.) Practically speaking, such a man
often remains on the synodical clergy roster and becomes part of a
“pool” for one-time fill-in preaching engagements, etc."*!

A retired pastor who “contracts” with a congregation to perform
shut-in visitations is practicing the ministry without a Divine Call.
This is theologically unsupported, especially when he administers
the Sacrament.*? A similar problem arises if he agrees to serve as
vacancy pastor for a nearby church. In either case, there is no rea-
son why the congregation cannot call that “retired” man to serve
them.** They remain free to call a younger man as an additional
pastor (“senior” in authority if not age), in which case the elder pas-
tor should be welcome to “‘stay on” in a reduced capacity and com-
pensation.

No theological foundation has yet been provided for specula-
tion about “mandatory retirement.” Such policies were introduced
several decades ago into secular organizations primarily to facilitate
the upward mobility of ambitious and under-utilized younger men.
Why should a church body with a surplus of vacancies and a short-
age of candidates be tempted to consider such a policy?

Conclusion

When St. Francis first arrived as a young man at his parish in
northern Italy, he found it in a shambles. The church was in such
poor repair that when it rained, the altar was soaked. For many
years he pleaded repeatedly with his people to repair the church,
fervently praying that God would change their hearts. Eventually,
St. Francis gave this up. Instead, he began to pray that God would
change his own heart and cause him to come to love his people. In
time, he found that God had answered his prayer. He fell in love
with his congregation. And then, something marvelous happened:
his people responded in kind to their undershepherd’s love, care,
and compassion. Some 20 years after his arrival, the congregation
decided to build a brand new church. It took years of endurance for
the hardness to break down and the love to bloom between this pas-
tor and his congregation.

We need not apologize for upholding long pastorates as the
ideal for pastor and congregation alike. These afford people the op-
portunity to build a healthy relationship with their pastor so they
come to relate to him quite naturally as their God-given shepherd.
Over the course of time, they face routines, celebrations, differ-
ences and difficulties together. Through baptisms, Bible classes,
weekly worship, holidays, confirmations, weddings, dinners, meet-
ings, potlucks, softball games, retreats, service events, mission
trips, conferences, hospital visits, and funerals, they become a part
of one another’s lives. They see one another’s faith nurtured, tested
and lived out in flesh and blood, sweat and tears. As they grow to-
gether in the Word, both pastor and congregation learn to depend
on God in the trials and Joys their mutual service daily brings. The
ministry’s daily joys and crosses shape the pastor’s meditations and
teach him how to deal with his people in a compassionate and car-
ing way, even as he soundly proclaims to one and all the whole
counsel of our gracious God. Through experience he gains a pass-
port to relate to each one-on-one, and his people come to know him
personally, learning firsthand how deeply he cares for their needs

of soul and body because he and they know that God has divinely
called him to serve them as their own dear shepherd.

The elders Paul directed Titus to appoint (1:5ff.) were not tem-
porary, and his relationship with the church in Crete is evident:
“Greet those who love us in the faith” (3:15). St. John expressed
this love in letters full of endearing terms: “Beloved” (1 John 1:7),
“Dear children” (1 John 1:18, 28), “My dear children” (1 John 2:1),
“Dear friends” (1 John 4:1), to mention a few. Such love language
would seem out of place had the apostles not established far more
than a passing and superficial relationship with their people.

Let us not deprive congregations and pastors of these loving re-
lationships. Every congregation faces its own unique circum-
stances. It has ever been so. Yet the scriptural theology and practice
of the Divine Call has stood the test of time and proven itself over
centuries of church life. When we honor the divinity of the Call
and uphold what God clearly intended for the good of His church,
God’s Name is kept holy among us, and we help to ensure that the
Gospel has free course in our midst.

You, O Lord, yourself have called him
For your precious lambs to care;
But to prosper in his calling,
He the Spirit's gifts must share.
Give him wisdom from above,
Fill his heart with holy love;
In his weakness, Lord, be near him,
In his prayers, Good Shepherd, hear him.*

4

Appendix A

“Ministry” (Service), “Vocation” (Calling),
and the Divine Call

As stated above, Martin Luther was the biblical exegete par ex-
cellence. A good understanding of Luther’s use of the word ‘“‘min-
istry” and related terms might prove helpful toward resolving con-
fusion between “the ministry” as the pastoral office and “ministry”
as Christian service to others.

The Swedish Lutheran theologian Gustav Wingren provides
helpful insights in his renowned work Luther on Vocation.* The
English word “vocation” derives from the Latin word for “calling.”
Every person, Christian and non-Christian alike, is called by God to
serve others. God does indeed work through all legitimate offices to
perform His ongoing work of creation, confessed in the First Arti-
cle of the Apostles’ Creed.

This vocational calling must be distinguished from the Divine
Call, which refers to the one divinely instituted office of the Holy
Ministry. That calling is divine because the office is divinely insti-
tuted and relates to God’s work of salvation, confessed in the Sec-
ond Article of the Apostles’ Creed, and also God’s ongoing distri-
bution of His own life and gifts through the Gospel! in Word and
Sacraments, confessed in the Creed’s Third Article.

While not expounding upon the biblical terminology per se.
Wingren synthesizes the results of Luther’s own exegesis:

[1]n a Latin work, such as his Large Commentary on Galatians,
Luther characteristically enough speaks of the office of preaching as
Ministerium. As soon as he turns from preaching 10 magistrates. heads
of household, servants, etc. he uses the word vocatio. Cf. WA 401],
152-53. But in German writings Beruf is used also as referring to the
work of the ministry, e.g, WA 301], III. (On War against the Turks,
1529)*°

{T]he word Beruf has more than one meaning; but Luther uses it

most often as outer status or occupation. This use of the term is new
with Luther.*’

As far as we can determine Luther does not use Beruf or vocation in
teference to the work of a non-Chnistian. All have station (Stand) and
office; but Beruf is the Christian's earthly or spiritual work.

If I find myself an occupant of some of these life stations which
serve the well-being of others, I must not entertain the slightest doubt of

2004 Convention Workbook