LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 431

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS 431

Thus Paul sent Titus, Timothy, [and] Silvanus to churches. But the
apostles did not thrust those persons on the churches without either in-
vitation or consent, but nominated or presented them to the churches,
which then approved and confirmed that nomination or election with
their own free election, as Luke describes this custom with the word
cheirotonia, Acts 14:23.

Finally, after the church had grown into a large multitude, a pres-
bytery was arranged and set up already at the very time of the apostles
to handle this matter. | Tim 4:14. In this [presbytery], according to the
accounts of Tertullian and Ambrose, some were chosen and appointed,
from all the orders or members of the church, to take care of and ad-
minister these and similar church matters in the name and with the con-
sent of the whole church. And thus the call remained that of the whole
complete church, yet with proper and decent order observed. The
church immediately following diligently followed these apostolic foot-
steps ... [From] Cyprian, Book I, Ep. 4, Augustine, Ep. 100 ... there
still remain the words, nomination, request, presentation, consensus,
confirmation, and conferring; from these words, rightly considered, it
can be understood how and with what order the call of ministers of the
church both was once regulated and ought to be properly administered
in our time.’

Appendix D
Walther on Catholicity

Professor Lawrence Rast has described how Walther’s views
shaped Missouri’s initial perspective on catholicity.'°!

The Word creates the church and defines its catholicity. The
Lutheran Reformation, embraced in the symbolical books gathered in
the Concordia of 1580, is that church catholic because it preaches the
pure Word of God and administers the sacraments rightly. For Walther
this meant that catholicity was a matter of doctrine and practice.

Pastors and congregations can confidently subscribe to the Lutheran
Confessions because they are a faithful and true exposition of the Word of
God. They are catholic documents and by accepting them the Lutheran
church is ‘the orthodox, visible church’, that is, the church catholic. Thus
loosed from the constraints of a radical, isolated individualism, both pas-
tors and congregations are free to confess the true, catholic faith together.
Catholicity for Walther is doctrinal in character. ...

... It is when the church begins to accommodate theology to the cul-
ture in which it exists that the church loses its moorings and begins to
drift away from the truth and thus lose its catholicity. ... [I]n the face of
the American stress on freedom and liberty, and their concomitant sus-
picion of an arbitrary exercise of power, Walther specifically talked
about binding people to historic doctrinal positions and documents be-
cause they embody the church’s faith—they are catholic.

Walther goes on to argue that confessional subscription has a
twofold purpose. First, that the church may be assured that its pastors
and teachers really possess a correct, orthodox understanding of Scrip-
ture. And second, “that the Church may bind them with a solemn
promise to teach this faith pure and unadulterated ...” But, Walther later
notes, such binding does not compromise the freedom of the Christian.
Rather it frees him to be a teacher of the truth, not a slave of human
opinion, A man is free or not to make the vow oat ordination. If he
chooses not to, that is his prerogative. But he may not then be a member
of the Synod. For “the very purpose of a carefully worded and uncon-

ditional subscription is to exclude such from the confessional pledge as_.

do not fully agree with the belief of the Church.”

The Confessions are binding because they are catholic; and they
bind both pastors and people. Congregations are not free to change or
adapt the revealed doctrines of God’s Word. They are, however, always
free to confess otherwise (both doctrinally and in practice), though such
a confession necessarily compromises their claim to catholicity. At that
point they have departed from the pure church in an unqualified
Sense. ... :

Measures sincerely intended to curb the “arbitrary exercise of
power” by pastors, congregations, ecclesial officials or staff may
ultimately prove incompatible with the theology and (proper) prac-
tice of the Divine Cal]. Walther demonstrates that confessional sub-
scription is the church’s best precaution against such abuses. May
our Lord guide “the orthodox, visible church” ever to teach and
practice the Divine Call in a “catholic” manner—that is, one that
remains faithful to Him and His Word.

Appendix E

Selected Sources of Further Information
on Intentional Interim Ministry (IIM)

At the recent convention of the California-Nevada-Hawaii Dis-
trict of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (March 28-30,
2003, in Modesto, Calif.), delegates and visitors were invited to
learn more about the Intentional Interim Ministry concept and its
application in that District.

The Rev. Dr. Paul Meyer, CNH District Director of Intentional
Interim Ministry (32 Los Banos Court, Walnut Creek, CA 94598)
had prepared a booth displaying many matenials that explained IIM.

The purposes of IIM were graphically depicted by a model of a
suspension bridge marked with the slogan “Empowering—
Strengthening—Transforming Congregations in Transition.”

Testimony of various benefits experienced by congregations
that have employed an IIM was provided through several quota-
tions adorning the booth panels:
¢ “A breather, allowing us time to reflect”
¢ “Got conflicting groups to work together ...”
¢ “Promoted healing”
¢ “Build a sense of unity and fellowship”
¢ “Focused on important prerequisites”
¢ “Set mission directions for us”
¢ “Better prepared to begin call process”
¢ “Our call process was shortened”
¢ “Our permanent pastor ‘fits’ the congregation”
¢ “Joy and laughter returned”

A description of the IIM Program in the CNH District was
available in the form of a three-ring binder prepared by Dr. Meyer
(dated Oct. 14, 2002).

Many other books and printed resources relating to IIM were
also on display:
¢ So You’re on the Search Committee, by Bundy Ketcham (ISBN

1-56699-015-7), March 1985.

*¢ Critical Moment of Ministry: A Change of Pastors, by Loren B.
Mead (ISBN 1-56699-017-3), Alban Institute, Inc., 1986.

¢ Healthy Congregation: A System Approach, by Peter L. Steinke
(ISBN 1-566-173-0), 1986.

¢ Saying Goodbye: A Time of Growth for Congregations and Pas-
tors, by Edward B. White (Library of Congress Catalog Card #89-
82321), Alban Institute, 1990.

¢ How Your Church Family Works: Understanding Congregations
as Emotional Systems, by Peter L. Steinke (ISBN 1-56699-110-
2), Alban Institute, 1993.

¢ Congregational Systems Inventory: Understanding Your Congre-
gation as a System, by George Parsons and Speed B. Leas (ISBN
1-56699-121-8), Alban Institute, 1993.

¢ Restoring the Soul of a Church: Healing Congregations Wounded
by Clergy Sexual Misconduct, by Nancy Myer Hopkins and Mark
Lasser, editors (ISBN 1-56699-164-1), Alban Institute, published
in association with the Interfaith Sexual Trauma Institute, Col-
legeville Minn., 1995.

¢ In Search of the Unchurched: Why People Don’t Join Your Con-
gregation, by Alan C. Klaas (ISBN 1-56699-169-2), Alban Insti-
tute, 1996.

¢ Discover Your Conflict Management Style, by Speed B. Leas
(ISBN 1-56699-184-6), Alban Institute, 1997.

¢ Leading Change in the Congregation: Spiritual and Organiza-
tional Tools for Leaders, by Gilbert R. Rendle (ISBN 1-56699-
187-0), Alban Institute, 1998.

¢ Temporary Shepherds: A Congregational Handbook for Interim
Ministry, by Roger S. Nicholson, editor (ISBN 1-56699-208-7),
Alban Institute, 1998.

2004 Convention Workbook