LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 166

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3.10.4.7

Nonvoting Advisory Member:
The Executive Director of the Office of Pastoral Education
The Pastoral Formation Committee shall meet at
least once per year and shall report on its work at
the annual joint meeting of the two seminary boards
of regents. Additional meetings shall be determined
by the chairman in consultation with the committee
members;

and be it further
Resolved, That current sections D, E, and F of Bylaw section
3.10 (“Other Councils, Committees, and Boards”) be relabeled and
renumbered accordingly; and be it finally
Resolved, That Bylaw 3.4.3.8 be amended as follows:
3.4.3.8

The Chief Mission Officer shall, on behalf of the President, provide leadership, coordination, and oversight
for pre-seminary education programs, seminary education, and post-seminary continuing education, and
by providing advocacy for pastoral education and
health within the Synod. He shall serve as the chairman of the Pastoral Formation Committee.

Action: Adopted (7)
(The assembly agreed by voice vote to proceed to a vote on the
resolution without discussion, and by voice vote Res. 6-01 was
adopted as presented.)

To Uphold the Scriptural and Confessional
Qualifications for the Office
of the Holy Ministry
RESOLUTION 6-02
Reports R62, R64 (CW, pp. 235–261, 268–289)
Whereas, The Office of the Holy Ministry is located within
God’s plan and work of salvation in Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18–20;
Mark 16:15–16; Luke 24:44–49; John 20:21–23). For this reason we
confess AC V, because (quia) it is “a true exposition of Holy Scriptures” (LSB Agenda, p. 166). “To obtain such faith [i.e., justifying
faith, AC IV] God instituted the office of preaching [Predigtamt],
giving the gospel and sacraments” (AC V 1, German, Kolb-Wengert [KW] edition). See the paper “The Office of the Holy Ministry,”
which “represents a consensus” of the “systematics departments of
both LCMS seminaries” (CTQ 70 (2006): 97–111); and
Whereas, The Office of the Holy Ministry was instituted and
mandated by Jesus Christ to save sinners by “giving the gospel
and the sacraments. Through these, as through means, he gives
the Holy Spirit who produces faith, where and when he wills, in
those who hear the gospel” (AC V 1–2, German, KW). God instituted the Office of the Holy Ministry, or preaching office, for this
very purpose, that sinners obtain saving faith in Jesus Christ (Rom.

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U P O N T H I S R O C K • Resolutions

10:14–17). We confess that this office has “the command of God and
magnificent promises” (Rom 1:16; Ap XIII 11); and
Whereas, Jesus Christ has given the keys of the kingdom
of heaven to His Church immediately. Thus the teaching of our
church, “It is to the true church of believers and saints that Christ
gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (C. F. W. Walther, The
Church and the Office of the Holy Ministry, Thesis 4 concerning
the Church, Thesis 6 concerning the Office, p. 36 of 2012 edition,
adopted in 1852 and reaffirmed with 2001 Res. 7-17A). Jesus says
in Matt. 18:18–20, “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in
heaven. For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am
I among them”; so also, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may
proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9); and
Whereas, God has also instituted and mandated the Office
of the Holy Ministry as His gift to the Church through which the
saving Word of God and the Holy Sacraments are to be publicly distributed and the Keys are to be used publicly on behalf of the church
(Eph. 4:8, 11; AC XIV; Walther on the Office, Theses 3 and 5). Thus
Christ says to His apostles, “As the Father has sent Me, even so I am
sending you. … Receive the Holy Spirit; if you forgive the sins of
any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any,
it is withheld” (John 20:21–23; Matt. 16:18–19); and
Whereas, In keeping with God’s own mandate for filling the
Office of the Holy Ministry, we confess in AC XIV, “Concerning
church government it is taught that no one should publicly teach,
preach, or administer the sacraments without a proper [public]
call” (KW, German), as the Scripture says, “And how are they to
preach unless they are sent?” (Rom. 10:15); and
Whereas, In AC XIV, the “proper call” (ordentliche Beruf, rite
vocatus) entails three biblical and confessional mandates (R62, pp.
238–240; R64, pp. 268–270),
1.	 Examination: The Scriptures mandate that the candidate
for the holy ministry be personally and theologically qualified for the office (1 Tim. 3:1–7; 2 Tim. 2:24–26; Titus 1:5–
9; 1 Pet. 5:1–4). The personal qualifications include that the
candidate be a biological male (Gen. 1:26; Matt. 19:4), above
reproach, and the husband of only one wife. The theological
qualifications especially include the requirement that he be
“able to teach” (2 Tim. 2:24), that is, that “he may be able to
give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those
who contradict it” (Titus 1:9), along with competence to
perform all the tasks mandated to the office. See the Small
Catechism, Table of Duties, 2. To this end the faculties of
our seminaries have been called to teach the Scriptures
and the Confessions to the pastoral candidates and to form
their minds and hearts and skills to the pastoral task. The
faculties of the seminaries are also called to examine the
confession and life of each of the candidates for the office,
along with the Colloquy Committee in the cases reserved
for it (Bylaw 3.10.2). By this examination the Synod assures
“6. Seminaries”