LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 167

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itself of the confessional commitment and the personal and
theological fitness of its candidates for call and ordination.
2.	 Call: God Himself calls a man into the Office of the Holy
Ministry through the church, whose right to call and ordain ministers stems from her possession of the Keys, on
account of Christ’s institution. By the ministerial call (or
sending, John 20:21, Rom. 10:15), Christ, through the
church, bestows His own authority and power upon the
one who is called, as we confess in the Apology, “They represent the person of Christ on account of the call of the
church and do not represent their own persons, as Christ
himself testifies (Luke 10:16), ‘Whoever listens to you listens to Me.’ When they offer the Word of Christ or the sacraments, they offer them in the stead and place of Christ”
(Ap VII/VIII 28, KW). The call of the church is not only the
call of Christ into the Office, but also indicates the consent
of the church in receiving the ministry of the one called
(Acts 6:1–6; Walther, Thesis 6 concerning the Office). The
divine call is always to a designated location and field of
service. We especially defend the right of the local congregation to call her own pastor.
3.	 Ordination: The rite of ordination, the laying on of hands,
is an ancient and laudable practice in the church, but not
commanded by God. But when ordination is understood as
the whole church’s confirmation of the call, it is an inherent
component of transcongregational (transparochial) church
fellowship and a part of the “proper call” confessed in AC
XIV. So we confess, “Finally [the church’s right to call and
ordain ministers] is also confirmed by Peter’s declaration
(1 Peter 2:9): ‘You are a … royal priesthood.’ These words
apply to the true church, which, since it alone possesses the
priesthood, certainly has the right of choosing and ordaining ministers. … Ordination was nothing other than such
confirmation of the candidate by the laying on of hands”
(Tr 69–70, KW). The church has the right to put her ministers in place, and ordination guarantees that right. We also
confess in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, “But
if ordination is understood with reference to the ministry
of the Word, we have no objection to calling ordination a
sacrament. For the ministry of the Word has the command
of God and has magnificent promises like Rom. 1[:16]: the
gospel ‘is the power of God for salvation to everyone who
has faith.’ … For the church has the mandate to appoint
ministers, which ought to please us greatly because we
know that God approves this ministry and is present in it”
(Ap XIII 11, 12, KW). Again, from the Treatise, “For wherever the church exists, there also is the right to administer
the gospel. Therefore, it is necessary for the church to retain
the right to call, choose, and ordain ministers” (Tr 67, KW).
C. F. W. Walther writes in his Pastoral Theology (p. 44),
“Neither the examination which one who has been called
to the preaching office passes before an appointed commission outside of the calling congregation, nor the ordination
which he receives from the appointed persons outside of
the congregation, are what make the call valid. But both
procedures are among the most beneficial ordinances of
the church and have—especially the latter—among other
“6. Seminaries”

things the important purpose of publicly confirming that
the call is recognized by the whole church as legitimate and
divine. Anyone who unnecessarily omits one or the other
is acting schismatically and making it known that he is one
of those whom congregations with itching ears heap up for
themselves (2 Tim. 4:3)”;
and
Whereas, Society is challenging the church to conform to the
shifting definitions of marriage (no-fault divorce, same-sex marriage, etc.) and sex (transgenderism, surgical modifications, etc.),
putting pressure on applications of the qualifications for the holy
ministry; and
Whereas, Within the Synod many are debating issues surrounding the Office of the Holy Ministry, including preparation,
fitness, examination and certification, and the necessity of call and
ordination to “publicly teach, preach or administer the sacraments”
(AC XIV; see, e.g., 2013 Res. 4-06A on licensed lay deacons); and
Whereas, The office assigned to the seminary faculties is complementary to that assigned to the visitors of the church (i.e., district
presidents). The seminary faculties present the candidates to the
church for call and ordination, while the district presidents ordain
and install them into office on behalf of the church. The district
presidents (as ecclesial visitors) provide for the care and maintenance of the work done by the seminaries by encouraging and
strengthening the pastors under their charge with the Word of God
(Acts 15:1–35), continuing to examine their doctrine, practice, and
life and testifying to the church of the faithfulness of each pastor’s
confession and life; and
Whereas, God calls pastors to love and care for His people, to
minister to them with compassion and understanding, and as the
church asks her pastors to promise in the Rite of Ordination, “Will
you faithfully instruct both young and old in the articles of Christian doctrine, will you forgive the sins of all those who repent, and
will you promise never to divulge the sins confessed to you? Will
you minister faithfully to the sick and dying, and will you demonstrate to the Church a constant and ready ministry centered in the
Gospel? Will you admonish and encourage the people to a lively
confidence in Christ and in holy living?” (LSB Agenda, p. 166);
therefore be it
Resolved, That the seminaries in consultation with the Council
of Presidents review their admissions and certification standards
to ensure that all those admitted to or certified through any of
the routes to the Office of the Holy Ministry conform to the personal qualifications outlined in Holy Scriptures (1 Tim. 3:1–7;
2 Tim. 2:24–26; Titus 1:5–9), including that they be a biological
male (Gen. 1:26; Matt. 19:4; Acts 1:21; 1 Tim. 3:2), the husband of
only one wife if married (1 Tim. 3:2, Titus 1:6; see also Ap XXIII);
and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod in convention uphold these scriptural
and confessional qualifications of the holy ministry by directing
the seminaries and district presidents to ensure that (1) the candidate for office be examined by a seminary faculty or the colloquy
committee to certify his fitness in life, doctrine, and confessional
commitment; (2) he be called by the church to a particular field of
U P O N T H I S R O C K • Resolutions

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