Grace Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, Elgin, Texas

What's Going On in the Missouri Synod?

Additional citations from the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions not included in the study materials are linked to this document and will open in a separate window.

Lay Ministers

The word oxymoron is defined as “a phrase in which two words of contradictory meaning are used together for special effect, for example, ‘wise fool’ or ‘legal murder.’” The phrase “lay minister” is an oxymoron. A minister is an ordained clergyman who has a call to minister/serve in the Office of the Public Ministry, that is, a pastor. A layman (male or female) is someone who is neither called nor ordained, but receives the service of a minister.

The Office of the Ministry (Pastoral Office) has been instituted by God.
Ephesians 4:11, "It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers."
Acts 20:28, "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers."
Augsburg Confession V, "In order that we might have such faith, God has given us the ministry of the teaching of the gospel and the distribution of the sacraments"
The Treatise on {rejecting} the Power and Primacy of the Pope, 67, "It is as Paul testifies to the Ephesians when he says, "When he ascended on high he gave gifts to men" (Ephesians 4:8,11,12). He enumerates pastors and teachers among the gifts belonging exclusively to the church, and he adds that they are given for the work of ministry and for building up the body of Christ."

God calls men to fill the Pastoral Office through the church.
2 Tim 2:2, "The things you have heard me say in the presences of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."
Titus 1:5, "The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you."
Apology {Defense} of the Augsburg Confession, XIII, 11-12, "The ministry of the Word has God's command and glorious promise: {at this point the text cites Rom 1:16 and Isa 55:11}... The church has the command to appoint ministers; to this we must subscribe wholeheartedly, for we know that God approves this ministry and is present in it."
The Treatise..., 67, "For wherever the church exists, the right to administer the Gospel also exists. Wherefore it is necessary for the church to retain the right of calling, electing, and ordaining ministers" (Latin text).

The Pastoral Office is an office of Service/Ministry
Acts 6:4, "...and we will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."
1 Cor 4:1, "Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God (NKJV).
2 Tim 2:2, "The things you have heard me say in the presences of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."
1 Ptr 5:1-4, "...Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers"
AC, XIV, "It is taught among us that nobody should publicly teach or preach or administer the sacraments in the church without a regular call."
AC, XXVIII, 8, "This power of keys or of bishops is used and exercised only by teaching and preaching the Word of God and by administering the sacraments (to many persons or to individuals, depending on one's calling)."
Treatise..., 60, "The Gospel requires of those who preside over the churches that they preach the Gospel, remit sins, administer the sacraments, and, in addition, exercise jurisdiction, that is, excommunicate those who are guilty of notorious crimes and absolve those who repent."

The Priesthood of the Baptized is different from the Pastoral Office.
1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
Isaiah 40:9, “O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Also Eph 5:19)
Numbers 11:29, “Then Moses said to him, ‘Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!’”
Romans 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Two Commonly misunderstood Passages
Is the pastoral office given in order to train and make the laymen to do the work, or is the pastoral office an office of service that builds up the church?
Ephesians 4:11-13, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

Is this the Great Commission given to all individual believers, or the Lord’s promise for the church as a whole, that Jesus is present in the church’s Apostolic office of teaching and baptizing?
Matthew 28:16-20, “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. ¹⁷ When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”

Our Synod on the Office of the Ministry
Prior to 1989, men were Seminary trained and then ordained and called into the office of the Holy Ministry in accordance with Article XIV of the Augsburg Confession,

“It is taught among us that nobody should publicly teach or preach or administer the sacraments in the church without a regular call.”

All of the other offices in the church (Day School Teacher, lay elder, etc.) are made by human arrangement. These churchly offices were considered “auxiliary offices,” in order to support the Pastor in His work or to do works of Christian service.

At the Synodical Convention in Wichita (1989), the unbiblical category of “lay ministers” was created in response to a supposed emergency situation regarding a lack of ordained clergy to serve parishes.

In 2001, Synodical President, Dr. A.L. Barry made plans to reverse the 1989 convention decision. But instead of putting an end to the practice as was recommended by Resolution 3-08 (and endorsed by our seminaries), a substitute resolution 3-08B endorsed and continued this practice.

[Then] in 2004, Resolution 5-09, entitled, “To affirm District Programs that Equip Laity for Ministry,” directed “the Synod in convention recognize, affirm, and encourage the work of the Districts in developing ministry-equipping programs for laity such as the Lay Leader Institute, Missionary Training Center, Training Leaders for Ministry, and The Alaska Project.”

For what reasons is it so very important that a minister of the church have a legitimate call? (Question #11 from An Enchiridion by Martin Chemnitz) One must not think that this is done by human arrangement or only for the sake of order; but there are many weighty reasons, consideration of which teaches many things and is very necessary for every minister of the church.

I. Because God Himself deals with us in the church through the ministry as through the ordinary means and instrument. For it is He Himself that speaks, exhorts, absolves, baptizes, etc. in the ministry and through the ministry. Lk 1:70; Heb 1:1; Jn 1:23 (God crying through the Baptist); 2 Co 2:10, 17; 5:20; 13:3. It is therefore absolutely necessary that the minister as well as the church have sure proofs that God wants to use this very person for this His ordinary means and instrument, namely the ministry.

Now, a legitimate or regular call provides these proofs; for in this way every minister of the Word can apply to himself the statements of Scripture [in] 2 Co 5:19; Is 59:21; Mt 10:20; Lk 10:16; 1 Th 4:8.

II. Very many and necessary gifts are required for the ministry. 2 Co 2:16. But one who has been brought to the ministry by a legitimate call can apply the divine promises to himself, ask God for faithfulness in them, and expect both, the gifts that are necessary for him rightly to administer the ministry (1 Ti 4:14; 2 Ti 1:6; 2 Co 3:5-6) and governance and protection in the office entrusted to him (Is 49:2; 51:16).

III. The chief thing of the ministry is that God wants to be present in it with His Spirit, grace, and gifts and to work effectively through it. But Paul says, Ro 10:15: "How shall they who are not sent preach"(namely in such a way that faith is engendered by hearing)? But God wants to give increase to the planting and watering of those who have been legitimately called to the ministry and set forth doctrine without guile and faithfully administer whatever belongs to the ministry (1 Co 3:6; 15:58), that both they themselves and others might be saved. 1 Ti 4:16.

IV. The assurance of a divine call stirs up ministers of the Word, so that each one, in his station, in the fear of God, performs his functions with greater diligence, faith, and eagerness, without weariness. And he does not let himself be drawn or frightened away from his office by fear of any peril or of persecution, since he is sure that he is called by God and that that office has been divinely entrusted to him.

V. Finally, on this basis the hearers are stirred up to true reverence and obedience toward the ministry, namely since they are taught from the Word of God that God, present through this means, wants to deal with us in the church and work effectively among us.

The foregoing material developed by and used with permission of Trinity Lutheran Church, Herrin, Illinois.

3. Unionism and Syncretism

6 Points

5. The Service of Women