tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778905687600416321.post439574865815254193..comments2023-11-05T02:55:10.230-06:00Comments on Gottesdienst Online: Whither the future of the pastorate in the LCMS?Pr. H. R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16756503062523543708noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778905687600416321.post-9879591221661254962011-04-29T08:11:49.675-05:002011-04-29T08:11:49.675-05:00Thank you, Pastor.Thank you, Pastor.maxsimmshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10149504229720053039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778905687600416321.post-39066476509236175912011-04-29T07:46:57.126-05:002011-04-29T07:46:57.126-05:00The preaching and teaching that is reserved for th...The preaching and teaching that is reserved for those called to and placed in the Office of the Ministry is that sort of speech that speaks "by the command and in the stead of Christ." Another way to look at it, would be to say someone who speaks in such a way that it is clear that he is claiming to speak for the Church and for her Lord. <br /><br />Obviously, preaching from the pulpit on Sunday morning is the chief example of this sort of speech. <br /><br />There is a flip side to this restriction: it is a reminder to the preachers that in their calling to preach and teach the faith, they are not to go out on any limbs of their own whim. The pulpit is not the time for personal reminiscence or theological speculation - a man is called to the pulpit to preach what he knows to be Christ's Word with Christ's own authority. <br /><br />This does not preclude laymen from being good historians and theologians. It precludes them from proclaiming their researches "by the command and in the stead of Christ" from the Church's pulpits.<br /><br />+HRCPr. H. R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16756503062523543708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778905687600416321.post-17251223219308326332011-04-28T23:34:38.640-05:002011-04-28T23:34:38.640-05:00Thank you, Pastor.
If I may ask a followup questi...Thank you, Pastor.<br /><br />If I may ask a followup question, while I assume preaching means giving the sermon during the Divine Service, does it also entail such things as teaching adult classes, writing about the faith, etc?<br /><br />In other words, is any kind of religious teaching (beyond perhaps teaching children's Sunday School classes) restricted to those who have been called to the Office of the Ministry?maxsimmshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10149504229720053039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778905687600416321.post-39616932429710992232011-04-28T16:00:21.668-05:002011-04-28T16:00:21.668-05:00Mr. Simms,
The word "ministry" is used ...Mr. Simms,<br /><br />The word "ministry" is used in many ways in the various parts of Christendom today - it may refer to the youth group washing cars or to the pastor's preaching of the Gospel and administration of the Sacraments. It is in this latter sense that the term has historically been used in the Lutheran Church. <br /><br />In our Augsburg Confession's fourteenth article, we confess that no one may preach or administer the Sacraments unless publicly and "ritely called" (rite vocatus, ordentliche Beruff). Only those called to the Office of the Ministry (pastors) may preach and administer the Sacraments. <br /><br />Alas, since 1989 the LCMS has been in clear violation of this article of faith - and has instead been allowing laymen to go around preaching and administering the Sacraments specifically without being called to the Office of the Ministry. This is a scandal and a breach of the orthodox Lutheran faith. Thus, the scare quotes: because I, for one, believe that such "ministry" does not have the blessing of God. <br /><br />+HRCPr. H. R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16756503062523543708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778905687600416321.post-5722857887656137402011-04-28T14:58:35.396-05:002011-04-28T14:58:35.396-05:00I am new to the Lutheran church (and specifically ...I am new to the Lutheran church (and specifically the LCMS), so my question will undoubtedly demonstrate my ignorance:<br /><br />What do you (and those who post to such other sites as Steadfast Lutherans) mean when you refer to "lay ministry" (particularly since the term is usually written using ironic quotation marks)?<br /><br />What is the difference between legitimate lay ministry and illegitimate "lay ministry?"maxsimmshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10149504229720053039noreply@blogger.com