Church and Ministry in the LCMS - Resolution 7-17A
What does this mean?

Issue #1 District Presidents
4/30/02

The official position of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, adopted in convention in 1854 and reaffirmed in convention in 2001, is that only a congregation of believers organized for the express purpose of publicly administering the power of the office of the keys to forgive sins has the authority to confer the office of the ministry, which is the authority to forgive sins publicly by means of the Word and the sacraments. This authority is conferred (see "comments") exclusively by means of the election and call of a local congregation and does not extend outside of or apart from the calling congregation. When a pastor resigns this office, relinquishes this authority, for whatever reason, he at once assumes the status of layman.

Synod is not an organization established for the purpose of publicly administering the power of the office of the keys to forgive sins. Rather, it is an organization established to the end that its member congregations might utilize it to perform in their stead certain functions auxiliary to theirresponsibility of publicly administrating the power of the keys.

Synod meeting in convention (or any place else) has no authority to confer the office of the ministry on anyone. Those who are elected or appointed to positions by either a national or district convention and, in order to assume their synodical duties, resign the authority to forgive sins conferred on them by a local congregation have at the same time assumed the status of laymen. They are no longer incumbants of the office of the ministry instituted by Christ when He called the apostles. They no longer have authority to preach the Gospel or administer the sacraments publicly in anyone's name.

The question we need to ask, then, is how many of the members of our Council of Presidents are layman with no authority from anyone to publicly administer the power of the office of the keys, that is, to administer the forgiveness of sins, and how many are pastors of congregations and have this authority.

It is an important question because it is for certain that many of them, probably most, are laymen acting as if they were pastors with authority from Synod to forgive sins. This is a serious matter because lay members of our congregations, as well as many of our pastors, are led to believe by this practice that the authority to forgive sins comes not by means of a congregation's election and call but by Synod through its ordination, a clear infraction of not only Synod's official position, but, of even graver concern, a clear infraction of principles firmly grounded on God's Word, which we, through our congregational membership in Synod, are pledged to uphold.

I've checked the "Ordained Ministers" list in the 2002 Lutheran Annualas well as all district web sites and it appears as if only three district presidents, Revs. Benke, Diekelman and Krueger are pastors of congregations. If this is correct then all the rest, according to the official position of Synod, are laymen, misters not reverends.

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