Church and Ministry in the LCMS - Resolution 7-17A
What does this mean?
Issue # 2 - St. Louis Concordia Seminary professors
May 7, 2002
Dr. F. Pieper, President of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis from 1887 to 1931 and President of Synod from 1899 to 1911, authored a three-volume theological work on Christian doctrine entitled Christian Dogmatics. Completed in 1924, it was hailed as "'a monumental work....setting forth the doctrines of Christianity as taught in the Lutheran Church,'" as "'a work that will go down to future generations as the dogmatic standard,'" characterized even by theologians of other church bodies as "'monumental,'" "'a veritable treasure house on dogmatic theology.'" (Forward. Vol. I)
On page 442,Volume III, of the 1950 English translation published by Concordia Publishing House, is this: "Luther points out, too, that the means of grace have the same nature, power, and effect, whether administered by common Christians or by ministers in their public office. He writes: 'We firmly maintain there is no other Word of God than the one all Christians are told to preach; there is no other Baptism than the one all Christians may administer; there is no other remembrance of the Lord's Supper than the one any Christian may celebrate; also there is no other sin than the one every Christian may bind or loose; ........moreover, no one should judge of the doctrine but the Christian. These, however, certainly are the priestly and kingly functions.'
"On the other hand, Luther sets forth the difference between the priesthood of all Christians and the public ministry. 'Though all of us are priests,' he says, 'we may and should not on that account all preach or teach and govern. However, from the whole congregation some must be selected and chosen to whom this office is to be committed; and whoever holds this office is now, because of it, not a priest (like all the rest), but a servant, or minister of all the others. And if he can or will no more preach or serve, he steps back into the common crowd, commits his office to someone else, and is now again no more than every common Christian. Behold, thus must the office of preaching, or the ministry, be distinguished from the universal priesthood of all baptized Christians. For this office is nothing more than a public service, which is delegated to one by the whole congregation, though all of them are priests together.''"
Synod's official position on church and ministry echoes Luther exactly. Only a local congregation (see "comments") of believers can establish the office of the ministry instituted by Christwhen He called the apostles, which is the authority to publicly forgive sins by means of the Word and the sacraments. Once that authority is resigned the one upon whom the congregation conferred it "is now again no more than every common Christian."
I've compared the names of all professors listed on the St Louis seminary faculty e-mail roster with the 2002 Lutheran Annual "Ordained Ministers" list and find that none of them are credited in the latter with being pastors of congregations. If this is accurate, then, according to the official position of Synod, none of them, including the president of the institution, are incumbants of the office of the ministry instituted by Christ when He called the apostles. None of them have authority from anyone to publicly administer the power of the office of the keys to forgive sins by means of preaching the Gospel and administering the sacraments. They are, in a word, all laymen - misters, not reverends.
Next week: Issue #3 - Ft. Wayne Concordia Theological Seminary professors.