To Adopt Recommendations of Lay Worker Study Committee Report as Amended

RESOLUTION 3-05B

Report R3-06 (CW, pp. 69-73); Overtures 3-10-13, 3-15A-3-19,3-24 (CW, pp. 173-76)

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod has been and continues to be blessed with many dedicated fulltime church workers; and

WHEREAS, The Synod in convention in 1983 adopted a three-category classification of our full-time workers: Minister of Religion, Ordained; Minister of Religion, Commissioned; and Certified Professional Church Worker, Lay (1983, Res. 5-09A); and

WHEREAS, The Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions clearly teach that there is only one divinely instituted office in the church; that is, the Office of the Public Ministry, commonly referred to as pastor (AC V, XIV); and

WHEREAS, "Except in exceptional circumstances or in emergencies" ("The Ministry," a report of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations, 1981, p. 35) the distinctive functions of the pastoral office are to be carried out only by those who have received a regular call (AC XIV); and

WHEREAS, Great care must be exercised in carrying out the Great Commission so that people not be deprived of Word and Sacrament when no ordained pastor is available; and

WHEREAS, The Bylaws of the Synod provide for the licensing of certain men "for special Word and Sacrament ministry, under the supervision of ordained pastors" (Bylaw 6.97 f); and

WHEREAS, The Synod in its history has met critical needs in its ministries by employing extraordinary means, for example, the Nothilfern ("emergency helpers" - pastors for special circumstances) in its early history; and

WHEREAS, The experience of some of our partner churches (e.g., The Lutheran Church of Nigeria and The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana) includes the use of specially selected, trained, and supervised laymen to assist in Word and Sacrament ministry; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 135 "lay ministers" are presently serving in the Synod in an ongoing Word and Sacrament ministry without the benefit of synodical guidelines for their service; and

WHEREAS, Concerns have been raised that the uniqueness of the divinely instituted pastoral office be preserved; and

WHEREAS, The Lay Worker Study Committee, appointed by the President of the Synod, undertook a careful study of the whole matter of recognized lay ministry in the Synod, including (1) the question of pastoral services, functions, and responsibilities being carried out by men who have not completed a seminary program and who are not ordained;.(2) the questions of nomenclature, preparation, deployment, and supervision of the present Category III (Certified Professional Church Workers, Lay) workers; and (3) the review and identification of various and perhaps new ways of involving lay people in specific congregational ministries, and especially in the planting of new missions; and

WHEREAS, The Lay Worker Study Committee has completed its task and has submitted its report to this convention; and

WHEREAS, It is in the best interest of the Synod and an effective means of promoting the Gospel that the ministry of lay people be regarded as a way to multiply, enhance, and extend the ministry of the church; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Lay Worker Study Committee be thanked for its dedicated service in carrying out its responsibilities; and be it further

Resolved, That the entire report be commended to the members of the Synod and others who would be served by its review and consideration; and be it finally

Resolved, That the recommendations of the Lay Worker Study Committee (Section VII of its report), as amended, be adopted as follows:

VII. Recommendations

A. Forms of Lay Ministry

            The focus for the ministry of the church, and therefore, lay ministry, is in the world. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" and "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself ... and hath committed unto us the Word of reconciliation" (John 3:16; 2 Cor. 5:19‑20). All Christians are called to carry out ministry in the broad sense, and this ministry is accomplished by and through Christians in everyday life. In many respects, laypeople are on the front line of ministry. The individual is called to serve as part of the universal priesthood of believers. It is the task of the church to equip Christians for their ministry or service as Christians. Viewed in this way, clergy assist laypersons in helping them to fulfill their Christian vocation.

            Laypersons also assist in the congregation's life by assisting in equipping each other for Christian vocations as they serve on boards, committees, as officers, elders and in all facets of parish life. Such service is voluntary and is based on mutual accountability between pastor and people. Laypersons are vital to the church, they are its lifeblood, and without them the church does not exist.

            Because of the fact that training and service of laypersons are not always uniform, it seems both wise and necessary to identify those qualities and preparation which persons who serve in positions of recognized leadership should possess.

            Based upon its conclusions, the Lay Worker Study Committee recommends the following:

            1. That the present Certified Professional Church Workers, Lay programs approved by the Board for Higher Education Services be continued.

            2. That Districts and other entities be assisted by the Synod through the Board for Parish Services in developing training programs for lay workers which are for a specific context and are locally available.

            3. That the training of lay workers by Districts and other entities for service within the District be encouraged and that minimum standards, including personal qualities, skills, theological preparation, and academic training appropriate to the field of service for which the prospective worker is being prepared be established by the District.

            4. That information and resources regarding the training of lay workers be gathered, developed, and dissimilated by the Board for Parish Services reflecting current use, supervision, trends, and issues.

            5. That conferences for leaders in Districts, Circuits, and other groupings of congregations training lay workers be sponsored by the Board for Parish Services.

B. Nomenclature

            In order to aid in removing the confusion with regard to the nomenclature which exists at the present time, the committee recommends the following:

            1. That the category Certified Professional Church Workers, Lay be changed to "Certified Church Workers, Lay.”

            2. That the present titles of positions in this category be retained.

            3. That locally trained workers be referred to as lay workers and that those using these services be encouraged to use titles other than those used by synodically certified church workers.

            4. That the title deacon be established by which a layman would be addressed while he is temporarily serving in Word and Sacrament ministry "in exceptional circumstances or in emergencies." This title would distinguish him from an ordained pastor.

C. Guidelines for Congregations regarding the Performance of Pastoral Functions When No Ordained Pastor Is Available

            Lutherans believe, teach, and confess that God has instituted the office of the public ministry (AC V) and that "nobody should publicly teach or preach or administer the sacraments in the church without a regular call" to serve in this office (AC XIV). Therefore, only those who hold the office of the public ministry should exercise distinctive functions of this office. However, when no pastor is available, and in the absence of any specific Scriptural directives to the contrary, congregations may arrange for the performing of these distinctive functions by qualified individuals, lest God's people be deprived of the opportunity for corporate worship and the celebration of the sacraments. The following guidelines are presented in order to assist congregations in providing for an orderly way of carrying out distinctive functions of the pastoral office in the absence of an ordained clergyman.

            These guidelines consider four distinctive functions of the office of the public ministry, as identified by the Commission on Theology and Church Relations, namely,

            • preaching in the services of the congregation;

            • leading the formal public services of worship;

            • the public administration of sacraments; and

            • the administration of the Office of the Keys as it pertains to the public pronouncement of absolution and church discipline.

1. Preaching in the Public Services

            In dealing with this function, a distinction should be made between the responsibility and function of composing and delivering sermons and the simpler task of serving as a "reader" who reads a sermon that has been composed and prepared by one who holds the office of the public ministry. In the latter case, the reader is serving as a kind of announcer or deliverer of a message composed by a pastor. The responsibility for supervision (episcope) will be exercised by the supervising pastor.

a. Reading Sermons Composed by a Pastor

            i. In an emergency situation when the regular pastor or vacancy pastor of a congregation is unable to be present to preach because of illness, transportation problems, or some other circumstances in which the congregation or mission would be deprived of corporate worship, the elders of the congregation or responsible congregational leadership may with the consent of the pastor select a male member of the congregation to read in the public worship service a sermon composed by one who holds the office of the public ministry.

            ii. In circumstances where no resident pastor is available and the regular pastor or supply pastor is unable to preach in the congregation for a prolonged period of time, the selection of the lay reader should be approved of in advance by the District President, who will assure that the individual possesses qualities which would commend him for this ongoing role (e.g., spirituality, exemplary Christian life, excellent standing in the congregation, good communications skills, and a readiness to grow and learn).

b. Composing and Delivering Sermons by Individuals Not Holding the Office of the Public Ministry

            i. In circumstances where there is no resident pastor and no pastor available to lead worship and preach regularly, arrangements may be made by a congregation or the responsible board, in consultation with the District President, to secure the services of a layman, licensed to preach and serve under the supervision of an ordained pastor.

Such laymen shall have

            1. successfully pursued appropriate courses of study at a synodical seminary and been recommended by the seminary faculty to serve as a field worker or vicar, or

            2. been approved and licensed by the President of the District to which the congregation belongs.

            ii. The license to Preach in a given District shall be issued by that District's President in keeping with criteria and standards adopted and maintained by the Council of Presidents. The license shall be initially for no more than one year and shall clearly state in writing the conditions under which the license may be renewed. Subsequent licenses may be issued for up to two years but must likewise identify the specific conditions required for renewal of the license.

            iii. All sermonic preparation and composition by such lay ministers shall be guided and directed by the supervising pastor. All sermons delivered by the lay minister, whether prepared by the lay minister or by another, should receive the approval of the supervising pastor prior to delivery in a public worship service. It is understood that where consultation is not possible, the supervising pastor will have made appropriate arrangements for exercising his accountability for the proclamation of the Word in the congregation.

            2. Leading the Public Worship Services

The lay worship leader will follow only such forms as are approved and provided by the supervising pastor and which are acceptable to the congregation.

            3. The Public Administration of the Sacraments

            The third distinctive function, namely, "public administration of the sacraments," will be dealt with as follows:

            a. Holy Baptism

Holy Baptism will be administered by the supervising pastor or another rostered pastor. If not possible, the licensed layman will administer it.

            b. Holy Communion

            The supervising pastor will normally administer Holy Communion. However, "in exceptional circumstances, when no ordained clergy is available and the congregation would otherwise be deprived of the Sacrament for a prolonged period of time, the licensed layman will preside, when specifically authorized to do so by the congregation and with the approval of a supervising pastor and the District President.

            4. The Public Administration of the Office of the Keys

            The administration of the Office of the Keys by means of the personal pronouncement of the absolution as it pertains to church discipline, and possible excommunication, ought not be carried out by those who do not hold the office of public ministry since this can always be provided for on behalf of the congregation by those who hold the office of public ministry.

D. Bylaw Stipulations-Review of Handbook Chapter VII ("Certified Professional Church Workers, Lay"), Part C ("Position Assistance and Listing")

            In order to provide support for Certified Church Workers, Lay, and to assist congregations in securing these services, the committee recommends that

            1. the Synod provide for the placing, supervising, listing, and referral of Certified Church Workers, Lay;

            2. the Council of Presidents be made responsible for arranging for an appropriate way of providing for these services and that this be made a matter of first priority; and

            3. appropriate Bylaws incorporating these two recommendations be developed and be presented to the 1992 convention of the Synod.

Action: Adopted as amended (13).

(Following presentation of the original resolution, a motion to refer it to the Commission on Theology and Church Relations was declined by a vote of 517-557 after delegates had agreed to cease debate on the proposal. Rather than extending time for discussion in session 10, delegates adopted a motion delaying the continuation of debate until the following morning. An amendment was offered to strike the word ordinarily from the first paragraph of section c, second sentence which had followed the word should. In addition, delete the words whenever possible, which had been the first words of the sentence of the section on Holy Baptism. Further, to strike the words or in emergencies, from the section on Holy Communion, to insert the words for a prolonged period of time after the word sacrament in the same section and to add the words and the District President at the end of it. An amendment to have the section on Holy Communion read, "The celebration of Holy Communion ought not be carried out by those who do not hold the office of the public ministry, since this can always be provided for on behalf of the congregation by those who hold the office of public ministry," was defeated. An additional amend­ment adding requirements for persons who do not hold the office of the public ministry but compose and deliver sermons was de­clined. The requirements would have been, "(3) been duly chosen by the congregation for the specific ministries, and (4) begun the synodically approved colloquy programs."

After the resolution was adopted as amended, a motion was made that the resolution be studied by the two seminary faculties and a report made to the next convention. Another resolution was proposed stating, 'WHEREAS, Concerns regarding 3-05B are evident; be it Resolved, That the issues be studied by the faculties of the seminaries, the CTCR, and the Council of Presidents and report to the next convention." Both proposals were referred to the floor committee which later stated, "Floor Committee 3 be­lieves that studies will continue on doctrinal issues raised by the passage of 3-05B, without the formation of a rather large and expensive special study committee, and that adequate evangelical procedures are already available to officially address concerns that individuals still may have concerning the passage of 3-05B."

During the course of discussion of the resolution, Dr. Samuel Nafzger provided the following statement which was printed in Today's Business and is reprinted below.)

Address by Dr. Samuel H. Nafzger

            Thank you, Mr. Chairman:

            The doctrine of the ministry is a very difficult and complex issue about which Lutherans have probably disagreed more in the history of Lutheranism than any other single issue.

            It characterized the very birth of the Missouri Synod in Perry County, with C. F. W. Walther, who studying the Scriptures and the Confessions was able to articulate a view which holds together the high respect for the divinely instituted office of the public ministry, while at the same time encouraging and recognizing the ministry of all of God's people in the priesthood of all believers. It was precisely Walther's position which characterized the reports of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations in the '70s and again most recently in 1981, where for eight years the commission struggled with questions pertaining to the doctrine of the ministry. And it was precisely on these reports of the CTCR that the Lay Worker Study Com­mittee took its start and formed as its foundation as the 11 members who voted on this committee deliberated and considered the questions that had been placed to us. And these 11 members consisted of 3 people who are serving on the CTCR and 2 on the seminary faculties. So, 5 of the people on the voting membership of this committee were members of the CTCR or the seminary faculties.

            Starting at this point with statements such as this from the commission's report, and I quote from our document, "When a congregation is temporarily without a man to fill the office of the public ministry in its midst, it may ask a properly supervised teacher or lay leader to perform some functions of the office of the public ministry. The oversight and accountability remain with the one whom the church has called and designated as a pastor and who supervises those who temporarily perform some pastoral functions." In conclusion, the commission stated in this report, "Functions that are essentially exercises of the ministry of Word and Sacrament should be performed by those who hold the office of the public ministry. Thus, preaching in the worship service, leading in public prayer, celebration of the sacraments, weddings, and funeral services should be carried out by those who hold the office of the public ministry. However, in exceptional circumstances, or in emergencies, members of the auxiliary offices and other individuals may temporarily be called upon to perform, under proper supervision, functions that are otherwise performed by the pastor."

            It was just such statements as this from the Commission's report that formed the starting point and the basis and the boundaries upon which the Lay Worker Study Committee established its guidelines as presented in this resolution. Therefore, it is consistent with this position to recognize that at the present time, with the blessing of the Synod, there are 125 lay ministers carrying out ministries of Word and Sacrament. At the present time that's going on. It's also consistent with the statement that was made recently by the District of which I am a member, the Missouri District. And I want to read to you a statement that was sent out by the president of the Missouri District, Paul Spitz, in which he makes precisely the same point:

It has come to the attention of the District Praesidium that nonordained workers in the District are being in­vited to preach on occasion from the pulpits of our congregations during the regular divine services. Such invitations place these workers in an awkward position, since they are not called by the congregations of the District to perform the ministry to which ordained pastors have been called. Our Confessions state, "Our churches teach that nobody should publicly preach in the church or administer the sacraments unless he is regularly called" (Augsburg Confession XIV).

And then, listen to this statement from the Missouri District Praesidium:

Certified lay ministers are an exception because they work under the supervision of pastors, and they have been certified to preach by the Synod and the congregations they serve. Nor does this rule out special and emergency situations, in which a layman may be called to lead a service or read a sermon written by an ordained pastor. Because of our confessional basis and for the sake of good order in the church, the Praesidium requests that the congregations please take note of this concern. Nonordained men can certainly speak at graduation ceremonies, school chapel addresses, etc. This should be without vestments, and not from the pulpit. We suggest that when District staff are invited to speak during the worship service, that they give their message from the lectern and that the pastor also have a shorter sermon or homily. Another option is that the pastor have a shortened service and give the District worker time to speak before or after the service.

            What we have proposed is exactly what is stated here. But at the present time in the Synod, there exists no provision for the proper supervision or accountability of those workers who have been asked to carry out distinctive functions of the pastoral office without having been placed in that office.

We have many dedicated lay ministers who for up to 20 years have been asked to carry out a ministry of Word and Sacrament without recognition or supervision, without roster or doctrinal oversight. If we want to undermine Art. XIV of the Augsburg Confession, the surest way is to leave things the way they are, and to have no accountability or supervision. The adoption of Res. 3-05 does not initiate a single new practice in the doctrine of the ministry of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. It will, however, initiate proper supervision of those practices which we have long recognized as being consistent with our understanding of the doctrine of the ministry so that we may all together tell everyone what He has done.

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