LIFE WORLD of the For the January 2003. Volume Seven, Number One Consecration and Calling of Ministers - p.4 In Search of the True Church - p.7 Christ, Pastor, and Congregation - p.10 Called to Serve - p.14 page 4 F E A T U R E S page 18 For theLIFE WORLDofthe PRESIDENT Rev. Dr. Dean O. Wenthe PUBLISHER Rev. Scott Klemsz EDITOR Rev. John T. Pless ASSISTANT EDITOR Nancy Embler ART DIRECTOR Steve Blakey For the Life of theWorld is published quarterly by Concordia Theological Seminary Press, 6600 North Clinton Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher of For the Life of the World. Copyright 2003. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at Huntington, Indiana. To be added to our mailing list please call 260/452-2150 or e-mail Rev. Scott Klemsz at klemszsc@mail.ctsfw.edu. For the Life of theWorld is mailed to all pastors and congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in the United States and Canada and to anyone interested in the work of Concordia The- ological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. 4 Consecration and Calling of Ministers By the Rev. Philip G. Meyer, Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Terre Haute, Ind. Someone once said that getting married is like putting two dimes together and getting a quarter, the sum being greater than the parts. It has been said that the relationship between pastor and congregation resembles a marriage. If that is so, then the sum of the two must be more than the parts. 7 In Search of the True Church By the Rev. Dr. Cameron A. MacKenzie, Professor of Historical Theology, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. When Christians move into a new community and look for a church to join, they might be confused. The list of different denominations is enormous, and many congregations no longer conform to the traditional teachings of their church body any- way. These days, the name “Methodist” or “Baptist” or “Lutheran” on the signs out front may tell the newcomer very little about the churches in his neighborhood. So the question, “Where is the true Church ?” becomes a very practical one. 10 Christ, Pastor, and Congregation By the Rev. Dr. Ron M. Garwood, President, Wyoming District It’s been said that every pastor ought to have six weeks of vacation each year, because if he is a real good pastor, he deserves it; and if he is not a very good pastor, his congrega- tion deserves it. This is intended to be a joke, but in fact it reflects very real concerns about the relationship between congregations and their pastors. 13 What Does This Mean? From Kinesiology to Technology to Theology p.14 Preaching Christ Crucified p.16 Vicarage Assignments/Calls p.18 Donation Day for Guild/LWML p.19 2003 Symposia Schedule p.20 Seminary Guild Enjoys Support p.22 Campus Happenings p.24 IRA’s Make a Great Gift p.26 CONTENTS JANUARY 2003 3 page 7 page 27page 26 page 10 Called to SERVE In most instances, following a favor- able first impression of a worship service, the next step for the visitor will be a con- versation with the pastor. More than any- one else, the pastor is the public face of his church, and what he preaches and teaches is, for all practical purposes, what his church stands for and believes. Denomi- national affiliation may be anachronis- tic and official statements of faith dead letters, but the words of the pastor are a good indica- tor of a congrega- tion’s real doctrine and practice. But is there any theological reason for making the identification between the pas- tor and his church? The answer is “yes,” since the office of the public ministry is an external mark or sign of the church–at least, according to Martin Luther! The question of “where is the true Church” is one that Luther and his fellow reformers also had to answer, especially when leaders of the old religion–the bish- ops, cardinals, and pope–rejected the Reformation but still claimed the title of “Church.” How were people supposed to know who they should listen to? Or who they should follow? What signs or marks had God provided to lead people to the Church that was His in reality and not just in name? Although we usually think of just Word and Sacra- ments as such marks, Luther in his 1539 treatise, “On the Councils and the Church” (AE 41:9- 178), enumerates seven such signs, and number five on his list is the calling of pastors. Howev- er, at the heart of each of them, including the office of the ministry, is the Gospel. Indeed, the first and most impor- tant mark of the Church is the Word of God, by which God creates and sustains faith in Jesus Christ, the Savior. “God’s Word cannot be without God’s people,” Luther wrote, “and conversely, God’s peo- ple cannot be without God’s Word.” Since the Church consists of believers and since the Holy Spirit creates belief in the heart only by the Gospel, we know that the Church exists wherever the Gospel is being preached, taught, and confessed. As St. Paul says, “The Gospel . . . is the power InSearchof theTrueChurch 7JANUARY 2003 W hen Christians move into a new community and look for a church to join, they might be confused. The list of different denominations is enormous, and many congregations no longer conform to the traditional teachings of their church body anyway. These days, the name “Methodist” or “Baptist” or “Lutheran” on the signs out front may tell the newcomer very little about the churches in his neighborhood. So the question, “Where is the true Church?” becomes a very practical one. The question of “where is the true Church” is one that Luther and his fellow reformers also had to answer, especially when leaders of the old religion–the bishops, cardinals, and pope–rejected the Reformation but still claimed the title of “Church.” By the Rev. Dr. Cameron A. MacKenzie of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:17). But how does the Gospel come to people? For many of us, it first came in Baptism! So Luther argues that Baptism is also a mark of the Church because this is how the Holy Spirit applies the Gospel to individuals. Referring to Titus 3:5, Luther calls Baptism “the holy bath of regeneration . . . with which we are washed of sin and death by the Holy Spirit, as in the innocent holy blood of the Lamb of God.” And how are baptismal gifts renewed and sealed? Clearly, through the preaching and teaching of the Word as we mature in the faith, but also through the Sacrament of the Altar in which we receive the body and blood of Jesus “given and shed for you for the remission of sins.” So when Christians gather to hear these words and to eat this sacred meal that, too, is a sign that the true Church is there. Of course, Holy Communion is normally a group activity–sinners kneeling together, confessing their faith together, and receiving the sacred elements together. But sometimes we need to hear the Word per- sonally and privately. Indeed, sometimes we need to be confronted with our personal sins and led to repentance before we hear the word of for- giveness. Referring therefore to Matthew 18 and our Lord’s counsel for forgiving and retaining sins, Luther describes the Office of the Keys as still another mark of the Church, “Now where you see sins forgiven and reproved in some persons, be it publicly or privately, you may know that God’s people are there.” This, too, then is a means by which the Word is applied to people. But now, who is supposed to do all of these things: Preach, baptize, commune, forgive and retain sins? Who has responsibil- ity for the marks? In one sense, of course, everybody. Early in the Reformation, Luther recovered the Biblical doctrine of “the priesthood of all believers.” Rely- ing on passages like 1 Peter 2:9 (“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light”), Luther contended that God had entrusted the Word to every Christian–the Word which, as we saw above, is the center of each mark of the Church. So every Christian has the responsibility for telling his neighbor about the good news of Jesus! Furthermore, in his well-known Concerning the Ministry, addressed to the Bohemian Christians in Prague, Luther is very clear about his belief that responsibility for Baptism, Communion, and the Office of the Keys as well as the Word in general belongs to every Christian: There is no other Word of God than that which is given all Christians to proclaim. There is no other baptism than the one which any Christ- ian can bestow. There is no other remembrance of the Lord’s Supper than that which any Christian can observe and which Christ has insti- tuted. There is no other kind of sin than that which any Christian can bind or loose. (LW 40:34-35) But Luther’s point in reminding the Bohemians of their priestly responsibilities is to convince them that they have the right to call pastors to do these things for them rather than remain dependent on church offi- cials who refuse to provide them. Luther is not arguing that every Chris- tian should carry out each of the marks when and how he personally 8 Who is supposed to do all of these things: Preach, baptize, commune, forgive and retain sins? Who has responsibility for the marks? In one sense, of course, everybody. For the Life of the World desires. For Luther also recognizes that God has established the office of the public ministry for the regular and routine carrying out of these tasks. Therefore, when we return to “On the Councils and the Church,” we see Luther maintaining that a fifth mark of the true Church is that “it consecrates or calls ministers. . . . There must be bishops, pastors, or preachers, who publicly and privately give, administer, and use the aforementioned four things or holy possessions (i.e., the Word, Baptism, Communion, and Office of the Keys) in behalf of and in the name of the church.” For Luther, it is a necessity that churches have pastors–a divine necessity. For one thing, Luther relies on Ephesians 4 (“[Christ] gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evange- lists, and some to be pastors and teachers”). This shows that God has established these offices in the Church and that only “some” Chris- tians are appointed to each. Even though God no longer gives apos- tles and prophets, He still gives pastors and teachers to serve His people with the Gospel. Furthermore, Luther also speaks practically. “What would hap- pen,” he asks, “if everyone wanted to speak (the Word) or adminis- ter (the Sacraments), and no one wanted to give way to the other?” Obviously, disorder and confusion. Just as serious is a point Luther does not make here and that is, What would happen if no one want- ed to do these things on a particular occasion? But God has guarded against both eventualities by assigning the ministry of the Word and all it entails to a man, to a pastor. Luther writes, “It must be entrusted to one person, and he alone should be allowed to preach, to baptize, to absolve, and to administer the Sacraments.” It was an important part of Luther’s teaching that God assigns to every Christian a certain vocation in this life; and every vocation is God-pleasing when one carries it out according to God’s commandments in faith toward Him and love toward others. But among the vocations, Luther sin- gles out only the Gospel ministry as a mark of the Church. Of course, this is not on account of the sanctity of the pastor. Luther knew that pastors were sinners just as much as any others. Nor do pastors exercise “priestly” powers that other Christians do not possess, since all Christians are God’s priests. But to pastors alone has God entrusted the responsibility of preaching the Word and administering the Sacraments publicly in every congregation and thus, through these means of grace, bringing forgiveness, life, and salvation to God’s people. Since the days of the apostles, God has placed men into this office and will do so, according to His promise, until the end of time. When looking for the true Church, therefore, you can be sure you have found it when you find pastors carrying out their God-given responsibilities in accordance with God’s Word. For where pastors are preaching God’s Word in its truth and purity, the Holy Spirit is there gathering God’s people, the Church. You can count on it! The Rev. Dr. Cameron MacKenzie is Professor and Chari- man of HistoricalTheology at ConcordiaTheological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. 9 But to pastors alone has God entrusted the responsibility of preaching the Word and adminis- tering the Sacraments publicly in every congregation and thus, through these means of grace, bringing forgiveness, life, and salvation to God’s people. JANUARY 2003