LIFE WORLD of the For the October 2003. Volume Seven, Number Four Walther as Churchman - p.4 Walther and the Formation of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod - p.7 C. F. W. Walther—Pastor and Preacher - p.10 Called to Serve - p.14 page 4 F E A T U R E S page 16 For theLIFE WORLDofthe PRESIDENT Rev. Dr. Dean O. Wenthe PUBLISHER Rev. Scott Klemsz EDITOR Rev. John T. Pless ASSISTANT EDITOR Jayne Sheafer 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 Walther as Churchman By the Rev. Dr. Edwin S. Suelflow, former President of the South Wisconsin District, now living in Mequon, Wisconsin Walther’s primary goal was to give all glory to God, as a humble servant of the Lord, He was one of those distinguished churchmen whom God sends to His Church on earth at various times and in various places to address the needs of the Church in a forceful, yet evangelical manner. 7 Walther and the Formation of the The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod By the Rev. Dr. Lawrence R. Rast, Jr., Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor of Historical Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana So the question becomes, if there were already so many Lutheran synod’s in America, why start another one? The answer is simple. Given the familiarity with the American religious scene generally and American Lutheranism more specifically, the founders of Missouri were determined to establish an orthodox, truly confessional Lutheran synod in the United States. 10 C. F. W. Walther—Pastor and Preacher By the Rev. Dr. Cameron A. MacKenzie, Chairman of the Histori- cal Department and Professor of Historical Theology, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana ForWalther, the most important task of the pastor was preach- ing. In addition to leading worship, making pastoral visits, and providing leadership to the congregation, a pastor must proclaim God’s Word publicly to his people. 13 What Does This Mean? Christ on Campus p. 14 Christ Academy 2003 Recap p. 16 Dr. Eric J. Moeller Joins Seminary Staff p. 20 Deaconess Program Begins First Year p. 22 CTS Partners with POBLO for Muslin Outreach p. 24 CTS Opens 158th Academic Year with Record Numbers p. 28 CONTENTS OCTOBER 2003 3 page 7 page 20 page 22 Called to SERVE 4 For the Life of the World Walther asChurc In 1987, under the encouragement of the Lutheran Heritage Committee of the Synod, special services were held during the Reformation season of that year to call to mind, with thanksgiving to God, the legacy C. F. W. Walther left for the Missouri Synod. For this special observance, the Heritage Committee suggested the words recorded in Jude, v. 3, as the text for the sermon on that day: “I urge you to fight for the faith once entrusted to the holy people.” No one will deny that as a church- man, C. F.W.Walther contended for the faith. History records his valiant efforts, even in the face of tremendous odds. This was the situation in Perry County, Missouri, when the Saxon immigration people lost heart over the scandal sur- rounding their leader, Martin Stephan. Walther was forced, under the circum- stance, to go to the Scriptures to clarify his position on the doctrine of church and ministry. With the Holy Spirit’s help, his position prevailed, it saved the immigration from failure, and provided sound theological foun- dation for the Mis- souri Synod today. The LCMS Con- vention of 2001 reviewed and reaf- firmed this position. Later, when Walther was president of the seminary in St. Louis, his con- cern for the training of pastors resulted in the special evening conversations he held with students on the subject of the proper distinction between Law and Gospel. Even today, most pastors have in their personal library a copy of these theses formulated by Walther. His Pastoraltheologie contains a wealth of theological literature, demon- strating his conviction that the Word of God must speak to specific situations in the life of the Church. When the many immigrants from Europe in the 1800s formed a number of different synods in America, Walther, the churchman, sought earnestly to gather likeminded, confes- sional Lutherans together, an effort which culminated eventually in the formation of The L u t h e r a n Church—Mis- souri Synod. His prolific writings in the Der Lutheraner and Lehre Und Wehre, which addressed con- temporary issues on the basis of God’s Word, and his voluminous correspondence OCTOBER 2003 5 W alther Memorial Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is the only congregation in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod which bears the name of its first president. It was my privilege to serve this congregation as pastor for 29 years.Aportrait of Dr. Walther hangs in the narthex of the church—a tribute to his memory, also a reminder of the doctrinal heritage this churchman left for us as a congregation and as a Synod. Walther lived in a different time from ours. Yet, the basic, funda- mental problem for people living in any century has not changed. We are still born with original sin; we still need the regeneration given in Holy Baptism; we still need daily repentance; we still need to hear the absolution; we still need the Sacrament of the Lord’s body and blood for the assurance of forgiveness; we still need to hear the saving Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. hman By the Rev. Dr. Edwin S. Suelflow 6 For the Life of the World all contributed to the effort of establishing a Synod based solidly on the Sacred Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. Surely Walther fol- lowed the encouragement of the Apostle “to fight for the faith once entrusted to the holy people.” We recognize the God- blessed efforts of Walther in the history of our Missouri Synod. Reflecting on this, we do well to think about our life in the church and ask ourselves:Are we following in his foot- steps? Is adherence to the Word of God as important to us as it was toWalther? Do we place human reason in subjection to the Word of God? Do we always say “thus saith the Lord”? HowwouldWalther see our Synod today? Howwould he address the problems that cause divisions among us? How would he have dealt with the Yankee Stadium affair? What would he say to the Council of Presidents to encourage faith- fulness to the Word of God among the pastors of the Synod in their preaching and in their practice? What would he say about the church growth movement? About contemporary worship forms? About women’s ordination? About the Con- cordia University System? About the Pastoral Leadership Institute? About the financial crises in the Synod? And the many other problems which are causing debate and even division among us? Granted, Walther lived in a different time from ours. These differences are obvious. Yet, the basic, fundamental problem for people living in any centu- ry has not changed. We are still born with original sin; we still need the regeneration given in Holy Baptism; we still need daily repentance; we still need to hear the absolution; we still need the Sacrament of the Lord’s body and blood for the assurance of forgive- ness; we still need to hear the saving Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We still need, as the old Lutheran Hour sign proclaimed, “A changeless Christ for a changing world.” So what has changed? If he were a churchman in the Missouri Synod today, Walther might well ask: Why do you place so much emphasis on your convention resolutions, and synodical bylaws, decisions of the Committee on Constitutional Matters, and decisions of dispute resolu- tion panels? Where is the Word of God in the sum- mary judgments you make to decide issues facing the church? Why do you think that being “user friendly” in your worship forms will “grow” the church? Why do you allow the culture in which you live to dictate to the church what it should do— isn’t it the other way around—the church is to influence the culture? Why are numbers seemingly more important than faithfulness in preaching the Word and administering the Sacraments according to their institution by Christ? Walther, the churchman, would encourage us “to fight for the faith once entrusted to the holy people.” “The faith” is something that has been given to us by the Holy Spirit work- ing through God’s Word and the Sacraments. It is not some- thing we can claim as having come from within ourselves, something we decided upon or sought after because it sound- ed good to us. Neither is it merely an emotional experience. No, “the faith” is a gift from God—the gift which makes it possible for us to receive eternal life in heaven after death. “The faith” is centered in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who came according to God’s plan to pay the ransom price God had demanded for sin—your sin and mine—as He suffered and died on the cross at Calvary, then rose again from the dead to prove that God the Father had accepted the sacrifice of His Son for the sins of the world. Walther’s primary goal was to give all glory to God, as a humble servant of the Lord. He was one of those distin- guished churchmen whom God sends to His Church on earth at various times and in various places to address the needs of the Church in a forceful, yet evangelical manner. Our pastors and our leaders in the church could well follow the example ofWalther, keeping before their eyes at all times the Christ- centered Gospel and the integrity of Lutheranism as detailed in our historic Lutheran Confessions. Dr. Edwin S. Suelflow is a retired LCMS pastor living inMequon,Wis- consin. He is also the former Presi- dent of the SouthWisconsin District. Walther, the churchman, would encourage us “to fight for the faith once entrusted to the holy people.” “The faith” is something that has been given to us by the Holy Spirit working through God’s Word and the Sacraments. It is not something we can claim as having come from within our- selves, something we decided upon or sought after because it sounded good to us. Neither is it merely an emotional experience. No, “the faith” is a gift from God—the gift which makes it pos- sible for us to receive eternal life in heaven after death.