The doctrine of the church and its ministry according to the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of the USA

Abstract

Nothing has influenced and affected the Lutheran Church in the U.S.A. in the past century more than the doctrine of the Church and its Ministry. When the first Norwegian immigrants entered the U.S. in the middle of the 19th century, there were not enough Lutheran pastors to minister to the spiritual needs of the people. Some of these immigrants resorted to a practice that had been used in Norway, that of using lay-preachers. This created problems because of a lack of proper theological training. The result was the teaching of false doctrine. Some thought more highly of the lay-preachers than they did of the ordained clergy. Consequently clergy were often viewed with a discerning eye and even despised. This was one of the earliest struggles within the Norwegian Synod. Further controversies involved whether the local congregation is the only form in which the church exists. Another facet of the controversy involves whether or not the ministry includes only the pastoral office; whether or not only ordained clergy do the ministry; whether teachers in the Lutheran schools are involved in the ministry; and whether or not any Christian can participate in the public ministry. Is a missionary, who serves on behalf of the entire church body, a pastor? If only the local congregation can call a pastor, then a missionary cannot be a pastor because he serves the entire church body in establishing new congregations. Is a seminary professor, who trains future pastors, a pastor? If only the local congregation can call a pastor, a seminary professor cannot be a pastor because he is called by the seminary board of control and not one particular congregation. In seeking to develop a statement that clearly defines the doctrine of the Church and its Ministry, a controversy exists within the church body known as the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), the successor synod to the Norwegian Synod. The reason for the controversy is that two different views of how to develop a doctrinal statement exist in the ELS. Some go directly to Scripture and set forth a position. Others follow an example found in C.F.W. Walther's theses on Church and Ministry. They misunderstand and misuse this approach that was developed only for use in a controversy against an erring Lutheran pastor, Johannes Grabau of the Buffalo Synod. Many of those who utilize this approach are former members of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS), of which Walther was one of the founders. As a result of the two distinct approaches, there has been an inability to unanimously agree on the wording of the statements on the doctrine of the Church and its Ministry. It is the conclusion of the author that it is this reliance on statements made by individuals in previous centuries regarding particular situations that has caused the struggle to develop and serves to prolong it.