45930 Divine Call CTCR final - The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

The Gospel. The Lutheran confession of justification by faith alone on
the basis of Christ’s radical self-giving to us in his sufficient sacrificial
death transformed the office of the ministry. No longer was it seen as a sacrificial
office through which the priest offered sacrifices to God on behalf of
the people or acted as a judge for rendering verdicts on people who could
make recompense for their sins. Rather, it became an office whereby the
pastor was responsible for delivering the gifts of Christ in Word and sacrament
to those brought to faith by the Holy Spirit. The Reformation resulted
in a preaching revival because it placed a new emphasis on the importance
of the oral proclamation of the Gospel in its purity and the
administration of the sacraments in accord with the Gospel. The emphasis
thus shifted from a focus on the person of the priest to the publication of
the promise. The practice of the call reflects this emphasis. In all of its facets
the theology and practice of the call must be directed toward the clear,
pure, and unhindered proclamation of a Gospel-bearing Christology.
The Scriptures. It is vital to observe that the Scriptures do not lay down
one single procedure for the calling of a pastor. They supply few direct
answers to the types of questions that are being asked today. Most of the
biblical data consist of examples given in narrative sections of the text
rather than in explicit prescriptions or mandates. This does not mean that
we are unable to derive principles and guidance from these examples that
are congruent with the scriptural text. But we must be clear as to when we
are speaking on the basis of a specific directive, and when we are deriving
principles and practices from the narratives. Still, the data provided by
Scripture— whether prescriptive or descriptive—should receive preferential
consideration. This is why the church utilizes prayer and the laying on
of hands when ordaining a man into the office of pastor. The church today
does not cast lots, though it might well consider a process like this: the candidate
list is narrowed to three men (any of whom would be acceptable),
the three names are placed into a hat, and one is drawn out in the confidence
that God will bless the congregation through this selection.
The Historic Practice of the Church. In places where the Lutheran
Confessions provide glimpses of the actual practices of congregations, we
learn that they were cautious or conservative in their practices. This is true
also of human traditions (Ap XV), public calls (Ap XIV), and the liturgy of
the Mass (Ap XXVI) among other things. The Confessors respected the
practices that they had inherited as catholic, and as having been proven to
be tried and true. The same can be said regarding subsequent Lutheran tradition
and its practices (especially within our own Missouri Synod). The
practices that we have inherited should be given preferential consideration
and adjusted only after the rationale behind them has been thoroughly
evaluated and only when there is a compelling reason or need within the
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