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

tion does not undermine the divine nature of the call, for certification and
rostering are to be distinguished from a call and ordination. Rather, examination
and certification assure the church that an individual is and continues
to be qualified and competent for the office in which he serves, or
for receiving another call. A person who has a call may not be as “apt to
teach”as he once was (as determined by the church). Most Pastoral Information
Forms (PIFs) today include some form of evaluation by the District
President, Circuit Counselor, and the congregation. It is also possible, and
perhaps even advisable, that a more formal examination could take place
at checkpoints in a man’s ministry or through some form of continuing
education so that the church may continue to receive the highest quality of
care from its pastors.
How does the examination occur? In the sixteenth century an examination
often took place over a period of several hours in front of a panel consisting
of Luther, Bugenhagen, and Melanchthon. Within the Missouri Synod
the examination historically has involved a number of evaluations during
a man’s seminary training, such as coursework, fieldwork, and vicarage—
all of which culminated in his certification for ministry. Most often these
evaluations have focused on the means through which God creates and
preserves the church as the assembly of believers, namely, the Gospel and
sacraments. Hence, they have been weighted, and rightly so, toward an
emphasis on the marks of the church. Recognizing the human and institutional
side of the church, the Synod now also may include the use of psychological
profiles, personal interviews, and Self-Evaluation Tools (SETS)
for the evaluation of a candidate. These instruments are not utilized for the
purpose of assessing an individual’s personal faith, but for evaluating the
“First Article” abilities and skills of the one who is to be placed into the
service of the Gospel. 61 For pastors in the field the evaluation historically
has taken place through the visitation and conversation of the District President,
the congregations, and other pastors.
Selection and the Extending of a Call
A man may aspire to the pastoral office and prepare himself with a
view to presenting himself as ready for service in that office, but he cannot
place himself into the office. The office of preaching the Gospel belongs to
Christ. One may not usurp what is only Christ’s to give. Rather, God identifies
and selects an individual through the church for a particular location.
This too has remained a sine qua non for the theology of the call in the history
of our church. One can see this in chapters 1, 6, and 14 of Acts.
61
See Spiritual Gifts, A Report of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, September 1994, Part II, 16-45 (online at
www.lcms.org/ctcr/).
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