top of page

On the Office of Holy Ministry

stpaullutheran0

On April 26th and 27th, 2022, our seminaries held their Vicarage Assignment and Candidate Placement services. In total, 100 men received their Vicarage assignments and 101 men received their first Call into the Office of Holy Ministry. This is a time that both seminarians and churches look forward to each year, especially those churches seeking a vicar or new pastor. While we rejoice for these men and the churches to which they will serve, sadly, there were another 42 churches seeking a pastoral candidate and will not be receiving one. We continue to pray for all these men and the churches they will serve, as well as those not receiving candidates.


These men join a rich history of being servants in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, preaching and teaching the Word of God for 175 years (April 26, 1847). By the grace of God, The LCMS has conducted Word and Sacrament ministry for 175 years, bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a people who need to hear of God’s forgiveness; feeding the flock with the very body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. This was not an easy task then and it proves to be a more difficult task each and every day as the world becomes more hostile to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.


C.F.W. Walther, the first president of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod had these words to say regarding the Office:



O, glorious office! [the office of ministry] No matter how sick a person may be in his soul, the Gospel can heal him. No matter how deeply a person has fallen into the corruption of sin, the Gospel can pull him out. No matter how troubled, frightened, and afflicted a person may be, the Gospel can comfort him. Whatever the condition in which a person finds himself, even if he is convinced that he must perish because of it, the preachers can confidently oppose him, saying: “No, as certainly as God lives, He does not want the death of any sinner. You shall not perish; instead, you shall be saved. Turn to Jesus, who can evermore save all who come to God through Him.” And if one who lies near death calls out: “God, what have I done? Woe to me! Now it is too late! I am lost!” the preachers should call to him: “No, no, it is not too late! Commit your departing soul to Jesus. You too shall still be with Him in paradise today.” O, glorious, high office, too high for the angels! May we always hold it in high regard, not looking at the person who bears it and despising his weakness, but looking instead at the Institutor of this office and His exuberant goodness. Let us turn to Him in faith so we can experience the blessings of which the preachers have spoken, and through them, be gathered together one day into the barns of heaven as a completely ripe sheaf.

Needless to say, those are indeed words of great wisdom when it comes to the Office of Holy Ministry. The Office is not about who serves in that Office, how great of a people-person the pastor is, how funny or smart he is. The great importance of the Office is what said Office does: it brings the Word of God to a hurting people in need of hearing God’s forgiveness pronounced to them. It is all about Jesus living and dying and rising for them because of their sin. It is all about the gifts that God brings to His Church through the Office of Holy Ministry, the gifts of Word and Sacrament.

On April 26, 2005, I received my first call into the Office of Holy Ministry, serving the saints of Trinity Lutheran Church in Gillette, Wyoming for 16 years. At the Placement Service, the Rev. Dr. Dean O. Wenthe, then-president of Concordia Theological Seminary, gave the following charge to us candidates:

Go, then, take heed unto thyself and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghose hath made thee an overseer, to feed the Church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood. Feed the flock of Christ, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lord over God’s heritage, but being an example to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, thou shalt receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. The Lord bless thee from on high and make thee a blessing unto many, that thou mayest bring forth fruit, and that thy fruit may remain unto eternal life. Amen. (The Lutheran Agenda, p. 109)

These words are indeed a tall order to any man, especially one whom God has called to shepherd His people. If you don’t feel a heavy weight placed upon your shoulders after hearing that charge, then you had better check to make sure that you are still alive, for this is a very important Office in which men undertake. To be sure, there is no way that any man could function in this Office without God behind him, for this is God’s Church, and He will see to it that His church is well cared for and that the gifts which He has given to the Church are properly administered, namely the preaching and teaching of God’s Word and the administration of the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

To those men who are engaged in pastoral studies or will soon find themselves donning a red stole, may God continue to bless and be with you.

30 views0 comments

Comments


St. Paul's Lutheran Church

Write Us

1-812-667-5700

stpaullutheran@seidata.com

5588 E. County Road 900S

Cross Plains, IN 47017

©2023 by St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Proudly created with wix.com

  • Grey Facebook Icon

Thanks for submitting!

bottom of page