Convention

Delegates pass resolutions on study of licensed lay deacons, Lord’s Supper oversight

Comments (2)
  1. Helen E. Jensen says:

    Rather than allow the appointment of unqualified people [“licensed lay ministers”] , a practice which is against our Lutheran Confessions, why don’t the Districts support (with salary and benefits), ordained men as “circuit riders” to serve the people with Word and Sacrament? It was done early in our history; why not again?

    Between visits by the Pastor, there are ample Lutheran services to be listened to on line, or if that is not possible, books of sermons to be read, a practice also not unknown in former times.

    This might incidentally solve the problem of some of our Pastors who are waiting for a call.

  2. chad says:

    Or we could make seminary education more accessible to men who sense the call to ordered ministry but are not able to relocate to one of the LCMS seminaries. I know that I have discerned a call to pastoral ministry for years but as a husband, father and homeowner, I can’t pull up stakes to attend seminary. Not to mention the cost at this point in my life is prohibitive. I think many men who seek and receive the diaconate license are in a similar situation as me.

    I don’t however belive that either the Deacons office or the SMP program are the right solutions to this. We need our pastors (all of them) to continue to be educated in the centuries old tradition of seminaries. We just need to find ways to make it so more called men can do this in our Synod.