In reply to Luke Isaac.

An even better analogy would be if my wife and I went out of town and a relative looked after our kids. They could perform certain duties/functions, but they don't have the full legal rights of guardianship that my wife and I have. If something happened to my wife and me, someone would need to go through a formal, legal process to become a guardian/parent to the children. My relative could sign forms or perform all sorts of duties, but it has no authority unless they have gone through the formal process to become guardian.

Similar with the licensed lay deacons - their duties and functions should match their role in the church and in the circumstances that are appropriate.

Let's not put a band-aid on the problem, let's address the root cause of the lack of pastors and make that our focus. Support the licensed lay deacons in their appropriate work, and also support seminarians and pastors in their work.

Scripture makes clear the distinction between a deacon and a pastor/elder/overseer. Let us always come back to Scripture to guide our efforts in ensuring the sacraments are rightly administered and the Word faithfully preached.