‘Faithfully and diligently’: Forming the next generation of church workers

June 25 marked two important events in the history of the Lutheran church:

The reading of the Augsburg Confession before Charles V, the emperor of Europe, in 1530; and

The publication of the Book of Concord (BOC) 50 years later, in 1580.

The BOC is the true confession of the Lutheran church, taken from the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures, of which the signers wrote, “Therefore, we also determined not to depart even a finger’s breadth either from the subjects themselves, or from the phrases that are found in them” (Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, CPH, 2006, p. 11). It is this confession of faith to which every ordained and commissioned LCMS worker vows to hold — even unto death.

What does this have to do with Set Apart to Serve (SAS), which is dedicated to creating a culture of church work formation and recruitment in the LCMS?

In 1580, our Lutheran forefathers wrote:

So, before God and all mortals, we once more declare and testify that in the declaration of the controversial articles … we are not introducing a new Confession … [or] one different from that which was presented in 1530. … But we wished indeed to lead our churches and schools … to the fountains of Holy Scripture, and to the Creeds, and then to the Augsburg Confession.

We most earnestly encourage that the young men be instructed in this faithfully and diligently, especially those who are being educated for the holy ministry of the churches and schools. [emphasis added]

Then the pure doctrine and profession of our faith may, by the Holy Spirit’s help, be preserved and spread also to our future generations, until the glorious advent of Jesus Christ … our only Redeemer and Savior. [Concordia, p. 10]

While these words speak of those being educated for the Office of the Holy Ministry, they also apply to the Synod’s seven commissioned church work vocations, which were established in love by the church to support the Office of the Holy Ministry.

Last month, I had the privilege of teaching the Augsburg Confession to more than 90 youth gathered in Fort Wayne for Christ Academy High School, a two-week program for young people considering church work. It is my joy to share with you that these young people “ate it up”! They were engaged, asked questions and stayed behind to ask more questions.

This is how we form and recruit church workers! This formation begins at home. It continues with each of us encouraging our youth to contemplate full-time church work.

At Christ Academy this summer, every participant received a copy of the BOC. All Lutherans should own and continue to study the BOC their entire lives. If you don’t have a copy, visit cph.org to order one.

Learn more at lcms.org/sas.

The Rev. Dr. James Baneck is executive director of the LCMS Office of Pastoral Education.

Posted July 14, 2025