To Affirm and Use Biblical Terminology concerning Ministry

WHEREAS, The Word of God, “the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures of the Old and of the New Testament” is “the sole rule and standard according to which all dogmas together with [all] teachers should be estimated and judged” (FC Ep, Summary Content, 1, Triglotta); and

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is made up of local churches, their ministers, and various organizations and their workers to promote the God-given work of the churches and the kingdom of God; and

WHEREAS, It is desirable to use the language of the Holy Scriptures to describe and define the work of our churches and Synod, in order to conform our actions to the Word of God and to protect us from false teaching and sins (which result from the temptations of the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh); and

WHEREAS, God instituted an office in Christ’s Church, with various responsibilities, variously called: apostles: ἀποστόλους, men sent on a mission, Matt. 10:2; Acts 1:2; 15:2, 4, 6, 22; Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:1; 9:1, 5; 12:28; 15:7, 9; 2 Cor. 1:1; 12:11; Gal. 1:1, 17, 19; Eph. 1:1; 2:20; 3:5; 4:11; 1 Tim. 1:1; 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11; Titus 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 17; Rev. 2:2; 18:20; 21:14; perhaps 2 Cor. 8:23; and Phil. 2:25 (though most translations call these men a “messenger” or “envoy” from their churches); Jesus Himself is called “the apostle and high priest of our confession,” Heb. 3:1; an office of “apostle ship,” ἀποστολή, is mentioned in Rom. 1:5; 1 Cor. 9:2; Gal. 2:8; prophets: προφήτας, Acts 13:1; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 2:20; 3:5; 4:11; Rev. 18:20; evangelists: εὐαγγελιστάς, Acts 21:8; Eph. 4:11; 2 Tim. 4:5; verb εὐαγγελίζω, “evangelize,” tell the good message, Acts 5:42; 8:4, 12, 25, 35, 40; 14:7, 15, 21; 15:35; et al.; Rom. 1:15; 15:20; 1 Cor. 1:17; 9:16, 18; 15:1; Gal. 1:8, 11, 16, 23; Eph. 3:8; 1 Peter 1:12, 25; done also by Jesus and angels, e.g., Matt. 11:5; Luke 1:19; 2:10; 3:18; 16:16; Rev. 14:6; pastors or shepherds: ποιμένας, Eph. 4:11; a term used for Jesus in John 10:11, 14, 16; Heb. 13:20; and 1 Peter 2:25; the verb ποιμαίνω is used in Acts 20:28 and 1 Peter 5:2; teachers: διδασκάλους, Latin magister or doctor, Acts 13:1; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11; 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11; James 3:1; this term is used by Jesus for Himself, e.g., Matt. 26:18; John 13:13; their work is διδασκαλία, “teaching,” 1 Tim. 5:17; verb διδάσκω, “teach,” Acts 15:35, also describes Jesus’ work, e.g., Luke 20:1; Acts 5:42; overseers or bishops: ἐπισκόπους, Acts 20:28; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:7; their work is ἐπισκοπή, “oversight,” Acts 1:20; 1 Tim. 3:1; verb ἐπισκοπέω, 1 Peter 5:2; forms applied to Jesus in 1 Pet 2:25; Luke 19:44; elders: πρεσβυτέρους, Acts 14:23; 20:17; 21:18; 15:2, 4, 6, 22; 16:4; 1 Tim. 4:14; 5:17, 19; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; 1 Peter 5:1; 2 John 1; Rev. 4:4; ministers: λειτουργοὺς, “of Christ Jesus,” Rom. 15:16; co-workers: συνεργούς, Rom. 16:21; 2 Cor. 8:23; “God’s co- worker,” 1 Cor. 3:9; servants or slaves: διακόνους, 1 Cor. 3:5; Col. 4:7; “of a new testament,” 2 Cor. 3:6; “of God,” 2 Cor. 6:4; “of Christ,” 2 Cor. 11:23; Eph. 3:7; “of the Gospel,” Col. 1:7, 23; 1 Tim. 4:6; “in the Lord,” Eph. 6:21; “of [Christ’s] body, which is the church,” Col. 1:24–25; συνδούλους, “beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow-slave in the Lord,” Col. 4:7; ὑπηρέτας, “servants,” “of Christ and stewards [οἰκονόμους, “managers”] of the mysteries of God,” 1 Cor. 4:1; δούλους, “slave,” “of Jesus Christ,” Rom. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1; Gal. 1:10; referring to Christians, 1 Cor. 7:22; Eph. 6:6; Col. 4:12; “for Jesus’ sake,” 2 Cor. 4:5; “of God,” Titus 1:1; “of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,” James 1:1; preachers: κῆρυκας, those who deliver proclamations, German Prediger, 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11; and stewards: οἰκονόμους, “of God,” Titus 1:7; and

WHEREAS, The New Testament uses various words to refer to other workers among God’s people in Christ’s kingdom, who were not specifically in offices instituted or mandated by God, such as: servants or deacons: διακόνους, Matt. 20:26; 23:11; John 12:26; Rom. 13:4 (government rulers); 16:1 (female); Phil. 1:1; and 1 Tim. 3:8–13 (in contrast to a “bishop” vs. 1–7), noting, “these also should be examined first; then they may serve as deacons, if they are without charges”; 1 Tim. 3:10; also the verb διακονέω, Matt. 8:15 (household service); 25:44; 27:55; Luke 8:3; 10:40; also the noun διακονία, Acts 6:2; 1 Tim. 3:10, 13; Philemon 13; 1 Peter 4:10f.; rulers: ἄρχοντας, Acts 4:5, 8, of the Jews; elders: πρεσβυτέρους, Acts 4:5, 8, of the Jews; 11:30 and perhaps 15:2, of Christians; co-workers: συνεργούς, “in Christ,” Rom. 16:3, 9; “co- worker,” Rom. 16:21; Phil. 4:3; Col. 4:11; “God’s co- worker,” Romans 16; 1 Thess. 3:2; Philemon 24; “co- worker and fellow-soldier (συστρατιώτην) and … minister (λειτουργὸν) for my needs,” Phil. 2:25; workers: ἐργάτας, 2 Tim. 2:15; and stewards: οἰκονόμους, “good stewards of God’s varied grace,” 1 Peter 4:10; and

WHEREAS, One biblical Greek word for servant (διάκονος) has entered the English language in three ways: by translating it as servant, by an gli ci zing the Greek word as deacon or deaconess, and by using the Latin translation as minister, and this Greek word refers to servants generally (Matt. 23:11), including household servants (Matt. 22:13; Mark 9:35; 10:43; John 2:5, 9), government rulers/authorities (Rom. 13:1–4), servants in the church (cited above), Christ Himself (Rom. 15:8), and even servants of Satan (2 Cor. 11:14–15) or servants of sin (Gal. 2:17); and

WHEREAS, Over time the English word minister has largely lost the denotation of servant to others (who are their lords), and has taken on the connotation of a higher position than that of others (e.g., ministers as heads of various government agencies in the British empire, under the prime minister, who is no longer seen as the first of servants of the king and of the people but as the head of the government), and in the Synod “the Office of the Ministry” has been termed “the highest office in the Church” (Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics Vol. III [St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953], 461), which should not be understood as contradicting the rest of what Pieper wrote about the ministry (extensively citing the Bible, Luther, and the Lutheran Confessions); and

WHEREAS, It is good and helpful to distinguish between the men whom God has called to perform the duties of the divinely instituted preaching office in the Church (Predigtamt) for proclaiming and teaching God’s Word and administering the Sacraments (pastor/bishop/teaching elder), on the one hand, and the men and women whom churches may appoint to perform other duties or hold other offices in the churches, who are expected to believe, teach, confess, and uphold the same confession of faith; and it is helpful for the Synod to certify and keep records of those who have been deemed qualified and have been appointed or called to these other offices; and

WHEREAS, The New Testament uses various terms to describe how people are designated or authorized to perform God-pleasing duties in the Church, such as, “called” (κλητὸς, Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:1), “call” (καλέω, Gal. 1:15), “set apart” (ἀφορίζω, Acts 13:2; Rom. 1:1; cf. Gal. 1:15) or “appoint” (ἀναδείκνυμι, Luke 10:1; “point out,” Acts 1:24; καθίστημι, “put in charge,” Acts 6:3; Titus 1:5; Heb. 5:1; see also Matt. 24:45–47; 25:21–23; ποιέω, “make,” Mark 3:14; Heb. 3:2; τίθημι, “set,” John 15:16 and 1 Cor. 12:28; 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11; “by prophecy with the laying on of hands,” 1 Tim. 4:14; or “ordain”[KJV, the Greek word χειροτονέωinvolves either laying on hands or a show of hands, Acts 14:23], or “appoint choose, or hand-pick,” 2 Cor. 8:19), but there is no mention of ordaining (initiating someone into a specific “order”) or commissioning (though it does mention “putting in charge” or “appointing,”καθίστημι, Acts6:3) of the people who are to do other kinds of service or hold other offices in the Church; and

WHEREAS, Historically the Synod has affirmed that, “the preaching office is conferred by God through the congregation as the possessor of all ecclesiastical power, or the Keys, and through the call that is prescribed by God. The ordination of those who are called with laying on of hands is not a divine institution but an apostolic, church ly order and only a solemn public ratification of the call” (C.F.W. Walther, Ministry Thesis VI, 1852; in ed. Harrison, The Church and the Office of the Ministry [CPH, 2012], p. 5), a position reaffirmed by 2001 Resolution 7-17A, “To Affirm Synod’s Official Position on Church and Ministry” (Proceedings, 172–73); and

WHEREAS, For most of its history, the Synod carefully distinguished between pastors, who serve in the “preaching office” or “pastoral office,” which “is not a human institution but an office that God himself has established”(C.F.W. Walther, Ministry Thesis II, Church and Ministry, p. 5), “the highest office in the Church, from which flow all other offices in the Church” (Ministry Thesis VIII, ibid.), on the one hand, and “auxiliary offices,” which in biblical times included the offices of elders and the deacon ate, and in Walther’s day included the offices of “schoolteachers who have the Word of God in their schools, distributors of alms, sextons, precentors [i.e., leaders of singing] at public worship, and others” listed in Ministry Thesis VIII, section 1 of Church Ministry (ibid., p. 286); and

WHEREAS, The current Synod Constitution and Bylaws use non- biblical terminology for these two groups of workers in the church (“ministers of religion—ordained” and “ministers of religion— commissioned”) instead of biblical terms, making a distinction without biblical difference (e.g., what we call “the Great Commission” was delivered to men whom Jesus appointed to the Divine Office, who are currently roster ed as “ordained ministers,” while there is no biblical term for those currently roster ed as “commissioned minister,” those whom God permits the church to appoint to serve in ways other than public preaching and teaching of God’s Word and administering the Sacraments); and

WHEREAS, Historically the Synod, in its Constitution and Bylaws, has referred to “pastors” also as “ministers of the Gospel,” and referred to other theologically trained church workers by various terms that describe their training, duties, or functions; and

WHEREAS, The practices of the Synod have become examples to Lutheran churches around the world, living under the laws of widely divergent governments, and the doctrine and terminology of Lutheran churches should not be determined by the civil governments in which we find ourselves; and

WHEREAS, The terminology “minister of religion—ordained and ministers of religion—commissioned” (Const. Art. V) first entered into Constitution in 1992, replacing the historic wording (through 1986): Membership in the Synod is held and may be acquired by congregations, ministers of the Gospel, and teachers of the Evangelical Lutheran Church who confess and accept the confessional basis of Article II. and

WHEREAS, From 1989 through 2004 the Synod in convention added numerous man-made offices to the list of “ministers of religion—commissioned,” incorporating the graduates of programs offered by various colleges and universities of the Synod: Membership in the Synod is held and may be acquired by congregations, ministers of the Gospel, teachers, and deaconesses of the Evangelical Lutheran Church who confess and accept the confessional basis of Article II. (1989 Const. Art. V); Membership in the Synod is held and may be acquired by congregations, ministers of religion—ordained and ministers of religion—commissioned, such as teachers, directors of Christian education, directors of Christian outreach, and deaconesses of the Evangelical Lutheran Church who confess and accept the confessional basis of Article II. (Const. Art. V; added 1992; “certified lay ministers”added in1995; “parish assistants”added in 1998; “directors of parish music” added in 2001; “directors of family life ministry”added in2004; the“such as”list was moved to the Bylaws in 2019); and The following two whereas es are present only in the Central Illinois District Board of Directors submission:

WHEREAS, The Central Illinois District has for the most part continued using the historic/biblical terms “pastor” and “teacher” in its Constitution and Bylaws (which also conform more to the terms commonly used in congregations to refer to these workers whom we authorize to teach the faith) after the Synod changed its terminology in its Constitution and Bylaws; and

WHEREAS, The Synod’s Commission on Constitutional Matters (CCM Op. 25-3053, “Central Illinois District Bylaws, Proposed Revision”) directed the district: The district should, except where it is following explicit Synod Bylaw language that does otherwise, consistently use “ordained minister” and “parish pastor” where it intends these distinct senses. … The standard language “commissioned minister” would be clearer than the district’s language, “commissioned church worker from the Synod roster.” and

WHEREAS, The terminology “minister of religion—ordained” and “ministers of religion—commissioned” was derived in part from the terminology used by the United States of America’s Internal Revenue Service (Publication 517, Social Security and Other Information for Members of the Clergy and Religious Workers): Ministers defined. Ministers are individuals who are duly ordained, commissioned, or licensed by a religious body constituting achurchor church denomination. Ministers have the authority to conduct religious worship, perform sacerdotal functions, and administer ordinances or sacraments according to the prescribed tenets and practices of that church or denomination. If a church or denomination ordains some ministers and licenses or commissions others, anyone licensed or commissioned must be able to perform substantially all the religious functions of an ordained minister to be treated as a minister for social security purposes. (2025 edition, p. 4, irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p517.pdf); and

WHEREAS, By conforming the Synod’s terminology to that used by the IRS, which for tax purposes treats “ministers” differently from other church employees (who are not considered “ministers” but are subject to regular employment laws), the Synod seems to have chosen a pragmatic way to save our “ministers” some expense on taxes (perhaps violating Jesus’ warning: “You cannot serve God and mammon/money,” Matt. 6:24 NKJV/ESV), as well as the right to define “ministers” as we wish, without government control; and

WHEREAS, The Synod’s lawyers successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court (Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC, 565 U.S. 171 [2012], supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/565/171) that all who qualify as “ministers” under our Constitution may be removed from their employment according to our policies, even if for reasons that would violate employment laws for non-ministers; and

WHEREAS, A concurring opinion to Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC by Justice Alito noted, while a ministerial title is undoubtedly relevant in applying the First Amendment rule at issue, such a title is neither necessary nor sufficient. As previously noted, most faiths do not employ the term “minister,” and some eschew the concept of formal ordination. [FN3 mentions Muslims as an example.] And at the opposite end of the spectrum, some faiths consider the ministry to consist of all or a very large percentage of their members. [FN4 mentions Jehovah’s Witnesses as an example.] Perhaps this explains why, although every circuit to consider the issue has recognized the “ministerial” exception, no circuit has made ordination status or formal title determinative of the exception’s applicability. and

WHEREAS, The use of the term “religion” instead of “church” or “faith” has a long history in the U.S. (e.g., Bill of Rights, Amendment 1: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there of”), and the word “religion” in the Bible is used by people who do not share that “religion” (δεισιδαίμων, Acts 17:22; δεισιδαιμονία, Acts 25:19; ἐθελοθρησκίᾳ, Col. 2:23; or by people who do not share the “religion” of someone else (θρησκεία, Acts 26:5; also “religious,” θρησκὸς, James 1:26; and only once of “religion that is pure and un defiled,” James 1:27); thus the government’s reference to “religion” is meant to be neutral; but the Church’s confession is that we hold the one true faith in the one true God; and The following whereas is present only in the Central Illinois District Board of Directors submission:

WHEREAS, The introduction of the category of specific ministry pastor to designate men who are “ordained,” but not fully qualified to be overseers of a congregation (as other pastors are), since they require oversight of another pastor, added to the confusion that has come with trying to fit professional servants of the church with different educational backgrounds and qualifications into just two categories of church workers; and

WHEREAS, The 1992 Synod convention adopted Res. 5-21, “To Study Classification of Professional Church Workers,” and President Alvin Barry appointed a Nomenclature Study Committee (NSC), which delivered its report to the 1998 Synod convention; and

WHEREAS, This committee recommended the following: [I]t will be in the best interest ofthe Synod to classify all certified and roster ed church workers with the following nomenclature: The NSC believes that this nomenclature clearly distinguishes between the one divinely established office of the ministry, the pastoral office, and those offices that the church has created to help discharge the functions of the pastoral office. (1998 Convention Report R1-8-02, Nomenclature Study Committee, Workbook, 8), but the 1998 Res. 7-14A, “To Address Nomenclature of Church Workers,” stated:

WHEREAS, This report has insufficient evidence to justify the proposed changes; and

WHEREAS, The underlying concern which has been identified by the Nomenclature Committee stems from confusion caused by various understanding of the Doctrine of the Ministry; and …

Resolved, That the recommendations and conclusions of the Nomenclature Committee report be declined at this time; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod in convention commend to the congregations and professional church workers the CTCR document, “The Ministry: Offices, Procedures and Nomenclature” for study that the Synod might open dialog and come to a clearer understanding of the Doctrine of the Ministry” (1998 Proc., 152);

therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod take up this “dialog” by a renewed study of the Holy Scriptures’ teaching concerning the church and its ministries, focusing on God’s will for those who serve and teach His people, and on the proper terms to describe this, reexamining the changes in terminology that the Synod has made over time; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod recognize that using biblical terminology to refer to pastors, ministers, teachers, and other workers in the church is in harmony with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod, and may be used in the Constitutions and Bylaws of the Synod’s districts and congregations instead of the terminology that is used by the government; and be it further

Resolved, That, in an effort to remove confusion over the use of the term pastor or minister, the Synod encourage congregations to issue Divine Calls to “retired” pastors, who are willing and able to perform Word and Sacrament ministry in the absence of (or in an assisting capacity to) full-time pastors, in order to reinforce the biblical teaching that those who are “apt to teach” are actually authorized to do so by means of a call or appointment to a congregation or mission, not only by certification by the Synod as someone qualified to do so; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod in convention hereby overturn CCM Op. 25-3053 and 25-3053A and any others, insofar as they have expressed a preference for the terminology of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod over the historical and biblical use of the term pastor and avoidance of calling other church workers ministers; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod go back to using biblical terminology wherever possible in its Constitution and Bylaws, choosing more biblically accurate waysto refer to church workers, keeping in mind how we may explain our terminology and practices to agovernment that does not share our biblical faith or use biblical terminology. For example, if we wish to retain two categories, they could be: pastors and other approved/appointed/authorized church workers; pastors could be divided into the categories of pastors/overseers/doctors and pastors with limitations (including current specific ministry pastors, candidates without call, retired pastors, and chaplains authorized for Word and Sacrament ministry outside of congregations); approved/appointed/authorized church workers could include parochial school teachers who meet the requirements to teach the Bibleand Lutheran theology(current“called”teachers), directors of Christian education, deaconesses, cantors, and other church musicians who would be authorized to pick the texts of music sung in Divine Services.