Church & Ministry - Lesson 19

CHURCH AND MINISTRY

2003

LESSON NINETEEN

I. Thesis VII Concerning the Ministry

A. The holy ministry [Predigtamt] is the power, conferred by God through the congregation as the possessor of the priesthood and all church power, to exercise the rights of the spiritual priesthood in public office in the name of the congregation. (Church and Ministry, p. 268)

B. Scripture Proof

1. See Theses IV & VII Concerning the Church (Lessons 4 and 7)

2. See Theses, I, IV, V, & VI Concerning the Ministry (Lessons 12, 15-18)

C. Confessions and Creeds

1. Ap. XXIV par 22-25 (Tappert, pp. 253,254; Kolb and Wengert, pp. 261, 262)

2. Smalcald Articles: Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, par. 24 (Tappert, pp. 324; Kolb and Wengert, p. 334)

3. Walther (re: Smalcald Articles):

“This power the church does not have mediately by the incumbents of the office entrusted with it for the benefit of the church, but the church possesses it immediately, while on the contrary the incumbents of the office have it mediately, for they received it from the church, to which it originally belongs.” (Church and Ministry, p. 271)

D. Witnesses in Private Writings

1. Luther (See Lesson Two)

a. “‘Nevertheless, it does not behoove everyone to use this power unless by the permission of the congregation or by the call of the superiors. For whatever, belongs to all in common, no one should arrogate to himself in particular until he is called to do this. Hence, if the rite [Sakrament] of ordination is anything at all, it dare not be anything else than a common custom to call someone into the ministry of the church….’ (“On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church”, 1520, St. Louis edition, 19:114).” (quoted Church and Ministry, p. 273)

b. “‘But it is demanded by the right of the congregation that one, or as many as the congregation may be pleased to elect and receive, should publicly administer these offices in the place and name of all those who have the same rights, in order that dreadful disorder might not arise among the people of God and the church be turned into a Babylon; for in it all things should be done decently and in order, as the apostle has taught us (1Cor. 14:40)….’ (“How One Should Choose and Ordain Pastors”, Letter to the council and congregation of the city of Prague, 1523, St. Louis edition, p. 10:1588ff.)” (quoted Church and Ministry).

c. “‘For he is a minister of the whole congregation, to which the keys have been given, though he himself may be a rascal. What he does, the church does, and what the church does, God does, but there must be a minister [Diener]….there must be a minister who does this in place of the congregation. The keys to bind and loose are the power to teach, not merely to absolve; for the keys to pertain to everything by which I may help my neighbor: to the comfort that one can give to another; to public and private confession, absolution, and whatever else there may be. But above all they pertain to preaching. To preach ‘He who believes will be saved’ means to open heaven, and to preach ‘He who does not believe will be condemned’ means to close heaven….’ (Church Postil: Gospel Portion, “On the Day of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles,” 1525, St. Louis edition, 11:2305).” (quoted Church and Ministry, p. 276)

2. Gerhard, John

a. See Lesson 1.

b. “‘We distinguish between the power itself and the exercise of the power. The power itself is and remains that of the church, but the exercise of the power is that of the bishop and elders, that is, of the ministers and those who represent the whole congregation….’ (Loci theologici, “De baptismo”), par. 87)”. (quoted Church and Ministry, p. 287)