Vocation, church, life...Installment 1
How to start? I've been thinking about my call to ministry lately and decided to look at some of the work I did in seminary. I came across this paper I did about diaconal ministry within the ELCA, but it also discusses baptism and the universal preisthood of all believers. It's long- 8 pages single spaced, so I know only the most interested would actually finish. No problem. I'm putting it out there for myself- to create an opportunity to really consider what this means to me- as well as for those hearty souls who might want to delve a little deeper. Enjoy!
In 1993, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America released a study about ministry entitled “Together for Ministry: Final Report and Recommendations Task Force on the Study of Ministry” which tackled the question of how to deal with the various forms of lay ministry present when the ELCA was formed by the merging of the American Lutheran Church (ALC), the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) and the Lutheran Church in America (LCA). The task force discussed the need for a new diaconal ministry of Word and Service, in conjunction with the traditional pastoral ministry of Word and Sacrament, which would help the church meet the needs of an ever-changing world. The question was raised how this new lay ministry would affect the laity and the Universal Priesthood of all Believers. “The laity is the Church!”
To understand the effect these new ministries would have, we must first delve into what the Lutheran understanding of the Universal Priesthood of all Believers which Luther outlined in An Appeal to the Ruling Class of the German Nationality as to the Amelioration of the State of Christendom. In this work, he stated that we are all priests by virtue of our baptism and that there was no difference between the work of ‘lay people’ and of ‘clergy.’ Instead we are all priests to each other. Acting as priests to one another involves ministering to our neighbors in need, praying and teaching. Individuals often fight against the idea that they are ministers of God’s living word, with a responsibility to help others just as they would family. This responsibility to others can be daunting for those not familiar with the concept of a universal priesthood, and the new lay ministries may indeed help with this aspect of our lives as disciples in Christ. It all begins with baptism.
We obtain forgiveness and salvation through baptism, which changes our condition before God and “consecrates us all without exception, and makes us all priests.” Baptism into the community of Christ is based on the divine promise God made to His people. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” The divine promise is forgiveness of sins through baptism and therefore freedom from the grave. Luther saw this deliverance from death as a promise we have to take on faith, which once we accept, will last forever. Faith, a relationship between God and man, is a gift from God. It is the work of God, not man, and “is the Word of the promise to which baptism was conjoined, is what justifies, and so completes, that which the baptism signified.” What justifies us before God is not our work, but our faith in the promise God has made to us.
Our trust in God through His promise of salvation creates a relationship with Him based on faith, and we find that our relationship to our neighbors is based on love. “Love means distributing to our neighbor that which we have received from God.” We are justified through Christ’s sacrifice, therefore we do not need to do works; yet works come out of a living faith in God. “Works will follow the faith, unless your faith be too feeble.” Instead of offering these works to God, who does not need them, we offer them in service to our neighbors in need where we can most fully realize our role as priests.
A priest handles sacred things, approaches God on behalf of others, and teaches the Gospel. “A Christian, to be specific, is a priest whenever and wherever he handles the things of this world with reverent care and awareness that God has made them.” In the early Christian church, which believed in Christ’s imminent return, everyone participated fully in the life of the congregation and there was no one set aside as ‘priest.’ “Nothing is clearer than the fact that in the primitive Christian community there was no priesthood other than that of the Lord Jesus Christ and every one of his followers, who were to ‘offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable unto God.’ ” Everyone, not just clergy, is spiritual, thus all Christians belong to the ‘religious class,’ but doing his/her individual work of the Spirit. Not everyone can devote their fulltime employment to ministering to God’s Word and His people; someone must produce food, make clothes, and run the government.
Luther believed that people should rejoice in the knowledge that they were called and doing God’s work in their respective trades. Our daily bread, according to Luther in The Small Catechism, is “everything included in the necessities and nourishment for our bodies, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, farm, fields, livestock, money, property, an upright spouse, upright children, upright members of the household, upright and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, decency, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.” God provides these things to us through others; “for God works through people as long as they work in truth and goodness.” When we do our daily work, with hearts full of joy for our Lord, we are providing for our neighbor and thus doing God’s work as priests.
Today, many people do not realize what that there was ever an intent for everyone to be priests, because the idea of the priesthood is now solely to minister to the laity. This idea of the priesthood allows others to work for us and spoon-feed us the Gospel, which is an easier option. If we do not need to tend to the Gospel, then we do not need to learn more about it with intense study and reflection. Our pastor will do that for us, pointing out the important scripture when needed. Laymen are to go listen to the clergyman and pay his salary for performing a priestly role, a practice which makes many of us spectators of our own faith and lessens our real relationship to Christ as the head of the church. Christians have let their faith rest on talk and not action and instead of ministering to their neighbors, they say how much they love Christ. Instead of ministering to God’s creation in the form of preserving the earth, they allow it to be plundered for their own comfort. “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” How we treat God’s creation directly relates to how we treat God.
Baptism brings us into a new life with Christ as the High Priest. This sacrament grants us freedom to live our lives as intended, for others and not for our own introspection. The faith we receive at our baptism is a gift from God and will not leave us unless we do not believe in God’s promise of salvation. Through our baptism we become priests, defenders of the Gospel who minister to each other and to our neighbors. It is easiest to understand our role as priest when we relate it to Christian responsibility for God’s creation and to helping those less fortunate.
The doctrine of universal priesthood today is not well understood because it is easier to rely on others to teach us rather than investigate our own beliefs. This lack of spiritual reflection is a problem for the church. Churches could be much more vibrant and active if the congregations were made aware of the Doctrine of the Universal Priesthood and challenged to uphold their responsibilities as priests.
Rostered lay ministry are lay people set aside by the church as theologically prepared. The introduction of a new lay ministry called ‘diaconal ministry’ was perhaps the most controversial of the recommendations made by the 1993 Task Force on the Study of Ministry. Originally meant to be an ordained ministry, diaconal ministry appeared to blur the line between the laity and the pastor. Why is it necessary to have another title for someone who already does that which Christ has commanded of everyone, i.e. to work for God in the world, through Word and Service?
Diaconal ministry, as envisioned by the task force, is to be “a ministry for service and witness, exemplifying the life of Christ-like service to persons in need, and leading and equipping the baptized for their life of service within and beyond the congregation.” Those within this new roster are to be spokespersons for the Gospel while also speaking for the needs of God’s world to the church. It might seem that the church should already be conscious of the needs of humanity, but even in the early church, there was a necessity for someone to make the needs of those in trouble known to the church leaders.
Diaconal ministers can serve not only in congregations, but in clusters, conferences, agencies, institutions and churchwide expressions of the ELCA. The areas of service are varied, just as service and gifts are also varied, and include but are not limited to, educational leadership, evangelism, care for the sick, administration of church organizations, and music and the arts. The focus of diaconal ministry must be on the alleviation of human need, exemplify service in Christ’s name and equip others for it, witness to the Gospel in word and deed, provide public, accountable spokespersons for the faith of the church and support the ministry of Word and Sacrament and ministry of all baptized. A tall order for one ministry, hence the continued skepticism of many within the ELCA.
Associates in ministry are called to serve specific ministries within the church in areas such as music, education, service and administration. Their role is understood as supporting the institution of the church as it is already created. In fact, 77% of the associates in ministry worked within a congregation and others served in synod positions and ELCA Churchwide staff in 2000.
At the time of the Task Force Study, one of the questions that had to be answered was how to deal with the various ways associates in ministry came to be rostered within the ALC, AELC and the LCA. There were those who were rostered just because they were church staff, not because of any specific training and call, and others who had studied at seminary and had accepted a call. The need was to put into place churchwide standards by which all who wished to become rostered lay ministers must abide. The result was to accept those already labeled as associate in ministry and to have criteria that must be met from that point onward- educational standards, call from the church, etc.
The Deaconess Community straddles these two types of ministry. Indeed, those within the Community would contend that both associate in ministry, as it is now conceived, and the diaconal ministry, are really off-shoots of the Deaconess Community. The Deaconess Community has “a carefully defined membership and a tradition of church-wide rostering for members of that community…and is distinct from the other lay rosters of this church.” Deaconesses may be rostered as associates in ministry, as pastors and as diaconal ministers. The most striking difference between this community and the other rostered lay ministries is that 1) the community is currently all female, 2) that this is a community which gathers regularly and supports one another, and finally 3) the community has been in existence in some form for the past 100 years.
Sister Carol Burk best explains what rostered lay ministries do when she says they provide support for the overall ministry of the congregation. She equates their work to a sheep dog which moves the herd in the right direction. Associate in ministry, diaconal ministers and deaconesses all work to help move the congregation to do more, not to take over for them. This is where many make their strongest objections to the rostered lay ministries; the question is whether or not they overtake the role of the general laity. Obviously, those who work within the framework of the rostered lay ministries do not see themselves as surrogates for the congregations, but teachers and helpers to encourage the congregation to their discipleship in Christ.
Another concern the task force had to tackle is best stated in the following
quote:
“Adoption would create a vaguely defined order of almost-pastors,
create another layer of hierarchy, provoke contention, and detract
from the proper role of both laypeople and pastors in the mission
of the church. Expense is not addressed.”
Despite the rejection to ordain diaconal ministers, the confusion over what they do and how they fit into the role of Word and Service is still vague to many. This ambiguous position causes many of the problems those opposed to the creation of a new lay ministry wanted to avoid. By not knowing if diaconal ministers are pastors and have ‘authority,’ people are unsure who to turn to in their quest for information and support. Also, when pastors themselves do not know what a diaconal minister does, they can be threatened by the idea and wonder if their own work will be undermined. Ultimately, however, there is no proper role of pastor and laypeople in the church; we are all one within Christ and have chosen to help ourselves by selecting people, pastors, to lead us on our spiritual journey.
Hierarchy and power are concerns within the church. Despite our idealized vision of the unity of those working for and within the church, the reality is that we are all human and therefore fall short of the glory of God, often imposing structures to help us feel valued and needed. Much of the concern over diaconal ministers comes from how the structure we know so well- pastor who preaches and teaches the Word to the laity- is affected. In fact, it is positively affected by this new ministry. The pastor is focused, as s/he should be, on the congregation and its needs for education, support, and worship. Where the diaconal minister steps in is not necessarily in these roles. S/he would still minister to the Word, as do all Christians, but would also help the congregation put into practice what it has heard and learned from the pastor on Sunday morning. Diaconal ministers, and associates in ministry and deaconesses along with them, work to build a bridge between the secular world and the church and thus help to bring not only the message of salvation through Christ more clearly into the world, but also encourage Christians to take a more active role in their discipleship.
How much it would cost to educate people who feel the call to rostered lay ministry was not addressed, but affects not just those who want to fulfill their call, it also affects the church if it looses the wisdom and talents of those who want to serve. There is a valid concern that minorities would be left out due to financial constraints and limitations due to location of seminaries. This concern is legitimate since there are limited scholarships for those who are not planning to be ordained, however the requirements are easier to fulfill than those of a pastor since you do not need to get all of your schooling from a seminary. This issue is one that should become less of a problem as the need for diaconal ministers increases and with it, the recognition of the necessity to fund those who wish to pursue rostered lay ministry.
The new lay ministries have the capability to both undermine and uphold the doctrine of the Universal Priesthood of all Believers but in the end, they have a much greater potential to help expand the church’s ministry and with it, its message of salvation and grace. There is a need for the rostered lay ministries to let the laity (and the pastors, too!) know what they do before they can be seen as equal partners in the church, necessary to its growth and vital for its continued existence. Sister Carol Burk points out in her essay that it is necessary to clarify the need for rostered lay ministry to those who do not understand the need for a paid lay staff. Those who serve in the capacity of lay ministries see themselves as serving in particular areas of the church’s ministries.
As someone who aspires to become a diaconal minister, possibly within the Deaconess Community, I find myself in the middle of a controversy about roles. What is my role as a diaconal minister versus the role of my pastor and that of my congregation? To me it is very clear. My role is to help guide them in Word and Service, to move them from the pews to the world where they will put into practice the Universal Priesthood of all Believers. My sincere hope is that I, as a diaconal minister with the cooperation of pastors in churches, can help move people to take a more active role in the world around them as Christ’s priests in the world.
Endnotes:
Gerard Philips, The Role of the Laity in the Church, Trans. John R. Gilbert and James W. Moudry (Book Craftsmen Associates, Inc.: New York 1960) 5.
Martin Luther, “An Appeal to the Ruling Class of German Nationality as to the Amelioration of the State of Christendom,” Martin Luther: Selections from his Writings, ed. John Dillenberger (New York: Doubleday, 1962) 408.
Mark 16.16
Martin Luther, “The Pagan Servitude of the Church: A First Inquiry,” Reformation Writings of Martin Luther, Vol. 1. Trans. Bertram Lee Wolf. (London: Lutterworth Press, 1952) 256.
Martin Luther, “The Pagan Servitude of the Church: A First Inquiry,” Reformation Writings of Martin Luther, Vol. 1. Trans. Bertram Lee Wolf. (London: Lutterworth Press, 1952) 263.
Cyril Eastwood, The Priesthood of All Believers: An Examination of the Doctrine from the Reformation to the Present Day (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1962) 59.
Martin Luther, “The Pagan Servitude of the Church: A First Inquiry,” Reformation Writings of Martin Luther, Vol. 1. Trans. Bertram Lee Wolf. (London: Lutterworth Press, 1952) 259.
Cyril Eastwood, The Priesthood of All Believers: An Examination of the Doctrine from the Reformation to the Present Day (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1962) 59.
Karl H. Hertz, Everyman a Priest (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1960) 12.
W. Carl Ketcherside, The Royal Priesthood: A plea for the restoration of the priesthood of all believers in the family of God (St. Louis: Mission Messenger, 1956) 94.
Martin Luther, “The Small Catechism,” The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, eds. Robert Kolb and Timothy J. Weingert (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000) 357.
Kenneth Mason, Priesthood and Society (Norwich: The Canterbury Press, 1962) 129.
W. Carl Ketcherside, The Royal Priesthood: A plea for the restoration of the priesthood of all believers in the family of God (St. Louis: Mission Messenger, 1956) 95.
W. Carl Ketcherside, The Royal Priesthood: A plea for the restoration of the priesthood of all believers in the family of God (St. Louis: Mission Messenger, 1956) 99.
Matthew 25.40.
Carol L. Schickel, “Who We Are,” Lutheran Partners November/December 2000
Together for Ministry: Final Report and Recommendations Task Force on The Study of Ministry 1988-1993 (Division for Ministry, 1993) 11.
Jeannine E. Olson, Deacons and Deaconesses Through the Centuries (Concordia Publishing House: Saint Louis, 2005) 37.
Together for Ministry: Final Report and Recommendations Task Force on The Study of Ministry 1988-1993 (Division for Ministry, 1993) 22.
Carol L. Schickel, “Who We Are,” Lutheran Partners November/December 2000
Together for Ministry: Final Report and Recommendations Task Force on The Study of Ministry 1988-1993 (Division for Ministry, 1993) 24.
Carol L. Schickel, “Who We Are,” Lutheran Partners November/December 2000
Jeannine E. Olson, Deacons and Deaconesses Through the Centuries (Concordia Publishing House: Saint Louis, 2005) 306.
Carol L. Schickel, “Who We Are,” Lutheran Partners November/December 2000
Together for Ministry: Final Report and Recommendations Task Force on The Study of Ministry 1988-1993 (Division for Ministry, 1993) 30.
Together for Ministry: Final Report and Recommendations Task Force on The Study of Ministry 1988-1993 (Division for Ministry, 1993) 30.
Carol L. Schickel, “Who We Are,” Lutheran Partners November/December 2000
In 1993, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America released a study about ministry entitled “Together for Ministry: Final Report and Recommendations Task Force on the Study of Ministry” which tackled the question of how to deal with the various forms of lay ministry present when the ELCA was formed by the merging of the American Lutheran Church (ALC), the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) and the Lutheran Church in America (LCA). The task force discussed the need for a new diaconal ministry of Word and Service, in conjunction with the traditional pastoral ministry of Word and Sacrament, which would help the church meet the needs of an ever-changing world. The question was raised how this new lay ministry would affect the laity and the Universal Priesthood of all Believers. “The laity is the Church!”
To understand the effect these new ministries would have, we must first delve into what the Lutheran understanding of the Universal Priesthood of all Believers which Luther outlined in An Appeal to the Ruling Class of the German Nationality as to the Amelioration of the State of Christendom. In this work, he stated that we are all priests by virtue of our baptism and that there was no difference between the work of ‘lay people’ and of ‘clergy.’ Instead we are all priests to each other. Acting as priests to one another involves ministering to our neighbors in need, praying and teaching. Individuals often fight against the idea that they are ministers of God’s living word, with a responsibility to help others just as they would family. This responsibility to others can be daunting for those not familiar with the concept of a universal priesthood, and the new lay ministries may indeed help with this aspect of our lives as disciples in Christ. It all begins with baptism.
We obtain forgiveness and salvation through baptism, which changes our condition before God and “consecrates us all without exception, and makes us all priests.” Baptism into the community of Christ is based on the divine promise God made to His people. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” The divine promise is forgiveness of sins through baptism and therefore freedom from the grave. Luther saw this deliverance from death as a promise we have to take on faith, which once we accept, will last forever. Faith, a relationship between God and man, is a gift from God. It is the work of God, not man, and “is the Word of the promise to which baptism was conjoined, is what justifies, and so completes, that which the baptism signified.” What justifies us before God is not our work, but our faith in the promise God has made to us.
Our trust in God through His promise of salvation creates a relationship with Him based on faith, and we find that our relationship to our neighbors is based on love. “Love means distributing to our neighbor that which we have received from God.” We are justified through Christ’s sacrifice, therefore we do not need to do works; yet works come out of a living faith in God. “Works will follow the faith, unless your faith be too feeble.” Instead of offering these works to God, who does not need them, we offer them in service to our neighbors in need where we can most fully realize our role as priests.
A priest handles sacred things, approaches God on behalf of others, and teaches the Gospel. “A Christian, to be specific, is a priest whenever and wherever he handles the things of this world with reverent care and awareness that God has made them.” In the early Christian church, which believed in Christ’s imminent return, everyone participated fully in the life of the congregation and there was no one set aside as ‘priest.’ “Nothing is clearer than the fact that in the primitive Christian community there was no priesthood other than that of the Lord Jesus Christ and every one of his followers, who were to ‘offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable unto God.’ ” Everyone, not just clergy, is spiritual, thus all Christians belong to the ‘religious class,’ but doing his/her individual work of the Spirit. Not everyone can devote their fulltime employment to ministering to God’s Word and His people; someone must produce food, make clothes, and run the government.
Luther believed that people should rejoice in the knowledge that they were called and doing God’s work in their respective trades. Our daily bread, according to Luther in The Small Catechism, is “everything included in the necessities and nourishment for our bodies, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, farm, fields, livestock, money, property, an upright spouse, upright children, upright members of the household, upright and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, decency, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.” God provides these things to us through others; “for God works through people as long as they work in truth and goodness.” When we do our daily work, with hearts full of joy for our Lord, we are providing for our neighbor and thus doing God’s work as priests.
Today, many people do not realize what that there was ever an intent for everyone to be priests, because the idea of the priesthood is now solely to minister to the laity. This idea of the priesthood allows others to work for us and spoon-feed us the Gospel, which is an easier option. If we do not need to tend to the Gospel, then we do not need to learn more about it with intense study and reflection. Our pastor will do that for us, pointing out the important scripture when needed. Laymen are to go listen to the clergyman and pay his salary for performing a priestly role, a practice which makes many of us spectators of our own faith and lessens our real relationship to Christ as the head of the church. Christians have let their faith rest on talk and not action and instead of ministering to their neighbors, they say how much they love Christ. Instead of ministering to God’s creation in the form of preserving the earth, they allow it to be plundered for their own comfort. “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” How we treat God’s creation directly relates to how we treat God.
Baptism brings us into a new life with Christ as the High Priest. This sacrament grants us freedom to live our lives as intended, for others and not for our own introspection. The faith we receive at our baptism is a gift from God and will not leave us unless we do not believe in God’s promise of salvation. Through our baptism we become priests, defenders of the Gospel who minister to each other and to our neighbors. It is easiest to understand our role as priest when we relate it to Christian responsibility for God’s creation and to helping those less fortunate.
The doctrine of universal priesthood today is not well understood because it is easier to rely on others to teach us rather than investigate our own beliefs. This lack of spiritual reflection is a problem for the church. Churches could be much more vibrant and active if the congregations were made aware of the Doctrine of the Universal Priesthood and challenged to uphold their responsibilities as priests.
Rostered lay ministry are lay people set aside by the church as theologically prepared. The introduction of a new lay ministry called ‘diaconal ministry’ was perhaps the most controversial of the recommendations made by the 1993 Task Force on the Study of Ministry. Originally meant to be an ordained ministry, diaconal ministry appeared to blur the line between the laity and the pastor. Why is it necessary to have another title for someone who already does that which Christ has commanded of everyone, i.e. to work for God in the world, through Word and Service?
Diaconal ministry, as envisioned by the task force, is to be “a ministry for service and witness, exemplifying the life of Christ-like service to persons in need, and leading and equipping the baptized for their life of service within and beyond the congregation.” Those within this new roster are to be spokespersons for the Gospel while also speaking for the needs of God’s world to the church. It might seem that the church should already be conscious of the needs of humanity, but even in the early church, there was a necessity for someone to make the needs of those in trouble known to the church leaders.
Diaconal ministers can serve not only in congregations, but in clusters, conferences, agencies, institutions and churchwide expressions of the ELCA. The areas of service are varied, just as service and gifts are also varied, and include but are not limited to, educational leadership, evangelism, care for the sick, administration of church organizations, and music and the arts. The focus of diaconal ministry must be on the alleviation of human need, exemplify service in Christ’s name and equip others for it, witness to the Gospel in word and deed, provide public, accountable spokespersons for the faith of the church and support the ministry of Word and Sacrament and ministry of all baptized. A tall order for one ministry, hence the continued skepticism of many within the ELCA.
Associates in ministry are called to serve specific ministries within the church in areas such as music, education, service and administration. Their role is understood as supporting the institution of the church as it is already created. In fact, 77% of the associates in ministry worked within a congregation and others served in synod positions and ELCA Churchwide staff in 2000.
At the time of the Task Force Study, one of the questions that had to be answered was how to deal with the various ways associates in ministry came to be rostered within the ALC, AELC and the LCA. There were those who were rostered just because they were church staff, not because of any specific training and call, and others who had studied at seminary and had accepted a call. The need was to put into place churchwide standards by which all who wished to become rostered lay ministers must abide. The result was to accept those already labeled as associate in ministry and to have criteria that must be met from that point onward- educational standards, call from the church, etc.
The Deaconess Community straddles these two types of ministry. Indeed, those within the Community would contend that both associate in ministry, as it is now conceived, and the diaconal ministry, are really off-shoots of the Deaconess Community. The Deaconess Community has “a carefully defined membership and a tradition of church-wide rostering for members of that community…and is distinct from the other lay rosters of this church.” Deaconesses may be rostered as associates in ministry, as pastors and as diaconal ministers. The most striking difference between this community and the other rostered lay ministries is that 1) the community is currently all female, 2) that this is a community which gathers regularly and supports one another, and finally 3) the community has been in existence in some form for the past 100 years.
Sister Carol Burk best explains what rostered lay ministries do when she says they provide support for the overall ministry of the congregation. She equates their work to a sheep dog which moves the herd in the right direction. Associate in ministry, diaconal ministers and deaconesses all work to help move the congregation to do more, not to take over for them. This is where many make their strongest objections to the rostered lay ministries; the question is whether or not they overtake the role of the general laity. Obviously, those who work within the framework of the rostered lay ministries do not see themselves as surrogates for the congregations, but teachers and helpers to encourage the congregation to their discipleship in Christ.
Another concern the task force had to tackle is best stated in the following
quote:
“Adoption would create a vaguely defined order of almost-pastors,
create another layer of hierarchy, provoke contention, and detract
from the proper role of both laypeople and pastors in the mission
of the church. Expense is not addressed.”
Despite the rejection to ordain diaconal ministers, the confusion over what they do and how they fit into the role of Word and Service is still vague to many. This ambiguous position causes many of the problems those opposed to the creation of a new lay ministry wanted to avoid. By not knowing if diaconal ministers are pastors and have ‘authority,’ people are unsure who to turn to in their quest for information and support. Also, when pastors themselves do not know what a diaconal minister does, they can be threatened by the idea and wonder if their own work will be undermined. Ultimately, however, there is no proper role of pastor and laypeople in the church; we are all one within Christ and have chosen to help ourselves by selecting people, pastors, to lead us on our spiritual journey.
Hierarchy and power are concerns within the church. Despite our idealized vision of the unity of those working for and within the church, the reality is that we are all human and therefore fall short of the glory of God, often imposing structures to help us feel valued and needed. Much of the concern over diaconal ministers comes from how the structure we know so well- pastor who preaches and teaches the Word to the laity- is affected. In fact, it is positively affected by this new ministry. The pastor is focused, as s/he should be, on the congregation and its needs for education, support, and worship. Where the diaconal minister steps in is not necessarily in these roles. S/he would still minister to the Word, as do all Christians, but would also help the congregation put into practice what it has heard and learned from the pastor on Sunday morning. Diaconal ministers, and associates in ministry and deaconesses along with them, work to build a bridge between the secular world and the church and thus help to bring not only the message of salvation through Christ more clearly into the world, but also encourage Christians to take a more active role in their discipleship.
How much it would cost to educate people who feel the call to rostered lay ministry was not addressed, but affects not just those who want to fulfill their call, it also affects the church if it looses the wisdom and talents of those who want to serve. There is a valid concern that minorities would be left out due to financial constraints and limitations due to location of seminaries. This concern is legitimate since there are limited scholarships for those who are not planning to be ordained, however the requirements are easier to fulfill than those of a pastor since you do not need to get all of your schooling from a seminary. This issue is one that should become less of a problem as the need for diaconal ministers increases and with it, the recognition of the necessity to fund those who wish to pursue rostered lay ministry.
The new lay ministries have the capability to both undermine and uphold the doctrine of the Universal Priesthood of all Believers but in the end, they have a much greater potential to help expand the church’s ministry and with it, its message of salvation and grace. There is a need for the rostered lay ministries to let the laity (and the pastors, too!) know what they do before they can be seen as equal partners in the church, necessary to its growth and vital for its continued existence. Sister Carol Burk points out in her essay that it is necessary to clarify the need for rostered lay ministry to those who do not understand the need for a paid lay staff. Those who serve in the capacity of lay ministries see themselves as serving in particular areas of the church’s ministries.
As someone who aspires to become a diaconal minister, possibly within the Deaconess Community, I find myself in the middle of a controversy about roles. What is my role as a diaconal minister versus the role of my pastor and that of my congregation? To me it is very clear. My role is to help guide them in Word and Service, to move them from the pews to the world where they will put into practice the Universal Priesthood of all Believers. My sincere hope is that I, as a diaconal minister with the cooperation of pastors in churches, can help move people to take a more active role in the world around them as Christ’s priests in the world.
Endnotes:
Gerard Philips, The Role of the Laity in the Church, Trans. John R. Gilbert and James W. Moudry (Book Craftsmen Associates, Inc.: New York 1960) 5.
Martin Luther, “An Appeal to the Ruling Class of German Nationality as to the Amelioration of the State of Christendom,” Martin Luther: Selections from his Writings, ed. John Dillenberger (New York: Doubleday, 1962) 408.
Mark 16.16
Martin Luther, “The Pagan Servitude of the Church: A First Inquiry,” Reformation Writings of Martin Luther, Vol. 1. Trans. Bertram Lee Wolf. (London: Lutterworth Press, 1952) 256.
Martin Luther, “The Pagan Servitude of the Church: A First Inquiry,” Reformation Writings of Martin Luther, Vol. 1. Trans. Bertram Lee Wolf. (London: Lutterworth Press, 1952) 263.
Cyril Eastwood, The Priesthood of All Believers: An Examination of the Doctrine from the Reformation to the Present Day (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1962) 59.
Martin Luther, “The Pagan Servitude of the Church: A First Inquiry,” Reformation Writings of Martin Luther, Vol. 1. Trans. Bertram Lee Wolf. (London: Lutterworth Press, 1952) 259.
Cyril Eastwood, The Priesthood of All Believers: An Examination of the Doctrine from the Reformation to the Present Day (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1962) 59.
Karl H. Hertz, Everyman a Priest (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1960) 12.
W. Carl Ketcherside, The Royal Priesthood: A plea for the restoration of the priesthood of all believers in the family of God (St. Louis: Mission Messenger, 1956) 94.
Martin Luther, “The Small Catechism,” The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, eds. Robert Kolb and Timothy J. Weingert (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000) 357.
Kenneth Mason, Priesthood and Society (Norwich: The Canterbury Press, 1962) 129.
W. Carl Ketcherside, The Royal Priesthood: A plea for the restoration of the priesthood of all believers in the family of God (St. Louis: Mission Messenger, 1956) 95.
W. Carl Ketcherside, The Royal Priesthood: A plea for the restoration of the priesthood of all believers in the family of God (St. Louis: Mission Messenger, 1956) 99.
Matthew 25.40.
Carol L. Schickel, “Who We Are,” Lutheran Partners November/December 2000
Together for Ministry: Final Report and Recommendations Task Force on The Study of Ministry 1988-1993 (Division for Ministry, 1993) 11.
Jeannine E. Olson, Deacons and Deaconesses Through the Centuries (Concordia Publishing House: Saint Louis, 2005) 37.
Together for Ministry: Final Report and Recommendations Task Force on The Study of Ministry 1988-1993 (Division for Ministry, 1993) 22.
Carol L. Schickel, “Who We Are,” Lutheran Partners November/December 2000
Together for Ministry: Final Report and Recommendations Task Force on The Study of Ministry 1988-1993 (Division for Ministry, 1993) 24.
Carol L. Schickel, “Who We Are,” Lutheran Partners November/December 2000
Jeannine E. Olson, Deacons and Deaconesses Through the Centuries (Concordia Publishing House: Saint Louis, 2005) 306.
Carol L. Schickel, “Who We Are,” Lutheran Partners November/December 2000
Together for Ministry: Final Report and Recommendations Task Force on The Study of Ministry 1988-1993 (Division for Ministry, 1993) 30.
Together for Ministry: Final Report and Recommendations Task Force on The Study of Ministry 1988-1993 (Division for Ministry, 1993) 30.
Carol L. Schickel, “Who We Are,” Lutheran Partners November/December 2000