How Does a Pastor Get Called Into Ministry in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod?

How does a pastor get called into ministry in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod? First, the man must be prepared, found competent and fit for office. Second, the man must be selected by the church to serve in that location. Third, the man must be publically ordained and installed to serve the church. To this end our church body has instituted some guidelines to follow in order to help meet scriptures requirements.

First let us explore the formation, preparation and education of a pastor. Most would agree that a pastor must be adequately trained in order to perform the office of public ministry. He must have, “a thorough knowledge of the entire counsel of God as the theological framework with-in the Gospel is conveyed as Gospel” (The Divine Call p. 30). Discerning which passages in scripture convey the saving message of Christ is imperative. One must be a student of knowing the proper distinction between the law and the Gospel and be able to communicate it. A pastor has to know his audience in order to effectively preach to the people God has given him. The LCMS has provided various avenues for a candidate to receive the pastoral formation that he needs. One can list the prep school and seminary courses of study, internships and vicarages, books, articles and even podcasts that are at the student’s disposal. It is interesting to note that these formation experiences keep adjusting to fit the needs of the church through the years.

Just because a man has completed a course of study does not mean that he can do the job that will be placed before him. Our church body has a process of certification designed to help insure his success in the field. It includes interviews, examinations, internships and vicarages.  Additionally, the District President’s and local church’s evaluations are designed to judge his first article gifts and skills.

After a candidate has completed the formation, preparation, education and certification processes he is now ready for selection for and receiving a call. It is the individual congregation that does this. “God identifies and selects the individual through the congregation.” (The Divine Call p. 32) The congregation has many ways at their disposal to help them choose. They can (and should) consult their District President for a list of names of men from the field that might be ready to serve them. They should consult with their circuit counselor and ask for his help. If they choose to ask for a candidate from the population of men who have finished the formation process and have been newly certified then the District President will assist them in making the proper request. They may solicit from within their own congregation names of candidates that members might know who might be willing to serve. After the congregation has compiled a list of possible candidates from all avenues open to them they should submit these names to the District President for review. This is not done so that he can exert control over them but so that he may protect them from someone who may not be ready to serve on the basis of physical, emotional of spiritual health.  Next the president’s office gathers a report on each candidate which includes his Personal Information File, a Self Evaluation Tool and comments from the man’s current supervisor. This report aids the congregation in making their selection.

Finally the congregation meets to decide who to call into the office of public ministry at their church. The previous sentence makes the deciding process seem easy but it can be very intense as the members of the congregation conduct interviews, review the reports, pray about and discuss what God’s will is for them as they look for their pastor. Many congregations assign a smaller more manageable call committee to do this work but the final decision is left up to all the members of the church.  A call is then issued after they have decided. Included with the call are specifics about the city, salary, housing arrangements, and specific special duties which the congregation might be looking for in addition to the call to do Word and sacrament ministry (such as youth work, building project, administrative tasks, etc.). The candidate takes an amount of time to prayerfully consider God’s will for him, his current congregation (if he is from the field) and the calling congregation. During this time the candidate from the field has, in essence, two calls to do Word and Sacrament ministry, He must seek God regarding which one to accept. The candidate asks for others to pray for him and consult with him in an effort to help him discern God’s will. After an appropriate amount of time the candidate makes a decision to accept or decline the call.

If the candidate accepts the call he then moves to the location of the church and is Ordained (if he has not already been ordained) and installed to perform word and sacrament ministry at that church. This is done in a public worship service where other clergy from the surrounding area, as well as a district official attends and performs the apostolic tradition of the laying on of h