The word “ministry” can mean many things. Some meanings are obviously not related to the church, such as non-American governments who use the term where we would use “bureau.”
There are different meanings also within the Christian church. There are “gateway” ministries where a need or a common interest is served, so that people eventually talk about God in those settings. Within a church’s structure one may find a “music minister,” a “youth minister,” or other “ministers” besides the pastor.
God put us on this planet to serve (minster) to other people in our vocations, yet there is one unique vocation where God serves us by giving and increasing our faith. Because we also call that vocation a ministry, there is confusion in what “ministers” are supposed to do. Some have tried to relieve this dilemma by speaking of a “broad” sense of ministry where everyone serves his neighbor and a “narrow” ministry of the office that Christ instituted. Unfortunately this requires some teaching, and not everyone gets taught to speak this way.
Lutherans usually speak of one specific ministry, defined in Article V of the Augsburg Confession:
That we may obtain this faith, the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. For through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Ghost is given, who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear the Gospel, to wit, that God, not for our own merits, but for Christ’s sake, justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake.
They condemn the Anabaptists and others who think that the Holy Ghost comes to men without the external Word, through their own preparations and works.
Article XIV goes on to say that “Teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments” is to be performed by people exercising authority in a particular office:
Of Ecclesiastical Order they teach that no one should publicly teach in the Church or administer the Sacraments unless he be regularly called.
As various initiatives invade Lutheranism and accuse its churches of not performing ministry, Article XIV is consistently overlooked or disregarded. It’s as if the article says that only preachers can tell people about Jesus. This sounds like a paper tiger, but in talking to some people I gather that this is what they think.
Suppose someone wanted to be a physics teacher. He doesn’t just walk into the classroom. He submits his resume to the principal or board for evaluation. Even if he were to offer to work for free, their reputation for teaching good physics is at stake, so they check out his degree and interviews him to see if he can teach. The principal protects the “office” of the physics teacher.
Could I teach high school physics? Probably, but I am not in the “office” of the physics teacher. It would be reasonable for me to look at someone’s homework and offer suggestions, but you would have no business asking me to teach you an entire high school physics course. No accredited school would take your credit from my course.
It’s good that people should know physics, but it’s not practical for everyone to be a physics teacher.
Enter the “everyone’s a minister” concept. I may be able to “make a defense to anyone who asks me for a reason for the hope that is in me,” God willing, but it is not practical for me to give due diligence to the Word that one expects someone who is in the office of “minister” or “pastor.” Christ has lent his Office of the Keys to the pastors he calls through the Church so that they may specialize in Bible study and preaching.
Does physics change depending on who teaches it? No. Does the Word or even the Sacraments change depending on who uses them? Really, no. I’m not a firm believer in apostolic succession.
An “office” may be likened to the index of a reference book. One uses an index to find the page where the desired subject matter begins. God has given us an index, or a public office, to find the gifts of Word and Sacrament. We should be thankful that we have the public ministry, which AC XIV protects.
One effect of using the same word to describe the work of the pastor and the ancillary work of others has been to facilitate lay people doing pastoral work. The chief work of the church is to preach the Word and distribute the sacraments. Whenever a person is called to be pastor, that person is set aside to do the work of the Church.
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Well said, Dan! I did follow up with some other comments on Josh’s blog.
I believe the Office of the Holy Ministry is under a continuous attack. With little or no instruction on the doctrine of vocation, many fall into the trap of wanting to do something for God. With this line of thought everything becomes a ministry, like opening a door.
Going slightly off topic, but is one reason for such confusion, I’m always amazed at the number of those who are called to publicly teach in the church turning over their duties and responsibilities to those who are not called. At a recent meeting, a pastor bragged that his elders do a much better job at preaching and visitations so he only writes the sermons and has the elders deliver them. As this was a public meeting, he is not doing this in secret.
Serving on a mission board led by laity has opened my eyes to what is going on in many a congregation.
Like the physics teacher analogy. Very helpful.
It could be extended by considering C.S. Lewis’ point about writing theology as a layperson: namely, that sometimes one schoolchild can explain a point to their fellow student more effectively than their teacher can, because they are on the same level and hence understand one another’s needs and difficulties better. That’s not to say the student can supplant the teacher, just that we need a combination of both.
And your point about the “index” underscores how the doctrine of the ministry is about gospel, not law. It’s not “you must listen to this man, and this man alone, to receive God’s promise”. Rather, it is: “here is someone whom you can be sure will give you God’s promise”.
[...] and the sharing of the gospel by individual Christians in a personal/social setting. Dan has a great post in which he illustrates this with the analogy of a school physics teacher: Could I teach high [...]