The Ministry and Ministries

Abstract

The Ministry and Ministries Dorothea Wendebourg Ut hanc fidem consequamur, institutum est ministerium docendi evangelium et porrigendi sacramenta. In the Lutheran church every debate about the church's ministry begins—implicitly or explicitly—with this passage from the Fifth Article of the Confessio Augustana. And rightly so: CA 5 states how the Christian church serves God's purpose of justification (CA 4), a task it fulfills in a specific, public way through the institution of its ordained ministry (CA 14). The task of the ministry is to proclaim the gospel by preaching and the administration of the sacraments, in order that God—through the power of the Holy Spirit—bring about faith and keep and uphold his church (as CA 7 explains) throughout the ages. It is not, however, only the task of the church's ministry we see when we look at CA 5 and CA 14. There is another important aspect: The ministry is one. It is one because its task, the public proclamation of the gospel in its twofold manifestation, preaching and the administration of the sacraments, is one. The same is true of the act by which the ministry is bestowed on individuals: The task is one, therefore ordination is one. And finally, what the Augsburg Confession has to say about the task of the ordained ministry implies where this ministry has its primary place: It is the congregation gathered around one pulpit, one font and one table. In other words: The primary form of the ordained ministry is the ministry in the local congregation. When we look at Lutheran churches today, to be sure, it is obvious that what we see goes beyond this. In fact, we see a variety of forms of the ordained ministry. In addition to local parish pastors we find superintendents, deans, prelates, bishops, presidents, and so [End Page 440] forth. Therefore the notion of the one ministry does not immediately appear plausible, and we need to reflect theologically on the actual diversity of ministries and its relation to the concept of the one ministry. Of course, the problem is not new. From the Early Church through the Middle Ages and especially at the time of the Reformation, the question of the relationship between presbyterus and episcopus has been the subject of debate. Some results of such debates have found their way into the Lutheran confessional documents. Lately they have become a central issue in ecumenical discussions, leading yet again to increased theological reflection among Lutherans. Further, ecumenical debate has recently brought up another aspect of the problem, although of a more recent standing as far as the Lutheran churches are concerned: According to some, there is a third, equally valid form of the ordained ministry, in addition of pastor and bishop, the diaconate.1 This is the notion of the so-called "threefold ministry" of deacon, priest, and bishop that is held by the Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox churches, though not in identical ways.2 This is not the place to discuss the topic of the diaconate in extenso.3 But it cannot be ignored either. If it is indeed a valid form of the ordained ministry, it must be included here, however briefly; if, on the other hand, I claim that it is not, I owe the reader some explanation. And this is, indeed, the case. To regard the diaconate as a form of the ordained ministry is not only theologically implausible; it is actually counterproductive. The task of the diaconate is the work of charity, organized by and performed in the name of the church,4 not the public proclamation of the gospel through preaching and the administration of the sacraments. The diaconate has its own, specific task, quite independent of, and different from, that of the ordained ministry.5 This is not to say that the work of a deacon is not in and by itself a way of proclaiming the gospel. Indeed it is, but it is so in the same way that all works of Christians—each in his own place—bear witness to and proclaim their faith. Proclamation of the gospel with a view to provoking faith is not the purpose and specific...