Because Sara asked...

Ok, listen up now. A vicar is kind of like a "pastor in training".

To be a pastor in the Lutheran church you have to meet the following criteria:

1. You have to be called by the Spirit to the pastoral ministry.
2. You have to be a man**. Yes, really. And you have to be the kind of man that is described in Titus chapter one.
3. You have to subscribe to the Lutheran Confessions unconditionally (quia).
4. You have to be properly trained. For most pastors, this means earning a Masters of Divinity degree from a recognized Lutheran seminary.

There might be more qualifications - these are the ones I'm aware of. Anyway, during seminary, students attend classes and then do "field work" at a local congregation. They will spend most of their time studying though. Then, during the third year of seminary, each seminarian is placed with a congregation for a year of "vicarage". During this year, they do "on-the-job training" and work under the direct supervision of an experienced pastor. They often have to relocate for that year only to have to move back the following year to finish their last year of seminary. Once they receive their M. Div. they may be ordained and receive their first call.

Not all congregations are in a position to take on a vicar. It requires a tremendous commitment on the part of the congregation. The vicar is paid a full salary for the year he is vicaring, so there is a financial component. But there is a - I don't know exactly how to describe it - a spiritual maturity component as well. Not all congregations would make for a good vicarage experience. The congregation needs to be spiritually healthy and mature enough to teach the vicar along the way. As well, the pastor needs to be experienced and a good teacher/trainer/mentor.

We are blessed to have such a pastor at our church. (Truth be told, being placed at Redeemer, Waterloo for vicarage is considered a bit of a "plum" assignment among the seminarians!) Our congregation requests a vicar from the seminary every year - this congregation is VERY committed to training men for the pastoral ministry. Over the years, money was set aside to purchase the house next door to the church as the vicarage residence. We LOVE our vicars and it is a blessing to be a part of their training.

Our current vicar, Galen Purpura, will be with us until August and then he will return to St. Catherines for his final year of seminary. Then our new vicar will come. We don't know who it is yet - we will actually find out tomorrow at the Call Service. (A service where candidates are given their first pastoral calls or vicarage assignments.) The service will be in St. Catharines and my husband and I will be attending. We are very excited to find out who our new vicar will be!

**I know this raises a lot of eyebrows. All I can say is that it is our sincere belief that that is what Scripture teaches. Obviously, not everyone - including other Lutheran bodies - have that understanding. But I assure you, it's not an attempt to perpetuate misongyny.