Certification and Call Service, 2008

Lutherans believe that God has established the office of the public ministry (ie. the pastoral office, referred to in Scripture as "shepherd", "overseer" or "elder") for the purpose of proclaiming the Gospel and administering the sacraments in accordance with the Gospel. For Lutherans there is but ONE ministry and that is the public ministry - the ministry of Word and Sacrament, carried out through a called and ordained servant. There are other kinds of service to be sure, but the pastoral office is unique.

Lutherans refer to the entry into the public ministry as the Divine Call. Not just anyone can be called to the pastoral office. An individual may feel he has an "inner call" to ministry, but to be called to the public ministry, that "call" should be confirmed by the church (as in Acts). Lutherans adhere to the qualifications for pastors that are set forth in the letters to Timothy and Titus. As well, for the sake of order and the preservation of correct teaching, Lutherans require their pastors to be prepared for ministry with specialized knowledge of the Bible and theology. Specialized training most often occurs through a Lutheran seminary, although some provisions are made for alternate training and education in extraordinary circumstances.

When a candidate for ministry has completed his seminary education, he is eligible to be called by a congregation to serve as their pastor. Usually a congregation in need of a pastor will directly call a pastor from the list of rostered (ie. eligible) pastors, but in the case of first time candidates the Council of Presidents "call" on behalf of the congregations and work with the seminary to place a suitable candidate with a congregation. It is NOT a process of applying and interviewing for a "position", but neither is it a bureacratic assignment process either. The process of placing candidate in their first congregaton can take months, and is done with much prayer and reliance on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

This Saturday at Grace Lutheran Church, St. Catharines, our dear friend (and former vicar) Galen Purpura will receive his first call. We will be travelling to St. Catherines to be there for the service. I am tremendously excited about it, but at the same time very humbled to be able to witness the Lord of the Church calling and placing His servant. It is a truly awesome thing.

We will also learn this weekend who our new vicar will be! We don't know if he is coming from the St. Catharines seminary or the Edmonton seminary. If he is coming from St. Catharines we will meet him on Saturday. We have plans to drive down and attend the service with our current vicar and his wife, Scott and Linnea Lyons. I think it would be so cool if we could meet our new vicar and have past, present and future vicars all together!