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They bring good news (page 14)

Living Lutheran, March 2020

They bring good news Understanding the ELCA’s rostered ministers

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By Robert C. Blezard

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Living Lutheran is the magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

The ELCA’s evolving effort to serve God’s people has given us two tracks

for people set apart—ordained—for lifelong service to God’s people:

pastors, who are ministers of “Word and Sacrament,” and deacons, who

are ministers of “Word and Service.” Together they work through the

church to help people deepen their connection to God.

Exercise 1: Called and ordainedLutherans believe that all Christians, by virtue of our baptism, are called to love and serve God and neighbor. In whatever job and situation we find ourselves, our faith compels us to find ways to express our faith in love and service to neighbor and the world.

But following the pattern in Scripture for appointing priests, pastors, apostles, deacons and other roles to serve God’s ministries, Lutherans also believe that for good order the church may identify, train and set apart some people for specific leadership and servant roles in the church. In the ELCA, ministers of Word and Service and ministers of Word and Sacrament are two such offices of people said to be “called and ordained” as pastors and deacons.

Pastors and deacons are both entered into their office through the rite of ordination. In the ELCA, ordination comes only after a lengthy process called candidacy, through which the minister undergoes rigorous training (typically including seminary education), examination and preparation for ministry. Ordination signifies that the minister has not merely completed the education and training requirements for a pastor or deacon, but rather that the vocation is a calling from God. In ordination, the church recognizes that the pastor or deacon has been called by God to fulfill a role in the church.

Discuss:

• In what ways are all Christians, by virtue of our baptism, called to serve God and neighbor? How do you serve?

• Many non-ordained people serve the church. List the non-ordained staff and volunteers who are essential to the congregation’s mission.

• If a person has not been called and ordained, does that make them less valuable to the church or their service less important? Explain.

• What is your understanding of calling? Of ordination?

• Is everyone who works in a valuable area of ministry necessarily called? Why or why not? Should they be? Explain.

• What are the roles and responsibilities of deacons and pastors in the church? How are they different from the roles and responsibilities of church workers who aren’t ordained?

• What are the personal, moral, vocational and spiritual expectations of deacons and pastors, just by virtue of their being ordained? How do they differ from those of people who serve the church in a non-ordained capacity?

• Why is it necessary for the good ordering of the church and fulfillment of God’s mission that some leaders are called and ordained?

• How do both ordained and non-ordained Christians work together to accomplish God’s mission in the world?

Exercise 2: DeaconsThe 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly voted to unify what had been three rosters of lay ministers—associates in ministry, deaconesses and diaconal ministers—into a single category of roster of Ministers of Word and Service. Its members are called deacons, a term that comes from the Greek word diákonos, which means “servant.”

The ELCA is not alone in recognizing an office of deacon, separate from pastors or priests, to include people trained and set apart to serve in accomplishing the mission of the church. Though their training and duties vary, deacons are found in Anglican, Episcopalian, Roman Catholic and Methodist and other traditions.

Discuss:

• What has been your and your congregation’s experience with and understanding of the three earlier rosters for lay leaders: associates in ministry, deaconesses and diaconal ministers? Can you share experiences or stories?

• Was it easy or difficult to distinguish among associates in ministry, deaconesses or diaconal ministers? Explain.

• Is it easier to understand and explain a single roster of Ministers of Word and Service, as deacons? Why, or why not?

• How might you or your congregation help others understand the history and theology of the ministry of word and service, and the potential and opportunities for deacons to serve in your community?

• Make a list of the jobs, roles or responsibilities in your congregation that a deacon might be perfect to fill. How might a deacon fill them? Present the list to your pastor or congregation council for consideration.

Exercise 3: “The Word of God”Pastors and deacons are both “ministers of word.” What does that mean? Many Christians use the terms “word” and “word of God” as mere synonyms for the Bible, as in, “With my 45 minutes of daily Scripture reading, I’m really getting into ‘the word of God’ these days.” But for Lutherans, these terms have much

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deeper theological meaning. Understanding this is key to appreciating what it means to be an ordained minister of Word and Sacrament (pastors) or minister of Word and Service (deacon).

Echoing John 1:1-5, the Lutheran understandings of “Word” and “Word of God” are expressed succinctly in the ELCA constitution (2.02.):

“a. Jesus Christ is the Word of God incarnate, through whom everything was made and through whose life, death, and resurrection God fashions a new creation.

“b. The proclamation of God’s message to us as both Law and Gospel is the Word of God, revealing judgment and mercy through word and deed, beginning with the Word in creation, continuing in the history of Israel, and centering in all its fullness in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

“c. The canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the written Word of God. Inspired by God’s Spirit speaking through their authors, they record and announce God’s revelation centering in Jesus Christ. Through them God’s Spirit speaks to us to create and sustain Christian faith and fellowship for service in the world.”

Discuss:

• What has (or had) been your understanding of the terms “the Word” and “the Word of God”?

• What’s new for you in the ELCA’s summary of “the Word of God”? What did you learn?

• How does it challenge your understanding of “the Word”?

• How does it broaden your understanding?

• How does this explanation bring depth and clarity to John 1:1-5, which the Gospel writer opens with, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”?

• What mission priorities are implied or inherent in the ELCA’s understanding of “the Word of God”?

• Given the ELCA’s understanding, what does it mean to be a “minister of the word”?

Exercise 4: Minister of sacramentThe sacraments occupy a central part in our Lutheran understanding of “Word of God.” Through sacraments, the “Word of God” touches God’s people in a tangible way. Though other Christian denominations, such as the Roman Catholic Church, include a number of rituals as sacraments, in the ELCA we have only two: baptism and communion. As every ELCA Lutheran confirmation student is taught, we believe sacraments are those rituals that embody both the promise of God’s grace and an outward and visible sign. Thus, water for baptism and bread

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and wine for communion are the concrete elements that signify God’s promise of grace and love.

The Augsburg Confession, completed in 1530, was the first comprehensive expression of Lutheran belief, and it is still widely understood as our most authoritative. Article XIII says God instituted sacraments as “signs and testimonies of God’s will toward us, intended to arouse and strengthen faith in those who use them. Accordingly, sacraments are to be used so that faith, which believes the promises offered and displayed through the sacraments, may increase.”

Discuss:

• What role have sacraments occupied in your life of faith?

• Have the sacraments of baptism and eucharist aroused and strengthened your faith? Explain.

• What did you learn from this explanation of the Lutheran understanding of the sacraments?

• How did it challenge or enlarge your understanding of the sacraments?

• How do the ministry of sacrament and ministry of the word, explored above, work together in the life of the church and God’s faithful people?

• How would you describe the chief objectives and role of pastor as minister of “Word and Sacrament”?

Exercise 5: Minister of serviceDeacons are called to ministry of Word and Service. And, of course, the term “deacon” is from the Greek, diákonos, meaning “servant.”Here is how the ELCA Constitution describes the ministry (7.51.):

“This church calls and receives onto the roster qualified persons to provide a ministry of Word and Service, exemplifying the life of Christ-like service to all persons and creation: nurturing, healing, leading, advocating dignity and justice, and equipping the whole people of God for their life of witness and service within and beyond the congregation for the sake of God’s mission in the world.

Fulfilling this calling to Word and Service, deacons serve in a variety of roles—in congregations and other ministry settings as musicians, worship leaders, Christian educators, administrators, spiritual directors, counselors, advocates, chaplains, youth leaders, lawyers, medical caregivers, to name but a few.”

Discuss:

• Deacons are ministers of the word. Given the discussion above, what does that mean? How does being a minister of word undergird and empower the role of deacons?

• Pastors are also ministers of the word. In this way, what do pastors and deacons have in common?

• In what way is a deacon’s role much more broad than that of a pastor?

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• Looking at the constitutional description, how does the breadth of a deacon’s ministry open possibilities for service and employment that might not be suitable for a pastor?

• In what ways is a deacon’s role more limiting than that of a pastor?

• In what ways do deacons and pastors complement one another in serving God’s people and fulfilling the mission of the church?

Exercise 6: Ministers to the worldIn the article, Michael Cooper-White observes: “If one were to think of the institutional church as God’s state department, pastors would be those who serve in the home office. Deacons would be the church’s ambassadors, scattered throughout the world.”

In fact, the ELCA Constitution speaks to the breadth of ministry for deacons (7.61.02.):

“Consistent with the faith and practice of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, every minister of Word and Service shall:

• “Be rooted in the Word of God, for proclamation and service.

• “Advocate a prophetic diakonia that commits itself to risk-taking and innovative service on the frontiers of the Church’s outreach, giving particular attention to the suffering places in God’s world.

• “Speak publicly to the world in solidarity with the poor and oppressed, calling for justice and proclaiming God’s love for the world, witnessing to the realm of God in the community, the nation, and abroad.

• “Equip the baptized for ministry in God’s world that affirms the gifts of all people.

• “Encourage mutual relationships that invite participation and accompaniment of others in God’s mission.

• “Practice stewardship that respects God’s gift of time, talents, and resources.

• “Be grounded in a gathered community for ongoing diaconal formation.

• “Share knowledge of this church and its wider ministry of the gospel, and advocate for the work of all expressions of this church.

• “Identify and encourage qualified persons to prepare for ministry of the gospel.”

Discuss:

• Do you agree with the analogy of deacons being “the church’s ambassadors”? Why or why not? In what sense does it fit? How might it not fit?

• The word “deacon” means simply “servant.” How does this imply flexibility? Are there any honest occupations or situations where a deacon could not faithfully serve?

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Rob Blezard is an assistant to the bishop in the Lower Susquehanna Synod. He holds degrees from Boston University School of Theology and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (Pa).

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• Looking at the constitutional description of a deacon’s role, make two lists of possible occupations for deacons—ministries that would be centered in a congregation and ministries that would not be located in a congregation.

• Jesus calls us to be light to the world and salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13, 14). How are deacons uniquely suited to serve as salt and light?

Exercise 7: Clarity and visibilityAs expressed in the article, many deacons are concerned and frustrated that, although they have served in the ELCA since our beginning, their ministry and place in the church is not better known and is often misunderstood even by church leaders.

• What does ministry of Word and Service mean to you? Has the Living Lutheran article been instructive in helping you understand the role of deacon in the church? What did you learn?

• Why is there a lack of information, or even confusion, in our church about the role, place and occupation of deacons?

• How might the former lay rosters—associates in ministry, deaconesses and diaconal ministers—have contributed to confusion over ministry of Word and Service? How might their unification into one lay roster assist in helping to foster a clearer understanding?

• How can congregations help our church members more fully appreciate the place and potential of deacons in our church?

14 MARCH 2020

Over the past half-century, the meanings of “ministry” and “minister” have changed dramatically for many Lutherans. “Minister” used to refer exclusively to an ordained man, also called “reverend,” “pastor” or “preacher,” and the ministry belonged only to those who wore clerical collars and stood in pulpits on Sunday mornings.

Today we have much broader and richer understandings.

For example, in 1970 two ELCA predecessors, the American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church in America, began ordaining women. This year, as the ELCA celebrates the 50th anniversary of that great leap forward, more than one-third of its pastors, including bishops, are female. Women make up more than half of some graduating seminary classes.

Alongside that historic development, a quiet but growing movement sought to affirm and undergird the ministry of the laity, or all the baptized.

In 1976, William Diehl, a Bethlehem Steel executive, published a pathbreaking book titled Christianity and Real Life (Fortress Press, 1976). That book, and a later one by Diehl, Thank God, It’s Monday! (Fortress Press, 1982), helped many rediscover the richness of Martin Luther’s teachings on Christian vocation.

The great reformer insisted that every Christian engages in a lifelong ministry of serving Christ in the neighbor. Lutherans believe that all are ministers who participate in “the priesthood of all believers.”

While Luther even claimed that every Christian is ordained by baptism, he recognized that lively spreading of the good news is served well by setting apart a cadre with special preparation and particular duties for equipping the whole people of God for their ministries.

Set apart for public ministryThe ELCA has two groups of ordained leaders, known as rostered ministers: ministers of word and sacrament, and ministers of word and service. There are around 16,000 ministers of word and

sacrament, who are commonly called pastors, and approximately 1,200 ministers of word and service, referred to as deacons.

While the calls and responsibilities of pastors and deacons are complementary, the roles of each are distinct.

Ministers of word and sacrament are responsible for tasks and duties spelled out in some detail in the ELCA’s constitution. All pastors are to preach the gospel, administer sacraments, conduct worship, provide pastoral care, encourage others to consider rostered ministry and “speak publicly to the world in solidarity with the poor and oppressed” (“Constitution, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,” 7.31.02.).

The responsibilities of deacons and pastors overlap, and both are public “ministers of word” who proclaim the gospel. Deacons also specifically “advocate a prophetic diakonia that commits itself to risk-taking and innovative service on the frontiers of the church’s outreach, giving particular attention to the suffering places in God’s world” (“Constitution, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions,” 7.61.02.).

In 1995, the ELCA created the new lay category “diaconal ministers” while retaining its rosters for deaconesses and associates in ministry. But a few years ago, the church launched a round of discussions about rostered leadership that culminated in the 2016 Churchwide Assembly decision to combine the lay rosters into the current roster of Ministers of Word and Service and to establish the title of deacon. A 2019 Churchwide Assembly vote determined that the entrance rite for deacons will be ordination.

Margaret Schmitt Ajer has served the ELCA under three different titles, and her winding pathway reflects the church’s journey of determining how best to organize its rostered ministers.

Originally an associate in ministry, Ajer discerned a call to lay diaconal service and became the first consecrated diaconal minister. She now goes by “Deacon Ajer” and belongs to the roster of Ministers

They bring good newsUnderstanding the ELCA’s rostered ministersBy Michael Cooper-White

MISSION & MINISTRY • LIVINGLUTHERAN.ORG 15

of Word and Service. She has served as a regional coordinator in the Western U.S. and a bishop’s assistant in the Metropolitan New York Synod.

Regardless of title, Ajer said, “my call has always been the same—to focus on the intersection of church and world, to bring the needs of the world into the attention of the church and to proclaim the good news of Jesus to the weary world.”

Though the ministry of the diaconate has been part of the ELCA since its beginning, the recent changes to the roster of Ministers of Word and Service drew attention to the fact that people across the church still misunderstand the role of deacons.

Nancy Gable of Gettysburg, Pa., felt drawn to diaconal ministry by a deep sense of calling that didn’t fit neatly into many people’s notions of public ministry.

Challenged over the years as to why she’s not a pastor, Gable said, “It’s a different sense of where the word lives within us and how it’s called out of us.”

While she respects those called to pastoral ministry, “my personal driving passion doesn’t line up with presiding at the table or pulpit preaching,” she added.

Helping people understand her calling has been a challenge, Gable said, adding, “It was especially frustrating when some of our bishops didn’t understand what we are about and many in our church just weren’t accustomed to persons serving in ministry who aren’t pastors.”

Guy Erwin, bishop of the Southwest California Synod, concurred with Gable’s assessment and sees an ongoing challenge “to define, in a way people can

There are certain items worn by pastors and deacons that can be helpful in distinguishing their roles. Both deacons and pastors wear stoles, which are a vestment—a piece of distinctive clothing worn by those who lead worship. Stoles are worn in the color of the day according to the liturgical calendar.

PASTOR DEACON

A deacon’s stole is usually worn diagonally from the left shoulder across the alb and emphasizes the importance of connecting worship and service.

The clerical collar is a common symbol worn by pastors that identi�es their role and pastoral ministry in the world.

The stole worn by pastors is draped around the neck and hangs straight down from each shoulder.

A uni�ed cross design to be worn as a pin for ELCA deacons is being developed. It will be worn outside of worship as a symbol to identify a deacon as a presence of the servant of Christ in the world.

Kate Lawler-Wunsch, a deacon who works as director of the Violence Prevention Program at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, said her ministry philosophy is about crossing barriers that stand between the church and its work in the world.

Photo: Courtesy of Swedish Covenant H

ospital

16 MARCH 2020

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understand, the differences between pastors, deacons and active laypersons.

“The frontier for us is discovering the engagement of ministers of word and service outside of congregations. It will take some real education.”

God’s work in the worldIf one were to think of the institutional church as God’s state department, pastors would be those who serve in the home office. Deacons would be the church’s ambassadors, scattered throughout the world.

Pastors may do most of their preaching from a pulpit, whereas deacons more frequently proclaim the gospel by their lives and actions in social ministry organizations, in public policy advocacy centers or in synodical or churchwide positions that bring the word into worldly arenas.

Dave Larrabee and Deb Haynes are ELCA deacons who serve in an ecumenical ministry at the Lamb Center in Fairfax, Va., which extends aid and compassion to the poor and homeless.

After three decades of military and government service, Larrabee felt that God was calling him in new directions. He met Haynes, who had just enrolled in seminary and was aiming toward diaconal service. “As soon as she described it, I knew God was calling me too,” Larrabee said.

He was consecrated on his 61st birthday at the same worship service where Haynes entered the diaconal roster.

Larrabee said becoming a deacon has strengthened his ministry at the Lamb Center. “It helps me a lot with the spiritual part of our ministry,” he said. “While I teach the Bible without saying I’m a Lutheran, I can share our theology. There are a lot of messages out there, and they’re not all about grace.”

As a deacon, Kate Lawler-Wunsch spearheads an innovative ministry for Chicago’s North Shore hospital system. She leads a team that equips the hospital for outreach to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. The project recently received a $1 million federal grant to expand its efforts.

Lawler-Wunsch’s ministry embodies a phrase she underlined in her consecration service bulletin, stating that deacons are to “cross every barrier that stands between the church and its ministry in the world.”

Just as athletes are added to a team roster after demonstrating their ability to fill needed positions, ELCA rostered ministers meet demanding criteria and then receive calls to specific ministries.

Ministers on both rosters are steeped in studies of Scripture, theology, church history, and Lutheran confessional and ecumenical understandings.

In addition to studies in theology, diaconal candidates may hold degrees in social work,

psychology or counseling to equip themselves as chaplains in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice ministries or educational institutions. Others will gain skills in community organizing and advocacy to engage in ministries at the intersection of church and society.

Some deacons will bring to one of the church’s expressions their expertise in education, administration, legal matters or other specializations. For example, the ELCA elected a deacon as its secretary for the first time when Sue Rothmeyer was chosen for the position at the 2019 Churchwide Assembly.

John Largen, a dean of the chapel at United Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg, Pa., has contributed to the spiritual formation of seminarians for decades. He said he celebrates how the church has embraced broader understandings of ministry since his ordination four decades ago. He hopes more calls will be open to deacons who “bring a sense of urgency or holy impatience” for service.

Largen said the ELCA’s ministry clearly has broader outreach as deacons lead the church out into society. “They help parishes to know better the needs in a community and how to get our hands dirty helping,” he said.

Ministry togetherIn services of ordination and installation, laypeople and rostered ministers promise to work together and support one another. Some congregations experience the unique partnership in which a deacon and pastor are paired in ministry.

This is the case at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Lititz, Pa., where Rob and Emily Myallis, a pastor and deacon respectively, both serve. They interned together at a California congregation and then served in separate settings in their first calls. Now they are again paired in a congregation that welcomes the gifts of both.

Like other deacons, Emily has encountered some confusion about her calling, but rather than try to explain in words, she “[shows] people what a deacon is and does.”

Her stance has always echoed the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Here I am; send me!” (Isaiah 6:8). “I say, ‘Here I am; where can I be sent?’ she said. While her primary focus now is with St. Paul’s children’s ministry and early childhood center, she has also developed outreach efforts that expand the congregation’s service among those experiencing poverty in its community.

Rob shares Largen’s assessment of how a deacon can broaden a congregation’s understanding of its mission: “Again and again, as a minister of the word, Emily helps connect us to the larger world.”

Photo: Courtesy of Swedish Covenant H

ospital

18 MARCH 2020

Dave Larrabee (left), who said his ministry at the Lamb Center has been strengthened since becoming a deacon, gathers guests, volunteers and staff in a prayer circle. He said he appreciates being able to share Lutheran theology with the Lamb Center guests he meets.

LIVINGLUTHERAN.ORG 19

Michael Cooper-White, president emeritus of Gettysburg (now United Lutheran) Seminary, is director for Lutheran formation at Union Theological Seminary, New York City, serves as

president of the Gettysburg Group consulting collective and writes for the Gettysburg Times.

Download a study guide at livinglutheran.org by clicking on the “Spiritual practices & resources” tab.

In 2020, the ELCA has much to offer and to celebrate, including the blessings received since its predecessor churches decided to ordain women 50 years ago and the gifts of diaconal ministry it has embraced for the past quarter century. And opening rostered service to others who had previously been shut out—women of color and the LGBTQ community in particular—has further expanded the church’s vision of ministry.

Amid societal turmoil and tensions, the way people live out complementary callings within the

priesthood of all believers has much to offer by way of example. A congregation or other community in which all the baptized—the laity and the rostered or nonrostered public ministers—work together in harmony offers powerful public witness.

While the situation varies by location and setting, in many places the ELCA has a desperate need for more rostered ministers (see “A call to ministry” below). The message Paul delivered in his epistle to the Romans couldn’t be more urgent: “And how are [people] to hear [the Lord’s name] without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Romans 10:14-15).

“They help parishes to know better the needs in a community and how to get our hands dirty helping.”

A call to ministryThe Leadership Initiative encourages everyone to seek out and inspire gifted people to consider a call to ministry. For more information, go to elca.org/leaders.

Credit: Courtesy of the Lamb Center

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