If an ELCA pastor decided to convert to the LCMS could he still be a Pastor in the new synod. I assume of course if it was a she the answer is no. But if it were a man would there be a process whereby he could remain a pastor or would he need to go to the LCMS seminary?
Thanks.
I would imagine that the process to bring a male ELCA pastor into the LC-MS would be lengthy because of issues about Scripture, homosexuality, and some other issues. As regard to the Lutheran Confessions:
The Relationship to the Confessions:
Another matter that is directly tied to the interpretation of Scripture has to do with the Lutheran Confessions.**The Lutheran Confessions are statements of faith drawn from God’s Word that were agreed upon as defining documents for Lutherans during the time of the Reformation.
Those documents are contained in the Book of Concord andinclude: *the three Ecumenical Creeds (the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed), the Unaltered Augsburg Confession, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles, the Large Catechism of Luther, the Small Catechism of Luther, and the Formula of Concord.
Every LCMS pastor takes an oath during his ordination called a “Qui” subscription to the Confessions.**That oath means they promise to uphold and follow the doctrines (teachings) as defined by the Confessions BECAUSE they are a correct explanation of Scripture.**Every ELCA pastor takes an oath at his or her ordination known as a “Quatenus” subscription to the Confessions.**That oath means they promise to uphold the doctrines espoused in the Confessions “IN SO FAR AS” they correctly reflect the Scriptures.
The Confessions are a sort of insurance policy for both congregations and pastors.**LCMS congregations can be certain that their pastor will not teach or preach doctrines contrary to those always held to be true by Lutheranism because he has promised to abide by the teachings of the Confessions.**If a pastor strays from the historic understanding of God’s Word taught in the Confessions, any lay person can go to the Confessions and say “This is the teaching you promised to uphold – not your own individual interpretation of God’s Word.”**If that pastor refuses to abide by his oath to follow the teachings of the Confessions he can and should be removed from office by his congregation. *Similarly, if a congregation insists its pastor should teach things contrary to the Scriptures, the pastor can go the Confessions and say, “This is the confession of faith you promised to follow.”
ELCA congregations have less of an assurance that their pastors will abide by the historic teaching of the Lutheran Church.**Because those pastors have promised to uphold the teachings of the Lutheran Confessions “IN SO FAR AS” they agree with Scripture, they can always claim that this or that part of the Confessions doesn’t agree with how they view the Scriptures.**The ELCA confessional subscription opens the door for individual pastors to stray from the faith historically taught by Lutheranism without consequences, because that pastor never promised to follow all the doctrines of the Confessions.**He or she only promised to follow the Confessions “IN SO FAR AS” they believe they correctly represent the Scripture.
The result of this difference in Confessional subscription (the oaths of the pastors) is that ELCA pastors have much more freedom to teach and preach doctrines that are different than those of historic Lutheranism.**LCMS pastors are bound to preach and teach*only those doctrines consistent with the historic Lutheran confessions.
