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steido01
Guest
As Evangel noted, confirmations are presided over by the pastor.Who does the confirmations in the LCMS and other Lutheran churches that have no bishops?
I’m simplifying here for the benefit of our Orthodox and Roman friends, so please don’t interpret these words to be particularly precise…
For Lutherans, the pastor of a congregation essentially is the local bishop.
This is because Lutherans tend to practice a presbyter-style ordination. In essence, Lutherans don’t perceive a difference to exist between a priest and a bishop when it comes to the administration of Word and Sacrament - both are simply pastors (only the scope of their call differs - one as a pastor to a congregation, and the other a pastor to fellow pastors). The necessary hierarchy that exists within the church is simply a useful, well-intentioned, man-made construct (church structure is adiaphora to Lutherans). Even among those Lutherans that have either always maintained or are now ‘reintroducing’ Apostolic Succession, it is understood to be only a reinforcement of the Apostolic Teaching already professed, confirmed, and promised in a Lutheran ordination.