In the early 1960's the ecumenical vanguard was the Consultation on Christian Union (COCU). It involved Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and Congregationalists in an effort to bring together their diverse and mutually exclusive understandings of ministry and church polity. American Lutherans were not involved, but we are evolving slowly but surely toward restoration of the three-fold office of ministry (bishop, pastor, and deacon). I think this is good thing and, judging from wide spread acceptance, most all concerned believe so too. It is not that someone with a sinister ecumenical scheme is plotting against us to change the sacrosanct. It is not that having deacons and bishops in addition to pastors is necessary, or that we must “add” these two offices so that we can fix something that is lacking in our essence. It just seems to be happening so that we may better serve as God’s people in the Church.

Keeping Ordination

 Most can agree that the single pastoral office has worked well through the centuries. The pastoral office is something that Lutherans have always depended upon as we face change and decay. If we seriously consider the ordination of deacons and bishops sometime in the future, it will not be to detract from the respect in which we hold pastors. God knows there is precious little that Lutherans ever agree about. It does seem that mostly we like having pastors, especially when they are good; when they are not so good we still keep the office. While so much has gone awry since 1530 the pastoral office is one of those features, like the Small Catechism or our corporate worship, that has provided an enduring and stabilizing component and prevented total collapse of the Church of the Augsburg Confession.

 The strength of the pastoral office is from God and his goodness proven in Christ’s victory. That power is authenticated by the Holy Spirit in the assembly with prayer and the laying on of hands. We call this form or rite “ordination.” Lutherans retain ordination and grant that it may be numbered as a sacrament since “the ministry of the Word has the command of God and has magnificent promises like Romans 1:”[16] and Isaiah 55: [11] (Apology XIII, 7-13).

 There is more. Our founders and their confessions were not opposed to having bishops. We were more than willing to perpetuate the mediaeval form but were prevented by the “cruelty of the bishops” who denied ordination for our pastors (Apology XIV, 1-5).

 Luther was forced to have pastors ordain new pastors because the bishops refused to ordain anyone who accepted the Augsburg Confession. The image of a defiant Luther resolving to establish a new church is simply not accurate. It was rather that we were forced to go our own way in Germany and nearby areas where Roman bishops would not cooperate. In other parts of the world, like Scandinavia and the Baltics, bishops simply joined the Reformation and continued employing the old forms. Here in America we were dominated by German-Americans and therefore adopted the single office of pastor succeeding pastor. Nonetheless, we agree with AC XXVIII that an evangelical episcopacy would be our preferred polity.

 It is important to remember what ordination is not. Arthur Carl Piepkorn in explaining our understanding and practice to Roman Catholics says it well, “The sacred ministry is a form of service (ministerium: diakonia), not a source of privilege, prestige, and power.”  (L/RC IV, p. 104). There was a time when pastors and bishops were yoked closely to the monarchs of Europe. That time is long gone! We have removed those monarchs here in America so there is no reason to fear that a pastor or even a bishop can bring them back. The monarchs are locked safely away in fantasy land to be brought out only for fairy tales. It is safe now to bring back bishops.

The Return of Bishops 

The root meaning of “bishop” in the New Testament is “over seer” (Greek, episkope). Over the past fifty years our district presidents (later to be called bishops in the ELCA) have been forced to accept more pastoral responsibility for congregations. We have found that it is useful and sometimes even necessary to have someone with a view broader than an individual congregation. Because of our very mobile society congregations and their neighborhoods have become less homogeneous ethnically and culturally. It has been helpful to bring broader experience and wider responsibility to bear so that they may adjust to changing circumstances. The only measure left would be to elect these bishops or presidents with the understanding that they will have tenure. They would remain in office until proper removal, resignation, or death. They would be ordained rather than simply installed. Essentially we would then treat our bishops or presidents just as we have always treated our pastors. Such bishops will strengthen pastors and congregations.

 Pastors are no longer hitched to kings and queens, but we have tied ourselves to an educated clergy. Bishops (presidents) are in the forefront helping the church to adapt to new situations. Now we have to adjust our academic requirements for those pastors who could serve well in small congregations but who cannot take out eight years for college and seminary. Ordination is not the completion of a four year academic curriculum. It is the affirmation of God’s call by the church. Likewise, in the future many congregations will have to depend on pastors who are not full time and therefore not compensated as such. Ordination is not initiation into union membership. In other words, the pastor may be a building contractor Monday to Friday. These new kind of pastors will need help. We will have to find new ways to form such pastors. Obviously the traditional avenues through seminary will not do. District presidents (bishops) will inevitably take the lead in the formation of these candidates for ordination.

The Return of Deacons

 The role of deacon was lost long before the Reformation. (The word is from the New Testament, diakonos, which means “servant.”) Many churches including Lutherans have brought back the diaconal office as an ordained (or consecrated) ministry of service. In many synods (of the ELCA) and districts (of the LCMS) diakonal ministry is rapidly arising to help the churches. Deacons, designated by “commissioning” or “consecration” to roles of service, are multiplying the work that pastors and congregations can do. Most often deacons take care of the material things. These deacons usually serve without compensation while they make their livelihoods elsewhere. Deacons can be helpful to shrinking congregations unable to afford a pastor. They always work under the supervision of a pastor. There really is no reason we cannot set them apart and call it ordination. In all those synods and districts where deacons have reappeared, they and the congregations they support are flourishing.

The 21^st Century

The restoration of the episcopal and diaconal offices has come to American Lutheranism by necessity. There may be a positive unintended consequence of these developments. Beyond enhancing our service as the church, returning to the three-fold ministry will provide for an ecumenical convergence with the vast majority of Christians throughout the world. So if the opportunity should ever arise American Lutherans will be more prepared provided we can resolve the question of teaching authority for ourselves.

 The teaching function of bishops may come back into American Lutheranism. On one hand it seems to conflict with the independence of pastors, who have had 500 years of being bishops on their own. Yet one senses in the political clamor both from the left and from the right that many pastors want theological and moral questions settled no longer by democratic vote but by a legitimate churchly teaching office (usually called the magisterium). Whether we could ever devise such a Lutheran magisterium that would be broadly accepted remains to be seen. Some recent decisions point in that direction. The LCMS now requires its heresy hunters to deal only through district presidents. That move has seriously reduced the number of allegations. ELCA bishops have been asked by the latest Church Wide Assembly to define how they as bishops will discipline pastors (at least in cases of homosexuality). It is still too early to know if such moves portend ascribing greater teaching authority to Lutheran bishops. We will have to wait and see. We may have to await further ecumenical developments.

 As Lutheran congregations are challenged by change and decay all around we hold onto the pastoral office. We are adapting also by reaching into our distant past. Since World War II we have been restoring the office of bishop and strengthening it to meet fresh challenges. More recently deacons are giving congregations new energy and great examples of service. Except for the unsettled question of teaching authority, bishops, pastors, and deacons are working very well among us. We probably will not want to reverse the recent expansion of episcopal and diaconal duties. May they all–bishops, pastors, deacons--have a long life!