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Mark's avatar

Greetings,

Please permit me to speak from the perspective of someone who started training for the pastoral ministry over fifty years ago at Saint Paul’s Lutheran High School (formerly Saint Paul’s College High) in Concordia, MO. During my ministry, I served in the parish and Navy chaplaincy. As a Navy chaplain, I served as an Action Officer for chaplain disciplinary conduct. Without going into detail or violating confidentiality, I am able to support the position of both Concordia Seminary Saint Louis and Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne. At one time, at least 10% of the Navy Chaplain Corps came under disciplinary action. There is something to be said for the experience of sitting at the feet of instructors who have a vested interest in the health of the Church. I observed that each year at the Seminary, a student or students departed. These situations compelled me to focus on two portions of Scripture: Do not lay hands on anyone too quickly and on the basis of two or three let something be established. Ever since Pentecost, Satan has attempted to destroy the Church one pastor at a time and one congregation at a time. It is essential that we take spiritual warfare seriously. It is essential that we train and equip our pastors to don the full armor of God. As Dr. Theodore Laetsch stated in his commentary on the Minor Prophets, many errors have slipped into the Church from the pulpit to the pew. I am grateful to the Lord God for the faculties of Saint Paul’s College High, Saint Paul’s College, Concordia College Ann Arbor and Concordia Seminary. They were fully invested in the long term health and wellbeing of the Church.

The Lord be with you.

Rev. Dr. M. G. Steiner, Emeritus

CAPT, CHC, USN (Ret.)

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Casual Impact's avatar

Thank you for summarizing both leadership statements so clearly. One thing I continue to wonder about in these public exchanges is how LCMS laypeople, those sitting in the pews, are supposed to make sense of all this in real time.

Institutional statements like these are essential for clarifying governance and doctrinal responsibility, but I wonder if there is more the church could be doing to equip congregations to navigate the practical and pastoral fallout that often accompanies these kinds of structural conflicts.

Many ordinary church members likely have no idea how these changes affect their pastors, their congregations, or their long-term spiritual care. I hope future communications will address not just governance, but the spiritual implications for those who have trusted the church to shepherd them well.

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