To Study How to Amend Practice of Issuing “Divine Calls” to Positions Not in Direct Service of Proclamation of Gospel and Administration of Sacraments

Official Workbook overture source text

5-14 
To Study How to Amend Practice  
of Issuing “Divine Calls” to Positions  
Not in Direct Service of Proclamation of Gospel  
and Administration of Sacraments 
WHEREAS, Article V of The Augsburg Confession (AC) states, 
“So that we may obtain this faith [namely, that (our) sins are 
forgiven for Christ’s sake (AC IV 2)], the ministry of teaching the 
Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted”; and 
WHEREAS, AC XIV states, “Our churches teach that no one 
should publicly teach in the Church, or administer the Sacraments, 
without a rightly ordered call”; and 
W
HEREAS, The Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope 
(Tr) 60 states, “The Gospel assigns those who preside over churches 
the command to teach the Gospel (Matt. 28:19), to forgive sins 
(John 20:23), to administer the Sacraments, and also to exercise 
jurisdiction”; and 
WHEREAS, The Smalcald Articles (SA) III X 2 teaches that “[the 
bishops] do not even want to be true bishops, but worldly lords and 
princes, who will neither preach, nor teach, nor baptize, nor 
administer the Lord’s Supper, nor perform any work or office of the 
Church”; and