2. Faithfulness to the Church’s Confession
a. Give a clear statement of faith that reflects your understanding of the heart of the Lutheran confessional witness.
I believe in a God who created the universe and who has, is, and will continue to intervene in that creation for the sake of its salvation and fulfillment. This is a salvation that has been at work since creation and that will continue until the end of time, and this history of salvation is the mark of God’s infinite and sustaining grace. I believe in a God who loves peace and justice, who protects and guides us, who has enabled and ordained us to be active in our faith as we participate in the kingdom of God as ushered in by Christ’s life, death, and resurrection – a kingdom that will not be at its completion until the end of time.
I live in a world that is broken by sin and death. I see evil and we experience suffering; I have experienced how human endeavors continually fall short and I have come to understand that there is nothing by my own power that can bring me to God or save me. I believe that God sent Jesus Christ to the world as a free expression of love. Through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, I am given God’s saving gift of grace and am justified despite my sinful nature. The move of faith is both the recognition of sinfulness and the acceptance of God’s justifying grace. I believe that the person and work of Jesus Christ, the divine revelation of the Word of God, rescues all of from the despair of trying to make ourselves right with God – from trying to earn God’s favor. I know that I am forgiven, justified, and redeemed through Christ’s sacrifice. Baptism and the sacraments are tangible witnesses and bestowals of this grace, while the preaching of the Word constantly shows us not only how we all fall short of the Law, but also are redeemed by the Gospel of God’s free grace.
Because I am saved in Christ, I must then respond with actions borne out of (inspired by) faith. I produce good fruits because of the faith which I have been given. I believe that the good news that Christ brings is not merely manifest in his the effects of his death and resurrection – Christ as salvation from eternal death is only one part of a larger whole of salvation. I believe that the salvation brought by Christ is for the sake of the world: the incarnation is that moment at which the kingdom of God came to earth. Christ’s life was devoted to working for the sake of this kingdom. Thus he is the norm by which we understand justice, peace, charity, and right relationship with both God and neighbor. Christ sets a standard for ethical living, and this standard is a weighty one. Christians are thus positively burdened with the counter-cultural implications of the kingdom of God on earth. The church as body of Christ is called to be Christ’s hands and feet in the world. We do not end worship services looking inward, but rather looking out to our world and our communities as we say “Go in peace, serve the Lord: Thanks be to God!” While good works do not procure salvation, they are essential in the transformed life of the believer. We go out into the world and minister through our daily lives and personal vocations.
I believe in a Holy Spirit that is active in the world and in the life of the believer. This involvement is deep and overarching: I believe that the Spirit enacts a real transformation in the life of the believer by faith such that by the Spirit and even through the Spirit’s agency, believers participate in their ongoing perfection in righteousness and, by extension, in the ongoing restoration of all creation, which has been “groaning in labor pains until now.” I believe that the Spirit works in complex ways for the sake of our faith and our justification. The Holy Spirit turns the sinful will toward trusting God, thereby making possible the gifts of grace and faith. Baptism is the pivotal point at which the Holy Spirit brings down this gift of grace, though the Holy Spirit is also present and active in the Word and in the Lord’s Supper. The Spirit is the agent by which I can receive God’s grace through faith. I also believe that the Spirit and the church are connected. The Spirit draws together communities of faith through which believers encourage one another in faith, and the Spirit is also given to believers through the sacramental activities of these communities (the reading of the Word, preaching, witnessing, absolution, baptism, Eucharist, etc.). In these external means, the Holy Spirit is actually present, sins are being forgiven, and the work of Christ is being transferred to us.
b. You will be asked to serve in accordance with the Scriptures, the creeds, and the confessions of the ELCA. In light of doctrinal traditions, what characteristic functions will reflect your role as a ‘diligent and faithful’ rostered minister in this church?
In accordance with the Scriptures, I serve the functions of witnessing to the Gospel of Christ by preaching, teaching and leading in worship. In those contexts I am called to live out the Great Commission, by which I must "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." By performing baptisms and presiding over the Lord's Supper, I am also fulfilling my committment to the Scriptures that witness to the Christ who was baptized and who broke his body for the sake of human salvation. As a ordained minister, I must uphold the witness of the creeds by remaining in accordance with the historic faith of the church. I will uphold the Trinity, preach a God of creation, a Christ of salvation, and a Spirit of communion. I rely on both the Scriptures and the creeds to nourish and sustain my own faith life - my faithfulness to Christ directs the faithfulness of my ministry.
Being ordained into the Lutheran church means that I am committed to a ministry of Word and sacrament by which I proclam God's grace to a world that suffers from sin and brokenness. As an ordained minister I must view ministry as something that occurs both within the church and outside of it. While I will be visible in leading worship, I must also be visible in the community as a faithful advocate for justice and peace, and in doing so, I will be witnessing to the Kingdom of God that has been brought to earth by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. I will show concern and compassion to those in need of care, and encourage others in their lives of faith. In my preaching of the Word and administering of the sacraments, I will be communicating the greater message of God's gracious love for the world. My conduct both inside of and outside of the church, as guided by my own faith, must reflect this message of grace.
c. What is your understanding of the mission of the church?
The church is the body of Christ, brought together and sent out by the Holy Spirit as participants in the Kingdom of God and workers in it. The church has an inward focus - worshiping together, encouraging one another, learning from one another, and binding together in the community of faith. Here, the mission of the church is to nurture and to be nurtured in faith, receiving God's grace through the preaching of the Word and participation in the sacraments, and being a collective body of both confession and praise. The church also has an outward focus - reaching others for Christ, serving the community, the nation, and the world out of Christian love, and witnessing by daily living the love of God and the redemption of Christ. Here, the mission of the church is to go, empowered by the Holy Spirit, into the world to spread the good news of Christ, faithfully and with integrity, by both words and deeds. The church's mission is twofold: first, to go out into the world and witness to Christ (a drawing in); and second, to foster a community of faith and worship in the Spirit (a holding together). The church is to expand the community of Christ and to nurture the community of faith.
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