Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1879-02-15
from the Lutheran Observer
CALLING A PASTOR.

CALLING A PASTOR.
Has God anything to do any more
with calling pastor in the Lutheran
church? How ought this to be done
A congregation or charge seeking
pastor, ought to make it matter OF
prayer, either in congregational or
council meeting. Then after having
asked God to direct them in this impor-
tant matter, they should submit to the
guidance of his Spirit. Having been
enabled to decide upon some minister
they think might suit them, they should
officially invite him to come and preach
trial sermons with view to become
their pastor. After having heard him
once or twice they should pass on the
candidate at ouce, if such he may be
called, by entering into congregation
al election, then meeting in council or
general council, to report the result and
make out the call according to the tor
mula, provided the result Of the election
has been favorable The formula says:
"The presiding officer shall giUe the
minister, not send him, certificate,
etc. See chap. vi, sec. 5. This Ian
guage excludes evidently the idea OF
delaying an election for pastor two or
three weeks for the purpose OF using
! the interval for discussion and making
other trials ard experiments, often to
the great detriment of both parties. The
wishing minister, whoever he may be, is
often asked such impertlnent questions
as these: Would you leave where you
are? What reason have you for leaving
your present field? How long have you
been there? How much salary are you
getting? How large family have You?
How old are you? Would you like this
place, If elected Did you succeed DR..
= at -? etc. These and similar
questions are asked when minister
comes to visit some of our vacant charg
es. And it is more than probable too,
that they are freely discussed between
the trial sermon and the election. But
what have such questions to do with
choosing and calling pastor? There
is often good deal of depravity in these
questions. A man who would please
Jesus Christ pretty well will not please
some captious and factions people at all.
Members of the Church of Christ should
not seek revenge On visiting minister,
who, perchance, once belonged to con-
ference or synod which dealt severely
with relative or friend. An individual
minister should certainly not be held
responsible for the action of whole
synod. Again, should the professors of
our theological seminaries teach their
students the Romish doctrine of celiba-
cy? Or should they teach that bishop
should be the husband of one wife, but
but not the father of any children, at
least not of many? l guess they had
better teach that the church ought to
support both her ministers and their
families, both in home and foreign fields.
This thing of seeking childless pastors
is a poor, miserable subterfuge and
dodge, of which any honorable congre-
CATION ought to be ashamed.
Congregations agree TO pay their pas
tor a stipulated salary, and if they agree
to their offer, here this matter ends.
The rising of their families is their own
business, and not that of their congrega-
ton. Besides, many of our congrega-
tons which are seeking pastors need an
increase of membership. Some OF them
would be the better with pastors CT large
families. But minister of the gospel
who is little reticent and modest dont
like to be troubled with series Of such
embarrassing questions, especially before
an election has taken place. Would II
not be better for the electors of vacant
congregations to confine themselves to
the issue before them, and not dabble
too much in side issues After the wire
pulling and manipulating there is in
many instances, can the people them
selves, can anybody think and believe
that the voice of the church, in calling
a pastor, is the voice of God? No! God
seems to have little or nothing TO do
with calling pastor nowadays in the
Lutheran church, and what is the result?
We have the itinerancy of the MetEo-
dist church, with all the bad and none
of the good. Now, TO be brief, it is
certainly uncourteoss and unkind to in
yits a Christian minister Of your own
accord, without any solicitation On his
part, to preach trial sermons, with a
view to become your pastor, and be
having complied with your request, to
run him through the cruel catechetical
crucible already referred to, and then
explain to him few weeks after the
result in a short summary like this: we
cO,id rot understand him. list dos
nichi den groszm herren gespieh?
z. NJ.