Talking Points with Pastor Lucas - Order and Structure in the Church

“All things should be done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40). There was disorder and confusion among the early Christians at Corinth, especially during their times of worship. That’s why the Apostle Paul gives some simple direction for how the church is to organize herself and conduct her life. He knew disorder makes it easier for things to go wrong in a congregation. It makes it easier for the devil to sow division and to cast temptations to abuse power or one’s position.

Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians details a multitude of their congregational issues, including the various divisions that resulted from their congregational disarray and disorder. He writes to to make sure “all things be done for building up” (1 Cor. 14:26), that they exult in the means of grace rather than tear one another down. Thus, his exhortation is for them to put order not only to their formal worship gatherings, but to the emerging organizational structure of their congregation. I’m not sure if this prompted them to produce a congregational constitution, but it is certain they examined the order of their life together.

These verses continue to help guide the church today. Our formal gatherings for worship continue to have an order (the Latin word ordo is used to refer to our shared liturgical structure). Likewise, the organizational structure of our congregations (think constitution and bylaws) is arranged in such a way that “decency and good order” can guide life together so that the saints of God are built up through the means of grace.

In fact, these verses guided the first leader of our fledging immigrant church from Germany when they were wrestling with how to form themselves as a church on American soil. Pastor C.F.W. Walther would become the first president of the LCMS, but before that he had to first hold the church together as they experienced controversy and challenges. He employed these verses to prevent chaos and disorder from breaking them apart. To that end, in 1852 and then more formally in 1862, Walther used these verses to establish and reaffirm the governing principles of the new immigrant congregations in their American context. Likewise, they would later guide the organizational structure that would become the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

In 1862 he wrote a work titled The Right Form of an Evangelical Lutheran Local Congregation Independent of the State. Chapter III, part five, of this book is titled: Concerning the Exercise of the Duty of a Congregation to See to It that It Does All Things Decently and in Order. (This was before the days of short and catchy book titles). The whole goal of this endeavor was to ensure rightly called pastors, the means of grace were administered, the members of the congregation are properly cared for, and the whole church and her mission was built up and promoted.

He does not prescribe how congregations must shape their constitutions, but simply emphasizes the importance of the Word of God and the right administration of the means of grace. In fact, Walther recognizes the freedom that congregations have to shape their governance structures as long as they ensure and prioritize that the Word of God is rightly preached and the sacraments properly administered. In short, the structure is there to serve the mission of the church, namely, making disciples of all nations, (Matt. 28:19).

The importance of these verses remains today. Even though congregations have variously structured constitutions, some with “working boards,” some with “managing boards,” and others with “policy based” governing boards, they are all structured to ensure congregations have called pastors who administer the means of grace and carry on the mission of the Holy Christian Church.

Likewise, the Synod has a formal governance structure to serve the mission of the church and the congregations who are members of the Synod. The district, who is “Synod in this place,” also has a governance structure to serve the mission of the church and her member congregations. Like many of our congregations, the MN South district has gone through various forms of governance structure changes over the years, and even now the current Board of Directors (BOD) has voted to revise its currently dated and cumbersome governance structure specifically for the sake of doing ministry “decently and in good order.”

To make sure the board is transparent and open about this process, the district Board of Directors has been having open forums to explain what this process involves, why we are going through it, the benefit of making these revisions, and how delegates will have a voice on this at the district convention. More on this can be found on the district website, with another open forum being held on Sept. 16. If interested, you may also watch this video outlining these proposed changes.

The goal of governance structure considerations, like for the Corinthians as well as for Walther and those immigrant Lutherans, is to make the best and most efficient use of the structure to serve the congregations of the district as we together Go First! in furthering the mission of the Holy Christian Church in the MN South District.

In Christ,