LCA TASK FORCE ON ALTERNATIVE ROUTES TO ORDINATION

In order to comply with a resolution of the LCA General Synod in Toowoomba In 2006, the General Church Council has established a task force to investigate the possibility of alternative routes to ordination in the LCA. The task force is required to consult widely through out the church. This survey is one of the instruments being employed to meet this requirement. Specific individuals and groups will also be consulted by other means. The task force seeks the cooperation and assistance of church members, both pastors and lay people, in its work and in expanding its understanding of what the members of the church expect of their pastors. We therefore encourage all members of the church to complete the relevant sections of the survey.

The task force is also charged with investigating the current programmes of preparation for ordination and the need for professional development of pastors.

ORDINATION: a brief explanation

The rite of ordination is the culmination of a long and involved period in the life of the candidate who kneels before the altar as hands are laid on his head, the blessing of Almighty God is invoked, and he rises to receive the stole which is the outward symbol of his office as a ‘called and ordained pastor of the Lutheran Church of Australia.’ A condition of his ordination is that he has been rightly called by a specific parish to publicly preach the gospel and administer the sacraments. The period of study, training and formation at the LCA’s theological training institution will have been a time of testing the candidate’s ‘inner call’ or ‘vocation’ for the pastoral ministry. His service in the church following ordination will continue to offer him challenges to his fitness to carry out ministry in the LCA as he faces life in his congregation.

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