Issues in Ministry: With a Special View toward our Sister Synod, the ELS

Abstract

The ELS has recently reconciled with a synodical separation by the Association of Confessional Lutheran Churches (ACLC) over the doctrinal statement, “The Public Ministry of the Word.” Pastors and congregations who left to form the ACLC adhere to Missouri Synod teachings regarding the Public Ministry, denying that teachers are considered workers. The second issue the ELS considered was the role of women lectors and administering communion to other women, as exhibited in some WELS churches. The ELS brought this issue to the WELS’s attention; WELS has been working to eliminate the issues from a district level. After discussions about these issues, WELS and ELS have again reaffirmed their unity in doctrine despite different verbiage.