Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod

In the Missouri Synod, the public liturgy is viewed as the life of the church of Jesus Christ. Consequently, the liturgy is the proclamation of the gospel and the mission of the church. The liturgy is also an important means for pastoral care, and is a lifelong vehicle for Christian formation through the Word of God.

A contemporary portrait of liturgical life in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod must be painted in a kaleidoscope of colors. Having survived an intense theological struggle over the authority of the Scriptures in the 1960s and 1970s, the Missouri Synod retains its strong commitment to doctrinal unity. Yet, from its founding in 1847, this commitment has been coupled with freedom in matters of practice. Consequently, while the visitor to Missouri Synod churches finds uniformity in doctrine from one congregation to another, the visitor also encounters a wide diversity in the way public worship is conducted. This diversity has become increasingly noticeable in recent decades. According to a 1991 survey, The Lutheran Hymnal (1941) is used in about 32 percent of Missouri Synod churches. The Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) is used by 8 percent, and Lutheran Worship (1982) is used by approximately 49 percent. The remaining 11 percent of congregations use a variety of worship resources. Desktop publishing technology has given parishes the possibility of producing their own worship materials. The use of computers in the church has accelerated a movement away from traditional Lutheran liturgies toward more of an entertainment orientation in Sunday morning worship. Despite the diversity of worship practice in the Missouri Synod, it is still possible to outline a general framework in which liturgical practice defines and shapes Christian life in Missouri Synod parishes. Liturgy as Life Lutheran liturgical piety understands public worship as Gottesdienst (German for divine service). That is, public worship is essentially God's activity. Martin Luther's Small Catechism defines the church as God's own creation:

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the truth faith.

Lutherans therefore understand their worship life not as the coming together of like-minded people who wish to create a "?worship experience?" for one another. Instead, they understand it as the calling together of people by God's own action in Word and sacrament to stand in God's presence and receive the good gifts—the means of grace—God dispenses in that same Word and sacrament. In the liturgy, the Holy Trinity comes to meet the people of God through the means of grace and to serve them with the forgiveness of sins earned by Jesus Christ, the Lord of all life. As it was in the beginning, so it is now. As God first breathed into Adam the breath of life, so God now breathes into the church the breath of the life-giving Spirit of God. Liturgy, in Lutheran thinking, begins in a receptive posture. The Christian first prays, "?O Lord, open thou my lips,?" and only afterwards, "?my mouth shall show forth they praise?" (Ps. 51:15). In the liturgy, the church receives its life and gives this life back again. Liturgy is both the source and the shape of the life of the church. In the liturgy, the church inhales; the church receives forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation through the means of grace. But in the liturgy the church also exhales; the church offers its sacrifice of worship to the Father, through the Son, and in the Spirit. Liturgy as Proclamation Lutherans have always understood the office of the public ministry in terms of the means of grace, as expressed in the Augsburg Confession of 1530: To obtain such [saving] faith, God instituted the office of the ministry, that is, provided the Gospel and the sacraments. Through these, as through means, He gives the Holy spirit, who works faith, when and where he pleases, in those who hear the Gospel (art. 5). The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod has no female pastors. It addresses the question of women's ordination theologically rather than sociologically. The church understands apostolic prohibitions against the ministry of women to be divine directives, not first-century cultural prejudices. Though a wide variety of public offices are open to women (teacher, parish worker, director of Christian education, deaconess), the Missouri Synod does not ordain women to the pastoral office. The restriction of the public ministry in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod to male candidates stems from the church's commitment to the Holy Scriptures and the church's perception of God's servant in the public liturgy. He is a steward of the sacred mysteries (Word and sacrament) by which Christ, the heavenly Bridegroom, comes to his bride, the church. In the arena of public worship, the living Lord himself comes through the proclamation of his gospel and in the partaking of his holy Supper. These two focal points of the public liturgy are both the proclamation of Jesus Christ. In the sermon, his Word is spoken. And in the sacrament of his body and blood, public testimony is given: "?For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes?" (1 Cor. 11:26). Liturgy as Mission Among the pioneers in Christian radio (The Lutheran Hour, established in 1930) and Christian television (This Is the Life, established in 1951), the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and its auxiliary, the Lutheran Laymen's League, have consistently demonstrated an innovative approach to winning the lost. While eager to utilize the latest technology and strategy, the Missouri Synod views the public worship of the church as the heart and center of its mission. This mission is considered to be a corporate, rather than an individual, mission; winning the lost is not a solo operation. Rather, this evangelistic mission continues in the context of the public ministry of God's Word and sacrament. That is, the goal of evangelism is incorporating men and women into the church, where God is at work. First, God gives the unbeliever a new birth, adopting him or her as a child of God. Then God raises Christians to maturity in the nourishment God provides in the Word and sacrament. In other words, the mission of the church originates in the mission of God. The Father sent the Son, who sends the church in the power of his Spirit. "?As the Father has sent me, I am sending you?" (John 20:21). There is no ministry apart from this mission of Christ. Neither is there any mission today, apart from the ongoing ministry of Christ's own Word and sacrament in and through his church. The goal of evangelistic activity in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is always catechetical instruction, initiation into the congregation, and continual communing membership. Central to membership is participation in the public worship of the congregation. Liturgy as Pastoral Care Historically, the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod has had the largest network of parochial elementary schools of any Protestant church in America. Recent additions to parish life in Missouri Synod congregations include counseling services, social ministries, and programs of evangelism and Christian education. Whether in the time-honored office of the Lutheran school teacher or in more recent innovations in staffing such as the parish nurse or assimilation director, Missouri Synod churches continue to demonstrate a sensitivity to the needs of their parishioners. Yet the heart of pastoral care in the Missouri Synod still revolves around the means of grace. According to Luther's Small Catechism, "?In this Christian Church he [the Holy Spirit] forgives all sins to me and all believers.?" The justification of sinners by grace, for Christ's sake, through faith, remains the chief article of faith for Lutheran Christians. Therefore Lutherans understand the forgiveness of sins as the heart of every Christian's life. While counseling and instruction on the "?how to's?" of Christian living have their place in today's church, Missouri Synod Lutherans consider these to be external aids only. Genuine healing and real nourishment for the Christian life are to be found in the historic tools for pastoral care found in the public liturgy: preaching, absolution, and the sacraments. Each of these time-honored components of the liturgy contain but one life-giving ingredient, the Word of God.