Thought for the day. Luther defines ordination as "calling to and entrusting with the office of the ministry" (LW 38:197). As I understand, there was a time when a pastor was ordained in a service or at the graduation service at the Seminary. He was then installed at the first parish he was called to and subsequent calls of service, whether in the parish or some other field of service of the Word in the Church. This practice, it seems to me, upholds the idea of AC XIV that insists pastors must be "rightly called" (Latin: rite vocatus). AC XIV does not refer to a call from a congregation therefore as much as it declares that pastors must be both "regularly called" by the church and "ritually called" through the rite of ordination.
The practice today in WELS is to ordain and install a pastor at his first call. At subsequent calls he is simply installed. This practice of virtually equating ordination with installation dilutes the importance of AC XIV.
***
GJ - The graduates of The Sausage Factory are allowed to buy a franchise in WELS, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Family Enterprises, which also owns and manages the Little Sect.
Said graduates invest many years and many thousands in earning their license to do business in WELS.
A franchisee runs his own business but he can be kicked out at any moment.
Suggesting that the Book of Concord relates to the Wisconsin Sect's pastoral business is invidious and harmful. The Book of Concord has nothing to do with the WELS or ELS, or - they have nothing to do with it.
