Confessional Ministerium Statement
In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We the members of the Confessional Ministerium have entered into this fellowship for mutual encouragement and accountability, as we work to fulfill the vows we made at our ordination. We do so for our sake, for the sake of the congregations we serve, and for the sake of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.
We are aware of forces within the ELCIC that would divert it from the traditional faith and practice of the Church catholic, thus we believe it necessary to confess and call attention to the following.
We confess that the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God and the norm for the faith of the Church, containing all things necessary for salvation. As such the Bible is to be read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading.
We accept, teach, and confess the Apostles’, Nicene and Athanasian Creeds. We also acknowledge the Lutheran Confessions as true witnesses and faithful expositions of the Holy Scriptures.
We confess the Holy Sacrament of Baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to be the means through which individuals are brought into the body of Christ. We confess the Sacrament of Holy Communion to be the means by which the baptized believer is nourished by the reception of the true body and blood of Jesus Christ. Through these sacraments and through the rite of confession and absolution, the Christian receives forgiveness of sins.
We submit to and proclaim the unique and universal Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, humanity’s only Saviour from sin, judgment and hell. By His atoning death and glorious resurrection, He secured the redemption of all creation. We proclaim this Gospel in the hope that all will come to Him in repentance and faith.
We acknowledge and submit to the exercise of proper and Godly authority within the church by those called and set apart for the ministry of oversight. We also acknowledge that those called to this ministry, whether Pastors, Deacons, or Bishops, are to exercise that authority within the bounds of Scripture, Creeds, and the Lutheran Confessions.
We acknowledge the marriage relationship of one man and one woman as an order of God’s good creation. This relationship is the proper place for sexual intimacy, the basis of the family, and the primary place where people are instructed and grow in faith. Children are to be welcomed as a gift to the marriage relationship. We repent of our failures to maintain and uphold this standard and call for a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence and support for those who are not married.
While we hope and pray the ELCIC will not choose to depart from the traditional faith and practice of the Church we believe it necessary, as leaders of congregations, to prepare for that possibility and prayerfully discern in which direction we must go in order that we might preserve our unity with the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We make this statement, aware of our complete and total dependence on the grace of God. We trust the Holy Spirit will complete what is lacking, lead and guide us, and our congregations in faithful discipleship.
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If you, as clergy, feel you are
called by God to lead as pastors of the ELCIC and stand
by this statement and join our Ministerium,
please download the statement from this site, and
send the completed form to the address provided on
the form.
May God bless and guide you in your thoughts and ways
Your brother in Christ,
Rev. Phillip Gagnon
Chair of the Confessional
Ministerium
St. Albert Evangelical Lutheran Church
St.
Albert, Alberta
Alternatively, you can add your signature to the
Confessional Ministerium Statement by completing the
on-line form
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Ministerium Statement. See form on right side of
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A letter has been sent to the Bishops of the
ELCIC advising them of the formation of this
Confessional Ministerium.
