A PASTORAL LETTER CONCERNING OUR PASTORAL PRACTICE WITH REGARD TO TRANSFERS[1]

 

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.  Colossians 3:12-15

 

Dear Fellow Members of the One Body of Christ,

 

One of the significant issues that affects congregations and their walking together as a synod is the issue of transfers between congregations. For some time the pastors of Circuit 6 (Topeka and Lawrence) have been concerned that, while some transfers are undertaken for God-pleasing reasons, others may result in avoiding the hard work of reconciliation, or even church discipline, both of which are part of the Lord’s good and gracious will for His Church. In other words, the issue of transferring membership is not merely a matter of administration or personal choice, but includes important theological considerations.

 

In particular, Lutherans believe, on the basis of Scripture, that the pastor serves under Jesus the Good Shepherd as the “undershepherd” or overseer of the particular flock to which he has been called (Acts 20:28).[2] A pastor’s congregation is his particular responsibility, and one day he will have to give an account of how faithfully he kept watch over the souls of his members (Hebrews 13:17).[3] We, the pastors of Circuit 6, also believe that the care of souls and the ministry of reconciliation often requires considerable time to be accomplished in a God-pleasing manner, and that sometimes a transfer will short-circuit this ministry.

 

For these reasons we have agreed to do the following.

  1. We will strive for good communication with our fellow pastors when a member from another circuit congregation begins to worship regularly in our own congregation.
  2. If a member from another congregation in the circuit talks to us about transferring to our congregation, we will encourage that member to visit in person with his or her pastor about the issues that are motivating the transfer request.
  3. While we recognize that often there are God-pleasing reasons for a transfer, in those cases where it seems wise to slow down the transfer process in order to give sufficient time for careful ministry, we will seek to do that.

 

Our prayer is that, by walking together in such a way, the love of Christ will be manifest in our congregations, and will increasingly bind us together in perfect harmony.

 

In Christ’s service,

The Pastors of Circuit 6

May 13, 2008

 

 


[1] This letter was adopted unanimously, at a meeting of the pastors of Circuit 6, on May 13, 2008. All congregations were represented by at least one pastor.

[2] “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”

[3] “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.”