Most RevDr Samuel Guido,OCR,KSP, EccD,DD,PhD

Archbishop and Primate

The Lutheran Orthodox Church

On behalf of The Council of Bishops

 

 

 

The Lutheran Orthodox Church developed and formed from a rift in another Lutheran church, having split initially over the issue of Apostolic Succession. The Lutheran Orthodox Church was established as a corporate entity  when several Bishops and ministers from that other Lutheran body accepted the offer of consecration into the valid Historic Apostolic Succession. Up to that time, women were not consecrated in the lineages that the first 3 LOC Bishops were. Even though that other Lutheran body did ordain women to the ministry,  that particular church was not in any Apostolic Lineage. During that period, a large number of pastors and Bishops decided to leave that previous affiliation and joined the LOC,  including a number of female pastors. The Lutheran Orthodox Church Presiding Bishop held a consecration ceremony on July 18th, 2004 during which 2 female ministers from the other Lutheran body, one from Pennsylvania, and one from Ohio were consecrated into the valid Apostolic Succession. A misunderstanding over the issue of female ordinations arose  between the consecrators which led to a moritorium being placed on any further female consecrations until the issue was fully studied and resolved. The moritorium was formally lifted on June 26th, 2005 when 2 women were elevated to the office of Bishop and 2 were formally consecrated as priests along with 8 men in the valid Apostolic Succession at St Pauls Lutheran Chapel during a celebration of The Eucharist and Mass beginning at 9:30am.

 

The Lutheran Orthodox Church continues to ordain qualified women into the ministry every bit  as equal to men.

 

 

 

 Both in the Scriptures as well as in the archaeological findings, women served as Deacons, Priests and Bishops until the year 441AD. In Romans 16:7 Paul refers to a woman named Junia using the same title he uses for himself,Apostle, but her name was changed by later bible translators to Junias effectively making her name masculine. However, Origen and Chrysostom in 'A Homily To Paul' both refer to her in the comment "How great is the devotion of this woman..." Then in the 1100's women were once again ordained into the ministry up to and including the office of Bishop and whose ordinations were upheld and affirmed by Popes. Until the Council of Trent, women were consecrated into the church at large. It was due to a rebellion by male clergy members that the church forbade women in the ministry.

Archaeology also shows us that women were tortured and killed as martyrs for their faith, titled as Deacons, Priests, and Bishops, yes, the early Church had women Bishops.

 

 

 

 

We find this simple statement effectively removes all conditions of separation based on race, gender or social status. According to Paul, one's faith in Christ makes one an equal heir as a descendant of Abraham thus becoming one in Christ.

 

Therefore, it is our conclusion that ordaining women in ministry as equals, worthy of the calling, is equally as valid in God's eyes as the calling and ordaining of worthy men. For Jesus said, If they are not against us, then they are for us, (paraphrased). If a woman can spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ as effectivley (and in our opinion, oftentimes more effectively)as men then who are we to stand in the way?

 

Furthermore, it is our belief that it was a male dominated clergy who wanted to keep this noble calling to themselves for selfish, unscriptural reasons, thus forcing women out of the pulpits of the churches as men found it a suitable way to make a living. It was after the deaths of the Apostles that the notion came about that women should be kept out of pastoral roles. The contributions of women to service of The Living God must be recognized, upheld, maintained and promoted as fully as that of any men called by The Holy Spirit to the same position.