Only Playing Church? The Lay Minister and the Lord's Supper

By Joshua Pfeiffer and Douglas D Fusselman

In the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, hundreds of God's people receive what they believe to be the Body and Blood of Christ from the hand of a lay minister. Concern for these believers makes it imperative to determine if the efficacy of the Holy Communion is in any way dependent upon the Office of the Ministry. Can the functions of the Office be genuinely performed apart from the Office itself? Does the lay minister distribute the true Sacrament or only empty sacramental elements? Early Lutheran discussions of the Ministry yield unexpected-- even disquieting--answers to these and other related questions. (18 March 96 / 41K)

Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20011106041958/http://members.aol.com/SemperRef/playing.html

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