Racism?

In the Lutheran Church in Great Britain, if a pastor has been ordained it does not mean the pastor is ordained.

Some pastors who have been ordained by Bishops of the LCiGB have been told they are not really pastors yet. These pastors who have been ordained, taking services, celebrating communion, baptizing and who have been called and installed as pastors of LCiGB congregations have been told by the LCiGB Trustees they are not yet pastors. Why? The LCiGB require SOME PASTORS BUT NOT ALL PASTORS to meet new rules that were adopted AFTER they were ordained.

Why is this important?

1. Ordination in the Lutheran tradition means only one thing: You are an ordained pastor. You cannot be a pastor unless you have been ordained and their is not half ordination. Once again the LCiGB is abandoning the Lutheran Confessions.

2. By questioning if a pastor is "really" ordained it causes insecurity, distrust and questions of faith for faithful members. Is my child really baptized if the pastor isn't really ordained? Is communion really communion?

3. This LCiGB exercise is aimed at pastors who are not European. The only pastors who have been "called in" to meet with the LCiGB and told they must meet the new rules are non-European pastors serving congregations where the majority of the members are African.

4. This is another goal of the Dean and current Trustees.