In what amounts to overkill, a Roman Catholic priest said, "Gender confusion is exacerbated by confusion in gender roles. Girls serving at the altar with boys contributes to this problem." Now I am sure that there are some, perhaps even many, in Missouri who would wholeheartedly agree. By tolerating female acolytes we are allowing or even promoting gender confusion. Maybe there was a day when that statement could have been made without crossing your fingers behind your back but not now.
Even Rome no longer has officially recognized minor clerical offices like they once did. Lutherans never did. The tie between acolyte and altar server and ordination is relatively weak. Not that this is a good thing but the folks in the pews do not see this service as growing up to be a priest or a pastor. If they did, there would surely have been a jump in the number of vocations to the priesthood or parish ministry. Alas, there are not. The folks making this important tie between the roles are largely clergy talking to other clergy and they have forgotten to tell the folks in the pews.
Worse than confusing the poor kids, we have done greater damage by suggesting that this service is not important and does not matter. Some see it as a duty of youth and others as a burden of catechism years and others as something to get them out of the family pew and satisfy the parents. But the parents do not see this as leading anywhere and the kids do not either. That is our problem and it is obvious.
The decline in the numbers of church workers has been significant but it now borders on a crisis which cannot be averted. We are not simply suffering a drop of numbers bit in esteem and value of church work vocations and, in particular, for pastors. It takes at least 8 years from high school graduations to produce a new vocation yet most are agreed nothing is heralding a dramatic turn around. Furthermore, the length of service for second career fellows works against this option from becoming the sole solution to the dilemma (though I do not mean to discourage or devalue such later in life decisions). We have for too long set the example for both boys and girls that such service leads nowhere. Limiting such service to males only will not itself do anything but cut the numbers of altar servers.
As I have said before and will not stop saying, the crisis began when we no longer believed and so no more treated this vocation to the office of the holy ministry as noble and essential and valuable. We have become preoccupied with large congregations in which the relationship between the clergy and everyone else is more distant. We have seen the numbers of mid-size congregations decline (and the space between small and large grow even larger). We have also seen the numbers of small congregations increase while also seeing the numbers of those small congregations that actually have their own pastor drop. Let me say this. For a very long time, at least in Lutheranism, smaller congregations have contributed more full-time church workers than the large ones. My own small home church barely ever broke a hundred communicants and yet has sent many pastors and commission church workers into the LCMS. I know a few large parishes that have raised up none. I know of many clergy who cannot say that they have ever baptized or confirmed or communed as a child or youth anyone who has entered the full-time service of the Lord. Sadly, I know of many who were turned off by their pastors from even the consideration of such service.
Don't be a fool. Having females serve at the altar is not contributing to gender confusion anymore than anyone sitting in the pew is confused over whether I am the pastor (in vestments, chanting, serving, and preaching) or a layperson making an announcement or reading a lesson or even assisting in the distribution is the pastor. Our people are not stupid. They are not, however, as certain as they once were that the pastoral office is noble, honorable, essential, and valuable. Perhaps pastors contribute some to this decline in esteem and perhaps the culture has too much influence and perhaps parents are not as supportive as they once were in this regard. But it is overkill to presume that a girl acolyte contributes much to either gender confusion or to the decline in numbers of new pastors. There are bigger reasons for this than a girl carrying a torch or cross or picking up the offering plates.
2 comments:
It may seem odd to even suggest this, but over the years I have been going to churches, both LCMS and non denominational ones, no pastor has ever mentioned the lack of interest in vocations during a message. In the earlier days of my Catholic journey, it was mentioned on numerous occasions with the words, “pray for vocations.” It is unfair to compare the time frame of the past, when more youths went to church, but now changing demographics and lack of larger families reduced church attendance. Most youths of my time were also not interested in a vocation to the church, but there was a larger pool of potential recruits to draw from. Improved prosperity in society also effectively draws many away from God and the church, sadly. Many American parents feel no urgency to raise their children in the Christian faith, another casualty of spiritual lethargy and economic prosperity. This should not be, but it remains problematic that too much money and leisure draws people closer to the world and less dependent on the Lord. People in America have been programmed to “have it all,” and living sacrificially and modestly seems to be anti-capitalist blasphemy. I think that there are fewer future pastors and smaller seminaries due to lack of interest, but this too is in God’s hands, and it may change again. And it might help if some pastors today at least mention it in a sermon during the year. There might be a youth sitting in the pews who is drawn to the idea, but needs a little push, and some encouragement. Soli Deo Gloria
One of the real problems might be revealed by the comment given to by a young confirmation student. When I asked if he had ever considered the pastoral office he said, "And treated the way you do? Your full of ----." Maybe our congregations need to relearn respect for the office. Of course this might come from some pastors who do not respect their office or the congregation. We need to learn better respect for the Word of God and each other again.
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