The Church & the Office of the Ministry

The issue of church and office is too often a muddle among us, and Walther can be most helpful if he is allowed to speak with the precision he intended.

Matthew C. Harrison

President of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod



Matthew Harrison s new edition of this seminal writing by the first president of the LCMS restores Walther s precise language on the doctrines of church and ministry. As the subtitle of the original German edition states, The Church and The Office of The Ministry is a collection of testimonies . . . from the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and from the private writings of orthodox teachers of the same. Professional church workers and interested lay members will find a wealth of insights from the Bible, the Confessions, ancient church fathers, Luther, the orthodox Lutheran fathers, and more on the key questions of what or who is the Church, what is and who holds the Office of the Ministry, and what are the powers and duties of each.



This New Study Edition Includes

new reader-friendly updated translation


footnotes explaining terms and history


side notes highlighting texts from the Bible, Lutheran Confessions and Martin Luther


marginal references to Johann Gerhard


glossary of key German and Latin terms


appendices including supporting documents


Scriptural index


topical index


free downloadable data charts


editorial introductions from Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison