Our Lutheran churches teach that nobody should preach publicly in the church or administer the sacraments unless he is regularly called.

Lutheranism desires to maintain whatever best contributes to good order, peace, and harmony in the Church. Therefore, Lutherans insist on a rightly ordered call and ordination for those who will serve the Church as ministers, servants of Word and Sacrament.

These ministers or servants are often called pastors. The Latin word 'pastor' means 'shepherd.' Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd or Good Pastor. Jesus said, " I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep." [John 10:14–15 (ESV)]

Pastors serve as called under-shepherds of The Shepherd, Jesus Christ. As an under-shepherd, a pastor is called by God to be like John the Baptist, unworthy even to untie the sandals of Jesus; but rather to point others to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Another way to describe the role of a pastor is to be an overseer, tending God's flock. The apostle Paul wrote these words regarding the qualifications for such an overseer: "The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach. [1st Timothy 3:1–2 (ESV)]

--Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,