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Ministry, carrying forth Christ’s mission in the world, is fundamentally the task of the church, the whole people of God, and is conferred on each Christian in baptism. Certain persons, however, are called and ordained to ministries of leadership within the church itself. These ordained ministries, sometimes referred to as offices or holy orders, are understood differently in the various branches of the Christian church. 1. Roman Catholicism The Roman Catholic Church now has three levels of holy orders, in contrast to the seven orders that existed until Vatican …

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), constituted by 49 churches in Lund, Sweden, in 1947, is the result of efforts to bring together the Lutheran churches of the world on the basis of a common confessional allegiance (Confession of Faith). Although antecedent organizations included the General Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America (1867) and the General Evangelical Lutheran Conference in Germany (1868), the most immediate and important precursor to the LWF was the Lutheran …