The Necessity of the Lawful Call to the Ministry

"No one, though he be a professor of theology, elder, or deacon, shall be permitted to enter upon the ministry of the Word and the sacraments without having been lawfully called thereunto. And when anyone acts contrary thereto, and after being frequently admonished does not desist, the classis shall judge whether he is to be declared a schismatic or is to be punished in some other way." Church Order, Article 3. The Importance of this Article Article 3 begins the treatment by the Church Order...