Editing Holy orders (section)

==Lutheranism==
[[File:Ärkebiskopsvigning.jpg|thumb|[[Nathan Söderblom]] is ordained as the Lutheran archbishop of the [[Church of Sweden]], 1914.]]
[[File:Laying on of hands Finnish Lutheran ordination in Oulu.JPG|thumb|An ordination to the priesthood in the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland]], 2015]]
Ordination to holy orders is considered to be either a [[sacrament]] or [[Rite (Christianity)|rite]] in the Lutheran Churches, depending on the churchmanship.<ref name="Becker2024"/> According to the [[Book of Concord]], an explication of the doctrine of the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran Churches]]: "But if ordination be understood as applying to the ministry of the Word, we are not unwilling to call ordination a sacrament. For the ministry of the Word has God's command and glorious promises, Rom. 1:16: The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. Likewise, Isa. 55:11: So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please. ...If ordination be understood in this way, neither will we refuse to call the imposition of hands a sacrament. For the Church has the command to appoint ministers, which should be most pleasing to us, because we know that God approves this ministry, and is present in the ministry [that God will preach and work through men and those who have been chosen by men]."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bookofconcord.org/defense_12_sacraments.php|title=Defense of the Augsburg Confession - Book of Concord|website=bookofconcord.org|access-date=2018-10-16|archive-date=2011-10-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017011043/http://bookofconcord.org/defense_12_sacraments.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Lutheran reforms are considered to be the most conservative of those that emerged in the Reformation. As such, much of Lutheranism follows the threefold office of deacon, priest, and bishop.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/ministry-and-ministries |title=Ministry and Ministries – Svenska kyrkan |publisher=Svenskakyrkan.se |date=2021-09-20 |accessdate=2022-03-18}}</ref> The Lutheran archbishops of Finland, Sweden, etc. and Baltic countries are the historic national primates and some ancient cathedrals and parishes in the Lutheran Church were constructed many centuries before the Reformation. 

Lutherans universally believe that "no one should publicly teach in the Church or administer the Sacraments unless he be regularly called".<ref>[[Augsburg Confession]], [https://bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession/of-ecclesiastical-order/ ''Ecclesiastical Order'']</ref> The Lutheran churches in Scandinavia, and those established in other parts of the world as a result of Scandinavian Lutheran missionary activity (such as the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya]]), practice episcopal succession in which the bishop whose holy orders can be traced back to the Apostles, performs ordinations.<ref name="Melton2005">{{cite book|last=Melton|first=J. Gordon|title=Encyclopedia of Protestantism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bW3sXBjnokkC&pg=PA91|year=2005|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=9780816069835|page=91|quote=Martin Luther seemed personally indifferent to apostolic succession, but branches of the Lutheran Church most notably the Church of Sweden, preserve episcopal leadership and apostolic succession.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Catholic Movement in the Swedish Church |url=http://anglicanhistory.org/usa/crhale/rosendal.html |access-date=2023-04-05 |website=anglicanhistory.org}}</ref><ref name="Omwanza2025">{{cite journal |last1=Omwanza |first1=Walter Obare |title=Choose Life! |journal=[[Concordia Theological Quarterly]] |date=2005 |volume=69 |issue=3–4 |page=309-326}}</ref> 

Additionally, [[Martin Luther]] taught that each individual was expected to fulfill his God-appointed task in everyday life. The modern usage of the term [[vocation]] as a life-task was first employed by Martin Luther.<ref>[[Max Weber]], ''[[The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism]]'', trans. Talcott Parsons, Ch.3, p. 79 & note 1.</ref> Therefore [[Luther's Small Catechism]] provides passages of Scripture to encourage those in holy orders, including bishops, pastors, preachers, as well as those in governmental offices, citizens, husbands, wives, children, employees, employers, young people, and [[widow]]s.<ref>See [http://www.bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php#tableofduties Luther's Small Catechism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927032351/http://www.bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php#tableofduties |date=2011-09-27 }}</ref>