From Martin Chemnitz’s Ministry, Word, and Sacraments: Enchiridion
But What If Some Minister is to Be Dismissed or Removed from Office?
Just as God properly claims for Himself the right to call, also mediately, and it is accordingly necessary for it to be done according to divine instruction, so also has God properly reserved to Himself alone this power of removing someone from the ministry. 1 Sm 2:30, 32; Hos 4:6.
But since that dismissal takes place mediately, it is therefore necessary that it not take place except by instruction and divine direction. Therefore as long as God lets in the ministry His minister who teaches rightly and lives blamelessly, the church does not have the power, without divine command to remove an unwanted man, namely [if he is] a servant of God. But when he does not build up the church by either doctrine or life, but rather destroys [it], God Himself removes him, 1 Sm 2:30; Hos 4:6. And then the church not only properly can but by all means should remove such a one from the ministry. For just as God calls ministers of the church, so He also removes them through legitimate means. But as the procedure of a call is to follow the instruction of the Lord of the harvest, so also if one is to be removed from the ministry, the church must show that that also is done by the command and will of the Lord. And just as the call, so also the removal or deposition belongs not only to some one order of the church, but to the whole church, with that order preserved of which we spoke a little while ago. Thus also the ancient church3 handled cases of deposition in the councils with diligent inquiry and careful judgment (ch. 15, q. 7); on this basis one can also answer the other question about moving a minister from one church to another, about which there are helpful canons (ch. 7, q. 1).
Chemnitz, M., & Poellot, L. (1999). Ministry, word, and sacraments : An enchiridion (electronic ed.) (37–38). St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House.
