Page "Apostolic succession" Paragraph 49

Confessional Lutheranism rejects Apostolic succession, stating that that there's no evidence the Popes have historic succession from Peter other than their own claim that it is so.

Furthermore, they claim that in the Bible there's no evidence showing that the office must be conveyed by laying on of hands and no Biblical command that it must be by a special class of bishops ( the laying on of hands is repeatedly used to give a commission to some person in scripture.

However, it was done to St. Paul before his missions work, and St. Paul also instructed St. Timothy to not be hasty in laying on hands.

Confessional Lutherans claim that the churches claiming apostolic succession have not preserved apostolic doctrine, therefore their leaders have no meaningful apostolic succession.