# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1967_S111 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) SYNODICAL ADMINISTRATION All President of the Synod, and the presidents of the theological seminaries at St. Louis and Springfield. The Vice-President shall be chairman of the ‘committee. 453 Functions The Committee on Colloquies shall — a. direct the synodical activity in matters of colloquies for the pastoral office according to regulations adopted by the b. establish academic and theological standards for ad- mission to the office of the pastoral ministry by colloquy; c. recommend applicants for acceptance into the pastoral ministry of the Synod to the Council of Presidents acting as the Board of Assignments. 4.55 Application for Admission a. Applications of candidates for the pastoral ministry shall be directed to the President of the District where the application originates.- - b. The District President on receipt of application shall transmit the application to the chairman of the Committee on Colloquies. The application shall be accompanied by the following documents: . 1. an autobiographical statement by the applicant, setting forth clearly his background and his reason for wishing to qualify for the pastoral ministry in the Synod; 2, official, transcripts of the “applicant’s secondary, col- legiate, and seminary training anda full description of non- credit academic work done by the applicant; toe 3. testimonials as to Christian character and life, person- ality, ability, and previous service from no fewer than three competent references who have known and observed the applicant for at least 2 recerit years; om oe 4. where applicable, testimonials witnessing to past service in the denomination’ where the applicant -previously served as pastor, together with evidence of g standing in the ecelesiastical body from which he has severed connection or is in the process of severing connection. c. Lutheran. parechial. school teachers shall in addition to the above testimonials from the District President also ‘pre- sent a recommendation from the superintendent of. the schools of the District in which they have last served as teachers. _ oo d. The District President shall assure the Committee on Colloquies of his sponsorship of the applicant before the committee can act favorably on the application. : 457 Eligibility : Only such applicants shall be considered eligible for ad- mission to the pastoral colloquy program as are: ~ 1. Ministers, or candidates for the ministry, who are in good, standing in Christian church bodies’ not in fellowship with The Lutheran Church\— Missouri Synod and ‘are grad- uates of recognized theological seminaries; 2. Graduates of the Synod’s teachers colleges who have had at least 5 years of teaching experience and are in g standing in the teaching ministry of our church. 459 Program of Instruction a. Ministers, or candidates for the ministry, in good stand- ing in Christian church bodies not in fellowship with The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod shall be expected to re- ceive one full academic year of resident training in one of our Synod’s seminaries. They shall also be required to serve a vicarage. b. Graduates of the Synod’s teachers colleges who have had at least 5 years of successful teaching experience s be required to take a minimum of 2 years of instruction at one of the Syned’s theological seminaries. They shall also be required to serve in a vicarage. . c. ‘The committee shall determine the course of study and the length of the vicarage for each applicant. d. The courses given to colloquy applicants shall vary according to the needs and ecclesiastical background of the candidates, but they shall in general include courses in. the major areas of theology. The criteria by which the com- mittee shall judge a man’s progress are: : _ .1, Readiness for admission to the office as demonstrated according to standards established by the Committee on Colloquies by — ; aa. an acceptable level of achievement in the area of general education; bb. satisfactory completion of a well-rounded and com- prehensive training in all major fields of theology; cc. satisfactory completion of a supervised vicarage. . 2. In the case of men who have been educated in foreign lands with differing educational and ecclesiastical require- ments who are expected to serve ethnic and special lin- guistic groups.in The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod, the committee is authorized to waive or modify certain of the above-mentioned requirements in accord with the commit- tee’s good judgment. 3. Before being declared qualified for the pastoral minis- try in the Synod, the applicants shall submit satisfactory theological papers and sermons and pass comprehensive written and oral examinations in the major areas of theology. 4. They shall give evidence that they fully understand and accept the doctrinal standards of the Synod, are ac- quainted with its practice, and have the ability and intention to teach, preach, and practice in conformity with these standards. 4.61 Publication of Applicant’s Request After the District President has furnished the Committee on Colloquies with the required documents and the com- mittee has assured itself that the applicant qualifies for the colloquy program, the committee shall publish the request of the applicant in the official. publications of the Synod. If no valid objection is filed within 4 weeks after the notice of the application- has -been published, the committee shall proceed with the colloquy program. 463 Certificate of Eligibility Applicants who have satisfactorily passed their examina- tion shall be given a certificate of eligibility by the Commit- tee on Colloquies. 4.65 Placement . Every applicant whom the committee declares qualified for the pastoral ministry shall be assigned his first place- ment by the Council of Presidents acting as the Board of Assignments. 4.67 Report to the Convention The Committee on Colloquies shall render a detailed re- port on its activities to each convention of the Synod. 4.69 Applicants. from Affiliated Church Bodies _ Applications from pastors or candidates of theology who are members of an affiliated church body and have previously given satisfactory evidence of their qualifications for the pastoral ministry may be. received. without examination of the applicant. 4.71 South American Committee on Colloquies a. The Committee on Colloquies for applicants for the pastoral ministry in the Brazil District shall be the President of the Brazil District and the president of the seminary in Porto Alegre. b. The Committee on Colloquies for applicants for the pastoral ministry in the Argentine District shall be. the President of the Argentine District and the president of the seminary at Buenos Aires. and be it finally - Resolved, That proposed paragraph 4.73 (CW, p. 165) be adopted with the provision that the words “chairman of the Committee on Colloquies” be stricken from the second last line.of that paragraph and that the words “President of the Synod and the Personnel Director of