# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2023_S128
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

128

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

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Central Illinois (1)

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Southern Illinois (0)

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North Dakota (0)

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Wyoming (0)

Twelve of the 35 LCMS districts currently have 10 percent or
more of their pastors rostered as SMP:
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SELC (19%)

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Southeastern (15%)

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Michigan (13%)

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Atlantic (12%)

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Eastern (12%)

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Florida-Georgia (12%)

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California-Nevada-Hawaii (11%)

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Northwestern (11%)

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Rocky Mountain (11%)

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New England (10%)

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Pacific Southwest (10%)

(3) program directors from both seminaries for each route to ordination, and (4) the faculties of both seminaries in conversation with
the seminaries’ administrative leadership.

C.2.e. Observations
1. Over the course of the Synod’s history, the LCMS has continually developed and refined its residential and nonresidential routes to ordination in order to address the needs
of the church as they have arisen and dynamically changed
through time. At any given point in time, it is incumbent
upon the Synod in her life together fully to utilize each route
to accomplish that route’s intended outcome(s), as mutually
agreed and communicated (with intention toward clarity) in
the Synod’s Bylaws, policies, and protocols. Where clarity of
any route’s intended outcome(s) is lacking, the PFC should
take corrective measures toward resolving such ambiguity.
2. The Synod’s nonresidential pastoral formation programs are
aimed at limited specific contexts and intended outcome(s).
They are not intended to become “easier” paths to eventually
achieving general ministry pastor roster status.

3. The Synod developed its residential and nonresidential
routes to ordination prayerfully and carefully. The Synod
continually assesses and evaluates each route for possible
• Texas (10%)
improvements. These reviews periodically result in recomThere are currently 382 active SMPs in the LCMS, which is 7
mended curriculum adjustments and revisions made by the
percent of the total number of active ordained (5,653). Of those 382
seminaries’ faculties. The standard for such adjustments and
active SMPs, 70 (18 percent) have had their first call end and then
revisions continues to be fidelity to the Synod’s confessional
taken another “pastoral” call.
standard (Const. Art. II), a commitment to thoroughly form
Table 1 summarizes the number of SMP students who either
students for a high degree of excellence in service to God’s
started or completed the SMP program and subsequently enrolled
people from the Office of the Holy Ministry, in the context of
in or completed a route to LCMS general ministry pastor roster
church and world and for the conveyance of the faith to the
status.
generations of God’s saints. [4]
Table 1: SMP to General Ministry Pastor Status

C.2.d. PFC Process to Address 2019 Res. 6-03A
Assignment
In fulfillment of the PFC’s aforementioned assignments, the
PFC reviewed each current route to ordination in the LCMS, including its intended purpose, curriculum, and various data with respect to enrollment trends and outcomes. Input was requested and
received on several occasions from (1) the Joint Seminary Advisory Committee, which includes representatives from the Boards of
Regents of both seminaries, (2) the LCMS Council of Presidents,
2023 Convention Workbook

C.2.f. Conclusions
1. The PFC and seminaries maintain that there is great value in
residential formation and continue to encourage all prospective students considering preparation for the pastoral office
to enroll in full-time theological study and pastoral formation in community at our seminaries. The benefits of residential formation include being formed by a daily liturgical
life of the Word, living and learning within an incarnational