# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_2001_S219 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) HIGHER EDUCATION 219 Resolved, That this resolution be submitted by the Michigan District to the national synodical convention in 2001. Michigan District 5-38 To Support and Refine DELTO Program WuereEAS, Augustana XIV asserts that no one should teach pub- licly in the church or administer the Sacraments unless properly called; and WHEREAS, Expanded mission opportunities as well as other so- ciological, demographic, and financial factors have led to an in- creasing shortage of pastors; and WHEREAS, The Missouri Synod has a strong history of meeting the needs for pastoral candidates in creative and responsible ways; and WHEREAS, The Synod has also had a long tradition of a well-ed- ucated clergy, biblically grounded, confessionally committed, his- torically rooted, and responsive to the pastoral care and mission of the contemporary world; and WHEREAS, Our Synod has begun and continues to develop a program of Distance Education Leading Toward Ordination (DELTO); and WHEREAS, These programs represent an important and poten- tially significant manner of delivering theological education to pas- toral candidates in the field; therefore be it Resolved, That the Synod renew its commitment to Distance Education Leading Toward Ordination, and that the constituencies of the church, particularly Districts through their Presidents and mission staff, work together with the Board for Higher Education and the seminaries of the church to define the specific needs and objectives of such theological education; and be it further Resolved, That admissions criteria be adjusted to meet the spe- cific needs and objectives of this program; and be it further Resolved, That the DELTO curriculum continue to be refined to meet those objectives in a workable and responsible way, con- sidering the needs and logistics of potential students, as well as the human and financial resources of Synod-in-large and its seminaries in particular; and be it further Resolved, that such programs of theological education be stan- dardized and regularized as a synodical program, yet be flexible and adaptable to specific local needs; and be it finally Resolved, That all relevant parties work together in a spirit of cooperation to bring these results to fruition. Faculty Concordia Seminary St. Louis, MO 5-39 To Make Changes to DELTO Program WuerEas, There is a critical shortage of pastors in the LCMS, with approximately 900 pastoral vacancies in our parishes today; and WterEAs, There is insufficient enrollment in the residential seminaries to alleviate this shortage within the next few years; and WHEREAS, There are many men who would like to become pas- tors, but are unable or unwilling to leave their jobs and move their families to a residential seminary without experiencing great so- cioeconomic loss and causing undue family stress; and WHEREAS, The Synod already has in place a program, Distance Education Leading to Ordination (DELTO); and WHEREAS, There is presently new technology (streaming video and audio on the Internet, videocassettes, CD, DVD, e-mail, CUEnet) to deliver quality education (many accredited colleges and universities grant degrees through distance learning programs); and WHEREAS, There are definite benefits of training pastors in the parish (seminary field work and vicarage are attempts to get this very experience in the residential seminary); and WHEREAS, There are many men who are interested in becoming pastors through the DELTO program who are excluded by various policy restrictions that exceed residential seminary requirements, such as having to provide “necessary” services to a congregation, in addition to meeting the socioeconomic needs of their families while studying for the DELTO courses; therefore be it Resolved, That the DELTO program be recognized as a valid alternative to residential seminary training; and be it further Resolved, That the DELTO program graduates be granted the degree of M.Div. (Policy Manual 1.4.5) provided that they hold a prerequisite B.A. degree and successfully complete the program re- _ quirements, and that the undergraduate divisions of the Concordia University System explore the possibility of developing distance learning opportunities for interested DELTO students who need to complete their undergraduate work to be eligible for the M.Div. de- gree; and be it further Resolved, That the Board for Higher Education, together with the two residential seminaries, be instructed to remove any unnec- essary restrictions that would prevent qualified men from partici- pating in the DELTO program and to continue to develop and im- plement policies and procedures that would encourage and facilitate enrollment and training of men for the ordained ministry through DELTO; and be it further Resolved, That the DELTO policy manual be amended to re- move any words that suggest DELTO students are second-rate pas- tors, such as “Through these programs (DELTO) the seminaries provide in context preparation for men selected to serve as pastors in exceptional settings as determined by the church. The seminaries prepare pastors who demonstrate high pastoral quality and excel- lence in Lutheran doctrine and practice” and “Desired Outcomes. Ordained pastoral service to congregations that cannot support a full-time pastor” (DELTO Policy Manual, dated 2/24/00, hereafter noted as PM); and be it further Resolved, That the policy be eliminated that restricts enrollment to those who are “providing pastoral services to a congregation or preparing to plant a specific mission (and) must be needed for that ministry to the extent that its welfare would be severely damaged if he left to attend a seminary” (PM 4.3). “He is (or is to be) the sole provider of pastoral services to a specific congregation (or) has been designated to plant a new mission, as documented by a district official” (PM 4.5); and be it further Resolved, That restrictions upon students taking courses through the seminaries and DELTO be removed so that students who have enrolled in the seminaries and find that it is not possible to con- tinue, may transfer to the DELTO program without penalty of los- ing credit for courses taken, and those in the DELTO program can transfer their courses to the seminary should they be able to start attending a residential seminary (PM 4.8.1,4); and be it further Resolved, That the policy that requires a student to take courses in a sequence (except where a particular course is prerequisite for the next course) be changed so that if he is forced by circumstances to skip or withdraw from two or more courses, he is not dropped from the program, but can take the skipped courses when they are offered again; and be it further Resolved, That a student may start his DELTO program at any point and not just at the beginning of a “cycle,” so that he does not have to wait one or more years before beginning his studies; and be it finally Resolved, That we beseech the Lord of the church to bless all endeavors to train people for the pastoral ministry, ensuring a suf- ficient supply to care for the flock of God and to equip them for their witness and service to the world. Florida-Georgia District; Prince of Peace, Orlando, FL 2001 Convention Workbook