LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 243

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PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION 243

laymen, 65 LCMS teachers, 18 other ordained ministers, 18
ethnics, and 22 LCMS graduates of other seminaries. The
number of men certified for ministry was 32in 1976, 30in 1977,
43 in 1978, 45 in 1979, 78 in 1980, 51 in 1981, and 63 in 1982.

During the past biennium 120 men have been certified for
ministry by the committee: 52 at Concordia Theological Semi-
nary, Ft. Wayne; 59 at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis: 8 who
were not assigned any academic work, 2 at Concordia Theolog-
ical Seminary, St. Catharines, Canada; and 7 at the Lutheran
Theological Seminary, Saskatoon, Canada.

Entrance and program requirements have been made more
stringent during the past several years. Greek is now arequired
course. Persons admitted to the program are terminated after
five years if they take no steps toward completing their
academic or vicarage requirements during this period of time.
Also, the screening process before admitting pastors of other
Lutheran church bodies has been intensified. The latter has
resulted in polite rejection of several applicants and in assign-
ments of additional study and supervised ministries. While the
average number of pastors from other Lutheran church bodies
seeking admission has been four to five a year, a total of 38
made inquiries regarding the program since July 1981. (This
does not include six pastors who were transferred from The

PRESENT WORDING
5.77 Eligibility

Only such applicants shall be considered eligible
for admission to the pastoral colloquy program as
are:

1. ministers, or candidates for the ministry, who
are in good standing in other Christian church bodies
and are graduates of established theological
seminaries;

2. men who are graduates of the Synod’s colleges,
whose names appear on the roster of the Synod as
teacher members of the Synod, and who have had at
least 10 years of successful experience as a Lutheran
teacher or director of Christian education and are in
good standing in a congregation of the Synod;

3. members in good standing of synodical congre-
gations who are graduates of an established non-
synodical seminary;

4. members in good standing of synodical congre-
gations who are over the age of 40, are college
graduates, and have had considerable experience in
church work;

5. members in good standing of a synodical con-
gregation who belong to a special ethnic or linguistic
group, who have a college-level education, and who
have had considerable experience in church work.

None can argue that the extra year on campus is not
desirable. Such candidates would enroll as regular students
and graduate with the M. Div. degree. The large number of men
in the colloquy program answered a particular need in the last
decade, but the increased enrollment of regular students during
the past few years seems to assure us that, barring unforeseen
circumstances, the demand will not exceed the supply.

Floor Committee Three of the 1981 convention recom-
mended: “that the Council of Presidents and the Pastoral
Colloquy Board be asked to review our policy regarding
acceptance of pastors from all Lutheran church bodies and
report to the Synod with appropriate recommendations with a
view toward uniform practice” (Proceedings, page 82).

Both groups recommend:

Receiving Lutheran Pastors

Under Bylaw 4.77 (Eligibility), 1, and 5.81 (Program of
Instruction), d:

1. Ministers, or candidates for the ministry, who arein good
standing in other Lutheran church bodies and are graduates of
established theological seminaries must be sponsored by a
District President (5.75, d). The sponsor is obligated, if at all
possible, to arrange for the applicant’s assignment through the

American Lutheran Church during the same period, a process
that did not necessarily involve colloquy and usually only
required the approval of the two national church body Presi-
dents and the two appropriate District Presidents.)

There seems to besome wrong information being circulated
regarding colloquy candidates. The majority are assigned
courses of study in consultation with colloquy advisers and
registrars of the seminary faculties. They are instructed by the
same professors that teach the so-called “regular” students
who are awarded the master of divinity degree. Their year of
supervised ministry is monitored by experienced pastors who
help them function in a parish. Coming from various walks of
life, their past experience in working with people enhances
their ministry. Of course, the additional theological training in
the regular seminary program is still to be preferred. When
younger men, especially, apply for admission to the colloquy
program they are usually persuaded to complete the third year
of resident study and be awarded the M. Div. degree. Colloquy
men who are certified in the program are also gifts of God to the
church and, like all pastors who work hard, are worthy of
double honor (1 Tim. 5:17).

The committee does recommend, however, that, at this point
in time, the eligibility Bylaw which allows for college graduates
over the age of 40 to enter the program (5.77, 4) be dropped.

PROPOSED WORDING
5.77 Eligibility

Only such applicants shall be considered eligible
for admission to the pastoral colloquy program as
are:

1. ministers, or candidates for the ministry, who
are in good standing in other Christian church bodies
and are graduates of established theological
seminaries;

2. men who are graduates of the Synod’s colleges,
whose names appear on the roster of the Synod as
teacher members of the Synod, and who have had at
least 10 years of successful experience as a Lutheran
teacher or director of Christian education and are in
good standing in a congregation of the Synod:

3. members in good standing of synodical congre-
gations who are graduates of an established non-
synodical seminary;

4. members in good standing of a synodical con-
gregation who belong to a special ethnic or linguistic
group, who have a college-level education, and who
have had considerable experience in church work.

Council of Presidents to a supervised ministry (‘deferred
vicarage’) and in due time arrange for his assignment as a
candidate with a regular call.

2. Applicants must be interviewed by the Colloquy Commit-
tee or its representatives (5.81, e). At least one member of the
Colloquy Committee must be present along with the sponsoring
District President in this interview process.

3. Those who have completed successful interviews are to
submit the usual documents (5.75, 1, 2, 3, and 4, if possible).

4. They are to be assigned a supervised ministry for 12
months, during which time they are to engage in an academic
program which may include courses in pastoral theology,
church polity, dogmatics, and exegesis, depending upon the
need, as determined by the Colloquy Committee (5.81, a, b, c).
The supervised ministry may be handled by a seminary. A
special report form is to be sent to the supervisor and returned
to the director of vicarage, who recommends to the Colloquy
Committee whether or not the supervised ministry should be
accepted as partial fulfillment of requirements for completing
the colloquy program. The District President shall be consulted
before the final decision for certification by the Colloquy
Committee.

5. In some situations it is advisable that the candidate