LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 99

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SYNOD REPORTS
6) Recommends a procedure whereby exceptional cases may be recognized by the Council of Presidents so that Word and Sacrament
ministry might be provided in challenging contexts by men who
are not called and ordained.
7) Recommends a process through which deacons currently serving in Word and Sacrament ministry and those who will serve as
exceptional lay providers of Word and Sacrament ministry might
become called and ordained as assisting pastors, without seminary
formation.
8) Recommends a process to address the fiscal barriers some face in
accessing the SMP program.
9) Stipulates that most of its recommendations should not be implemented until six months after the conclusion of the next LCMS
convention (2013 or 2014).
I. Background Information

The 2007 LCMS convention passed Res. 5-02, “To Address
Licensed Lay Deacons.” The resolution stipulated that the following actions occur:

Resolved, That the Board for Pastoral Education and the Council of
Presidents be requested to study the situations currently served by licensed
lay deacons to determine whether there continues to be a genuine need for
this program within the Synod and to present a report with recommendations to the 2010 convention of the Synod.

A. Task Force Composition

The Board for Pastoral Education (BPE) and the Council of
Presidents (COP) assigned the following members to serve on a Res.
5-02 Task Force and provide the results requested in the resolution:
BPE:
1) Rev. Steven Briel, pastor
2) Rev. Thomas Krause, pastor (now retired)
3) Dr. Glen Thomas (chair), executive director, BPE
COP:
1) Rev. Ken Lampe, president, Mid-South District
2) Rev. John Wille, president, South Wisconsin District

The original group of five members intentionally expanded the
membership of the group in order to add a rich diversity of knowledge, experience, and perspective to the group. The following
members were added to the task force:
1) Dr. Charles Arand, professor, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis
2) Dr. Robert Hartwell, pastor, The Village Lutheran Church,
Bronxville, NY; Registrar for Region 2, Bronxville Campus,
Atlantic District Deacon Training Program
3) Steven Henderson, director, LAP Program, Northwest District
(replaced following his death in 2009 by Mr. David Schilling,
deacon, Crown of Life Lutheran Church, Rigby, ID)
4) Dr. Joel Lehenbauer, executive director, LCMS Commission
on Theology and Church Relations
5) Dr. Cameron MacKenzie, professor, Concordia Theological
Seminary, Fort Wayne
6) Mr. Donal “Lucky” Pugh, deacon, Zion Lutheran Church,
Holyoke, CO
7) Mr. William Storm, deacon, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Flint,
MI
B. Task Force Activity

The members of the task force identified three distinct actions that
were prescribed in Res. 5-02:
1) Study current situations involving licensed lay deacons.
2) Determine if a need exists for licensed lay deacon programs

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to continue.
3) Provide a report with recommendations to the 2010 LCMS
convention.
The task force determined that it should develop an understanding of how many lay deacons are functioning in the LCMS and an
understanding of the types of service they are offering, particularly
as their service involves Word and Sacrament ministry. A survey of
the entire COP was determined to be the most effective manner to
obtain this data. This survey was conducted on August 28, 2008, and
one of the questions in the survey was:
Does your district contain an official functioning program which forms
men to serve as licensed lay deacons (non-ordained, practicing Word and
Sacrament ministry)?

Twelve district presidents answered yes to this question. One district president indicated that there was not a program of this type in
his district, but one was in the formation process because there was
a need for it. Four district presidents indicated that a program of this
type had existed in their districts, but had been discontinued.
In determining the number of deacons offering different types
of Word and Sacrament-related service, it became clear that greater
clarity was needed in the terminology utilized. Some deacons were
part-time and others were full-time. Some were working under close
pastoral supervision, and others were working with complete autonomy. Some were licensed for Word and Sacrament ministry, and
others were licensed for neither.
In response to this need for greater clarity, the task force surveyed
the entire COP again on February 2, 2009, this time asking them to
identify how many deacons were serving in very specific categories
of service. The following table contains both the descriptions of the
categories and the number of deacons functioning in the LCMS in
each of the categories at that time:
Description of Service Offered
1) Functioning nearly or completely autonomously in
providing preaching and Sacrament ministry, with only
occasional communication with a supervising pastor

Number
in LCMS

60

2) Functioning under direct supervision, and serving as the
regular provider of preaching and Sacrament ministry

81

3) Functioning under direct supervision, and serving as the
regular provider of preaching (not Sacraments) ministry

13

4) Functioning under direct supervision, and serving as a
part-time provider of preaching and Sacrament ministry
5) Functioning under direct supervision, and serving as a
part-time provider of preaching (not Sacraments)
6) Functioning under direct supervision, and serving as the
primary provider of non-preaching, non-sacramental care
(e.g., Bible studies, devotions, visitation, youth ministry,
etc.)
7) Functioning under direct supervision, and serving as a
part-time provider of non-preaching, non-sacramental
care (e.g., Bible studies, devotions, visitation, youth
ministry, etc.)
TOTAL

90
71

24

196
540

The task force did not engage in case studies, site visits, or
other micro-study methodologies. Instead, it relied upon task force
members who were active lay deacons or serving in administrative
capacities for district deacon programs to provide accurate contextual
information concerning the service of lay deacons in the Synod. They
provided this valuable perspective, noting especially small groups of
Lutherans, unable to support a pastor on their own, and/or worshiping in remote geographic areas in which no pastor is willing or able
to provide Word and Sacrament ministry.
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2010 Convention.indb 99

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