LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2010, Page 101

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SYNOD REPORTS
It should be noted that the task force struggled with category 6
above, particularly in drawing a distinction between it and category
5 when it comes to the person being called and ordained. The distinction was a recognition of the pastoral care involved in administering
the Sacrament of the Altar.
The task force acknowledges that the binding and loosing of sins
is not listed as a separate activity in the table above. This aspect of
the Office of the Keys is understood by the task force to be associated primarily with the Lord’s Supper. The task force suggests that its
recommendations for ordination in connection with administration of
the Lord’s Supper also be applied to the binding and loosing of sins.
D. Task Force Observations

The task force realizes that the need for Word and Sacrament ministry in challenging situations and the qualifications of those who
should provide this Word and Sacrament ministry publicly on a regular basis are issues that the LCMS has addressed previously. One
might ask, “What is different now compared to the previous attempts
to address the issue?” One significant difference occurred at the 2007
LCMS convention when the SMP program was approved. Now the
LCMS had a distance-education program to prepare a new category
of clergy who would be supervised throughout their preparation and
service, and would provide Word and Sacrament ministry as called
and ordained pastors who have been prepared by the seminaries of
the LCMS.
With its first students enrolled in the fall of 2008, the SMP program is relatively new. Yet the initial report to the Synod (available
online at www.lcms.org/pastoraleducation) contains a positive initial
evaluation of the program by the students and supervising pastors who
participated in its first year. By the time the 2010 LCMS convention
begins, nearly 100 students will be enrolled in the program, a commendable number for this relatively new program.
Yet, the task force heard repeatedly that while the SMP program
appears to be working very well, the cost of the program ($1,250 or
more per course) and the adaptability of the program (e.g., allowing
workers to be formed in advance of serving in a particular ministry site) are obstacles that have prevented SMP from meeting the
needs of the church as fully as it might. Deacons who are retired
from a former vocation and are serving small groups of people (ca.
20–25) in remote geographic areas where no ordained pastor is able
or willing to provide Word and Sacrament ministry are particularly
challenged by the economics of SMP program participation. The task
force also heard that many bi-vocational workers wish to be formed in
advance for service in a challenging ministry context and then would
make themselves available as needs would arise. While district deacon programs allow for the possibility of formation in advance of a
challenging ministry site being identified, the SMP program does
not. These issues, cost and adaptability, are two particular issues that
the task force would encourage the SMP Committee to address as it
seeks to improve and refine the SMP program and allow it to serve
the needs of the church more effectively in the future.
Challenging circumstances such as those noted above moved the
task force to make provisions for “exceptional cases” in its recommendations. At the same time, the task force attempted to provide a
procedure whereby these exceptions could be defined and confirmed
in a consistent way across the Synod, fostering trust in the way that
the Synod is walking together when it comes to providing Word and
Sacrament ministry in challenging contexts.
An appreciation of the challenging ministry contexts referenced
above led the task force to conclude that district deacon programs are
needed in the Synod. These programs provide numerous blessings to

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the church, including the ability to form workers to provide category
1-5 Word and Sacrament ministry in the exceptional, challenging circumstances referenced above.
In its desire to balance two significant concerns, the task force
understood that it should not recommend any measures that would
deprive people of God’s life-giving, life-sustaining Word and
Sacraments. At the same time, the task force sought to address the
concern that Word and Sacraments be provided by those who meet
the standards that Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions prescribe
for those who publicly preach and administer the Sacraments. The
task force hopes that its recommendations strike a reasonable balance
in retaining the healthy tension that exists between these two important considerations: (1) through the acknowledgement of exceptional
circumstances and situations, and (2) through the recognition that
the “regular practice” should be the historic practice of the Lutheran
church, that the one who publicly preaches the Word and administers
the Sacraments is called and ordained.
II. Recommendations
In conjunction with the more formal recommendations below, the
task force would commend to the Synod a video resource, a SemCast
concerning AC XIV recorded by Drs. Dale Meyer and Charles Arand
(Concordia Seminary, St. Louis iTunes U Web site). It is the hope of
the task force that this SemCast could be viewed by as many members of LCMS congregations as possible. It provides the historical and
theological context for the consideration of AC XIV and had a significant impact upon the task force’s understanding of rite vocatus. The
task force also hopes that a Bible/Lutheran Confessions study could
be produced to accompany the SemCast.
With this background and understanding as its context, the Res.
5-02 Task Force respectfully submits the following recommendations
to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod:
A. Recommendations for immediate implementation

1) District deacon instructional programs should be retained (see
below);
2) A study of deacon in Scripture and church history should be
conducted by the CTCR, with specific attention to its relationship to Word and Sacrament ministry; specific examples
of service that would be consistent with Scripture/Lutheran
Confessions and the practice of the Church throughout the
ages; and, specific examples of service that would not be consistent with Scripture/Lutheran Confessions and the practice
of the Church throughout the ages.
B. Recommendations for implementation six months after the next
LCMS convention (2013 or 2014)

Implementation of the recommendations below should not begin
until six (6) months after the close of the next LCMS convention
(2013 or 2014), recognizing the limited track record of the SMP program, providing time for additional assessment and refinement of
the program, allowing time for the CTCR study referenced above
to occur, providing a buffer of time so that district presidents can
work evangelically and intentionally with situations where category
1-5 ministry is now being offered by a licensed deacon, and giving
the Synod time to adjust to the changes being recommended by the
task force.
1) District programs should be retained for:
a. Equipping laity who wish to grow and be enriched for
Christian life and service;
b. Preparation for men to demonstrate entry-level competence
prior to SMP enrollment;

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