LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 42

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42

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

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been six courses created that will help these wives better navigate
culture shock and other realities of international service for themselves and their family. During the two-week orientation, children
also receive training to better understand what life may look like for
them as a “child missionary.” For teenagers, deployment topics are also
covered by different methods, including the bringing in of former missionary children who have the opportunity to speak with these teens
about what life could look like for them while serving on the field.
DOXOLOGY training sessions. Missionary Services has forged a relationship with the popular DOXOLOGY program in which a special
program has been created and geared specifically toward the needs
of missionaries and their families. Upon completion of the two-week
orientation in St. Louis, a particular missionary orientation class is
brought back together to attend a two-day DOXOLOGY retreat program centered upon adapting to culture shock, dealing with adversity,
and providing encouragement to them as they prepare to deploy to the
international field.
Counseling care. In an effort to provide proper mental health care for
missionaries and their families while they are serving on the international field, Missionary Services has forged a relationship with
Lutheran Counseling Services Florida. They are also contracted with
OIM to provide week-long debriefing sessions for LCMS missionaries when they complete their service and plan to return to the United
States. The debriefing allows missionaries and their families the opportunity to receive counseling, prepare for reverse culture shock, and
decompress as they prepare for the tasks that are before them.
Improved regional coordination. Through streamlining of processes and improved coordination with the various regional business
managers, Missionary Services has reduced the average time for reimbursement from 21+ days down to an average of five to seven business
days. This improved efficiency of funds-transfers allows missionaries
to be less concerned with the reimbursement of their monies and better focused upon their calling of serving as a missionary.
Overhaul of database. A major accomplishment for Missionary
Services has been the overhaul of the existing database to ensure that
all missionaries and dependents were accounted for and could be contacted at any time. The new database also allows for better tracking of
historical data of missionary service.
Revised Missionary Manual. One of the greatest accomplishments
for the Missionary Services Department during this past triennium
has been the revising of the Missionary Career/GEO Manual. This
manual is a collection of all policies and procedures that missionaries, spouses, and children are to follow on the field while serving as a
missionary for the LCMS.
Digital Missionary Care Chart. Missionary Services created a digital “Missionary Care Chart” which allows missionaries the ability to
identify every single person in the International Center who cares for
them and what that care looks like, and, perhaps most important, it
provides up-to-date contact information so the missionary might easily receive care.
Mission Friends children’s program. Mission Friends is an online program where children receive a digital “passport” and can learn more
about LCMS mission work within a country, discover “fun facts” about
the country, and are encouraged to do recipes and craft activities with
their teachers/parents which are related to that country. There is also
a “Devotions at Home” sheet for parents and children to use together
which provides Bible passages, missionary stories from the field,
and Small Catechism excerpts all related to the specific LCMS mission work within that country. The program had a successful launch
in September 2015 with 500 active users registered during the first
quarter.

New Triennium Major Goals: In the next triennium, the team looks
to continue to build upon the improvements that have already been
made. In particular, with the large number of children accompanying
their parents to the field (almost 400 children are on the international field), the team will be seeking for the best way to serve these
2016 Convention Workbook

children and families while they serve on the international field. The
team also desires to increase its coordination with each field office
as it continue improving its support of new missionaries. Missionary
Services will also continue to provide meaningful education via the
New Missionary Orientation and will continue to look for ways to
provide continuing education for the deployed missionaries and their
families. In addition, Missionary Services plans to continue promoting the Mission Friends program. Missionary Services will also
continue to develop the Short-Term Missions program to include
development of a training program for participants, identification
of team leaders who will accompany teams to the field, and the hiring of a director who will be able to better coordinate the long-term
involvement of congregations with short-term teams.
PASTORAL EDUCATION
Seminary Data
While a complete “State of Seminary Education” report is posted
at www.lcms.org/pastoraleducation, the following data provides a
review of seminary enrollment over the previous triennium:
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, strives for a nurturing culture that
is centered in the Gospel of Jesus Christ with fidelity to the Lutheran
Confessions. With formation focused both upon head and heart, the
faculty strives to send forth “helpers of joy” to the congregations of
the LCMS (2 Cor. 1:24).
Accountability is a key component in the seminary’s culture. During the last triennium, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis,
was reviewed by its accrediting agencies: the Association of
Theological Schools (ATS) and Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
Accreditation vouches for the academic excellence of an institution’s
faculty and degree programs, its financial sustainability, and responsible governance. The ATS was positive, reaffirming the seminary’s
accreditation for a period of 10 years; the next major review will
come in 2023. The seminary’s report to the HLC was so impressive
that the seminary was invited to participate in an accreditation process that is strategically oriented, with ongoing improvements and
developments to be regularly reported to the agency. This removes
the need for a traditional 10-year review. During the last triennium,
Concordia Seminary awarded 257 academic degrees (PhD, STM,
MA, DMin, and MDiv).
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, also is accountable to the federal
government, especially the US Department of Education. There are
regular reviews and audits of Title IV financial aid programs to ensure
the eligibility of students for financial aid and federal work-study
programs. Other federal agencies to which the seminary must report
include the US departments of Veteran Affairs, Labor, Homeland
Security, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Internal Revenue
Service, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The
seminary also is accountable to the state of Missouri, St. Louis
County, the city of Clayton, and the Metropolitan Sewer District for
inspections and permits.
The discipline of accountability helps the Seminary see its challenges. Challenges facing Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, include
low residential enrollments (reflecting the decline of the LCMS and
smaller number of pre-seminary students in CUS schools). In the last
triennium, CSL presented 356 pastoral candidates to the church and
20 deaconess candidates. There are not enough students to fill calls.
Racial and ethnic diversity is also a challenge. While enrollment
in the seven routes leading to pastoral ministry is diverse, the population of the residential pastoral and deaconess programs is not.
Accrediting agencies note this lack of diversity, but the challenge is