LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 275

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IX. REPORT OF THE RES. 5-14A TASK FORCE
for pastors in mission and ministry opportunities where a pastor with
a seminary degree may not be available. In order to be eligible for
the SMP program, men must be serving in a ministry of a Lutheran
congregation which desires their service as a pastor. They must be
nominated for the program by their district president. Based upon this
nomination and their previous ministry experiences, the men begin
their academic work as concurrent vicars. After two years of vicarage
and the completion of approximately half the program (eight courses
at Fort Wayne and nine courses at St. Louis), they become, following certification by a seminary faculty, eligible for ordination in the
specific ministry where they are serving. They are then required to
take two more years of classes in order to complete the basic SMP
program.
Program Goal—specific ministry pastors prepared for specific
ministry contexts defined by congregations and districts
Year Program Began—SMP began with the 2008–09 academic
year, fall quarter, as directed by the 2007 LCMS convention.34
Special Church Needs That Prompted the Program—The need
was to provide training in contexts for pastors where the fiscal situation or ministry context prevents the calling of a general ministry
pastor. As successor to (and improvement over) Distance Education
Leading to Ordination (DELTO), the SMP program meets the Synod’s
needs for contextual, in-ministry pastoral formation with improved
curriculum and updated instructional technology (compared to
DELTO). Men in the SMP program are ordained more quickly than
under DELTO (after two years rather than six), seeking thereby to
be faithful to AC XIV, so that men who are given the task of preaching, teaching, and administering the Sacraments are ordained and
recognized as pastors. When compared, for instance, with the master of divinity or alternate routes programs, the SMP curriculum is
intentionally designed to require fewer courses, yet there is intensive
in-ministry formation under a mentor/supervising pastor. Men who
complete this route are therefore certified by a seminary faculty for
call and placement as pastors, but to a distinct roster status category
with accompanying limitations for service in the pastoral ministry.
Specific Needs Not Addressed through Other Programs—The
SMP program allows a route to ordination when the typical seminary
formation experience is not possible. This meets the needs of situations where a called worker is needed but the congregation is not able
to call a general ministry pastor. The SMP program provides contextual training for a specific ministry as identified by the congregation
and allows for the candidate to provide ordained ministry where otherwise not provided. Although a candidate is identified locally (and
already embodies many of the necessary spiritual and personal qualifications), the ministry context prevents him from relocating into a
residential seminary program and provides advantages for pastoral
formation within the context of service.
Total Number of Pastors Produced—Fort Wayne, 48; St. Louis,
16335
Program Completion Rates—Approximately 85 percent of St.
Louis students and approximately 90 percent of Fort Wayne students
who started the program have completed it or are still in the program.
Financial Assistance—The CSL catalog states that “published
tuition for SMP students will not generally be discounted.” It also
states that “merit scholarships may be available, but are not guaranteed.” SMP students at CTS do not have access to financial aid
resources. However, some SMP students may receive assistance from
their LCMS district. The Siebert Lutheran Foundation may provide
some assistance for students from Wisconsin.
Placement—initial (with a concurrent vicarage)

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Call and Ordination—St. Louis, after nine courses with commitment to finish; Fort Wayne, after eight courses with commitment
to finish
Ministry Context—open; specific contexts defined by district and
congregation
Educational Prerequisite—entry-level competencies; ability to
work at master’s level; must have demonstrated basic proficiency in
OT and NT content and Christian doctrine; must show potential for
pastoral ministry to the satisfaction of his district president36
Age—No age requirement listed in academic catalog. The applicant must be “mature in faith and life.”
Experiential Prerequisite—Demonstrated pastoral fit; no length
of time stated, but “must be committed to the Lutheran Confessions”
and “willing to uphold the doctrinal positions of The Lutheran Church
—Missouri Synod.” They also must meet the “personal and spiritual
qualifications as expressed in 1 Timothy 3:1–7.” Should be involved
“in an existing congregation, ministry, or district-approved planned
mission start” and “be in possession of the characteristics ordinarily
and biblically expected of the pastoral office.”
Unique Admission Requirements—(1) presence necessary to
support ongoing ministry; (2) nomination of district president and
placement as vicar
Language and Level—English
Region—nationwide
Location of Instruction—distance education with required residential seminars and/or on-campus intensive courses.
Supervising Pastor Required—SMP students are assigned a pastor
who mentors them while they are completing the program.
Vicarage/Internship—Formal vicarage during the first two years
of the program. The vicarage grade appears on the transcript before
ordination. No credit hours granted for vicarage.
Degree or Certificate—certificate
“Growth Path”—alternate route or master of divinity; there is also
a nonresidential SMP alternate route continuation track.
Biblical Languages Required—None, but Greek is required for
the SMP alternate route continuation track.
Curriculum Length—16 courses, 48 quarter hours, concurrent
vicarage, followed by call and ordination approximately halfway
through the program
Program Length—four years
Roster Status—specific ministry pastor; will continue to be supervised at the conclusion of the program until and unless completes
alternate route or master of divinity degree
Attrition Rates—In general, 85 percent of students who begin
the program at St. Louis reach ordination. At Fort Wayne, 55 of 61
students who began have completed or are still in the program (90
percent). In almost all cases, those who leave the programs have done
so in the first two years (before ordination), due both to the workload
and to vocational issues.
Other—Distance learning primarily; required residential seminars
and/or on-campus intensive courses. Significant learning comes from
student’s local congregation or ministry setting experiences. Specific
ministry pastors are always under supervision of a general pastor, even
after completing the program.
Bilingual Pastoral Formation for Latinos—Concordia Theological
Seminary, Fort Wayne, is joining in partnership with Concordia
College—New York and the Atlantic, New Jersey, and New England
districts of the LCMS to offer Bilingual Pastoral Formation for
Latinos (BPFL), a special track within the SMP program at Concordia
Theological Seminary. The typical student will be a Latino selected
2016 Convention Workbook