LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 283

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IX. REPORT OF THE RES. 5-14A TASK FORCE
included on the Synod website in the “church worker locator” for that
pastor.
6. The task force recommends that specific ministry pastors be used in
church planting only when the new ministry will be maintained for
at least its first five years as a “satellite” location of an established
(“mother”) congregation under the close supervision of that established congregation and its pastor. This recommendation embraces the
conclusion reached by the President’s SMP Task Force (2013 “Report
to the President”) that church planting does indeed require at least as
extensive (and perhaps more extensive) theological training than does
an established ministry context. On the other hand, a specific ministry pastor, having been identified and trained in a local context, may
have familiarity with that context, which is actually an advantage to
planting a new ministry in that setting. Therefore, specific ministry pastors may be appropriate in church planting if but only if the “mother”
congregation and its pastor give real and meaningful guidance in the
formation of the new ministry’s structure and policies such as worship
practices, admission to the Lord’s Supper, and requirements for membership. In all other church-planting situations, prospective church
planters would be better served by training through the mission tracks
at our seminaries.
7. The task force recommends that general pastor status be viewed and
announced as a goal ultimately to be pursued, if possible, by all students entering the SMP program. Congregations sponsoring SMP
students should therefore be aware from the very beginning that in
the future they will be encouraged to work creatively to support their
pastors’ progress toward the MDiv degree or alternate route certification (perhaps through distance learning). Such support would include
time away for terms of residential study, released time while at home
for distance courses, financial assistance with educational expenses,
and so on. Several of the recommendations above in section 3 apply
here as well. For instance, the goal or “growth path” for all non-MDiv
pastors should be to attain at least the level of the alternate route.
8. The task force recommends that the SMP program be modified to defer
ordination until all 16 courses have been completed (as each of the
other certificate programs requires completion of its full course work
prior to ordination).The rationale for this recommendation is given
under “Course work, Ordination, and Completion of the Program”
above. This modification implies that congregations, supervising pastors, and district presidents will assign the SMP students only those
duties appropriate to vicars. For example, a vicar is not ordinarily
expected to be the celebrant for Holy Communion. If, however, the
district president and congregation believe that unnecessary hardship
would ensue by delaying ordination until all courses are completed, the
district president and congregation together should be able to request
the seminary faculty to certify the student for call and ordination after
the first two years of SMP course work. In all cases, the student will
complete all 16 courses of the program. If he does not, he must resign
from the roster. Pastors shepherd congregations, and to function as a
pastor, one must be clearly set apart by the Church as a pastor.
9. In general, the task force recommends that all members of the Synod
be asked to recognize the SMP program as replacing all programs
preparing laymen to provide public teaching, preach­ing, and administration of the Sacraments, since the SMP program leads to regular call
and ordination in keeping with Augsburg Confession Art. XIV, while
programs for lay service do not. Likewise, the task force recommends
that all members of the Synod agree that laymen not continue to provide pastoral services, but rather that those serving in such capacities
seek ordination through colloquy or the SMP program.
10. The task force recognizes that these recommendations for the SMP
program will have to be reconciled to and folded into the recommendations of the 2013 Res. 4-06A Task Force for resolving the issue of
licensed lay deacons involved in providing pastoral ministry (Word
and Sacrament) in congregations. This will be the task of the 2016
Convention Floor Committee.

283

Section Four—Necessary Bylaw Changes
Our recommendations for bylaw changes fall into two categories: (1) the establishment of a Pastoral Formation Committee, and
(2) adjustments to the Bylaws regarding colloquy to clarify eligibility for colloquy.
1. Suggested bylaw changes to establish Pastoral Formation
Committee:
Under the bylaws regarding the duties of the Chief Mission
Officer, add the following, to be designated as Bylaw 3.4.3.9.
Proposed Bylaw 3.4.3.9:
Assisting the Chief Mission Officer, a Pastoral Formation Committee
shall serve the members of the Synod by approving any new routes leading to ordination and by reviewing, assessing, coordinating, supporting,
and making suggestions for improvement of all existing non-colloquy
routes leading to ordination in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod,
including seminary and pre-seminary education programs. Seminaries
and CUS schools finally determine all curricular matters, e.g., outcomes,
specific course content, credit hours, schedules, manner of instruction,
text books, and the like. The Pastoral Formation Committee monitors
and receives general reports regarding all the routes to the pastoral office
and fosters coordination and collaboration among them. The chief goal
of the Pastoral Formation Committee is to ensure that similar pastoral
outcomes are met in all pastoral formation programs across the Synod.
The Pastoral Formation Committee will coordinate its work with the
SMP Committee (mandated by 2013 Res. 5-03E).
The Pastoral Formation Committee shall consist of these members:
1. Chairman: The Chief Mission Officer or a staff member reporting
to the Chief Mission Officer appointed in fulfillment of his duties
under Bylaw 3.4.3.8 and designated by the CMO as chairman of
the committee.
2. One member from each board of regents of the seminaries appointed by the President of the Synod
3. The academic dean or provost of each seminary
4. Each seminary president or his delegate
5. The Chief Mission Officer of the Synod (if not already serving as
chairman)
6. The Executive Director, Program Director, or head of each of the
Certificate Routes to Ordination programs (advisory, nonvoting)
The Pastoral Formation Committee shall meet on a seminary campus
at least once per year. Additional meetings shall be determined by the
chairman in consultation with the committee.

2. Bylaws clarifying eligibility for colloquy
Amend the Bylaws of the Synod by adding after Bylaw 3.10.2.2
the following new paragraphs, to be numbered 3.10.2.3, 3.10.2.4, and
3.10.2.5, respectively.
3.10.2.3	Applicants for the ordained ministry who are eligible for
colloquy under the Colloquy Committee’s published policies may make application directly to the committee. Other
applicants for the ordained ministry, such as ministers of
religion—commissioned, laymen of a special ethnic or linguistic group, and laymen who have fulfilled at least ten
years of significant service in a congregation, shall be eligible for the residential alternate routes program of one of
the seminaries and will make application directly to the
seminaries.
3.10.2.4	LCMS laymen and commissioned ministers who receive a
master of divinity or equivalent degree from a non-LCMS
seminary shall seek certification for call and placement in
the Synod by participating in the residential alternate routes
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