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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 463

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

ROUTES TO MINISTRY
Resolved, That the convention reject attempts to force licensed
deacons to enter the Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program when
this would restrict, hinder, or stop ongoing Word and Sacrament ministry in local congregations and mission areas; and be it further
Resolved, That the convention again affirm the actions by the 1989
and 2001 conventions to reaffirm the ministry of licensed deacons;
and be it finally
Resolved, That the delegates to the 2016 LCMS convention rise
to thank the Lord of the harvest for the many gifts and blessings He
has bestowed on our congregations and local ministries through the
dedicated and faithful service of licensed deacons.
Faith
Juneau, AK
13-46

To Affirm Licensed Deacon Program
Whereas, The licensed deacon program has been a great blessing to many individuals and congregations of the LCMS who have
been served by licensed deacons, and who otherwise might well not
have received any Word and Sacrament care and spiritual nourishment
because of the remote nature of their congregations or the inability of
their congregations to support an ordained pastor; and
Whereas, All licensed deacons are duly trained and licensed for
service under the supervision of ordained LCMS pastors; and
Whereas, A recommendation is coming to this convention to
effectively eliminate the licensed deacon program of ministry within
our Synod; therefore be it
Resolved, That Synod in convention thank God for the effective
ministry of licensed deacons over the years in various districts of our
Synod; and be it further
Resolved, That Synod continue to support and encourage the faithful and effective ministry of the licensed deacon program, under the
guidance and supervision of duly ordained LCMS pastors.
Zion
Portland, OR
13-47

To Establish Licensed Deacon Program as Regular
Approved Word and Sacrament Ministry
Whereas, Following the 1847 formation of the Synod, a combination of migration and additional immigration, largely economically
driven, led to thousands of congregations being established in many
small communities all over the USA; and
Whereas, The Synod has subsequently established geographic
regions encompassing states and districts as follows: Great Plains,
Great Lakes (roughly the upper Midwest and states adjacent to western Great Lakes), Central, East-Southeast, and West-Southwest
(respectively, roughly the lower Midwest states and both east coast
and west coast states) with roughly equal numbers of congregations,
notwithstanding numbers of members; and
Whereas, Economically driven rural-to-urban migration has subsequently occurred from many of these small communities, affecting
the congregations in them. The result is many rural congregations are
approaching financial nonviability because of decreased membership,
diminished financial base, and now-oversized physical campuses.
Unsustainable finances make calling full-time ordained pastors very

463

difficult in competition with urban and suburban locations with larger
populations and financial foundations; and
Whereas, The Central, East-Southeast, and West-Southwest
Regions, under Synod convention authorization for licensed deacons,
have opted to utilize this program to provide Word and Sacrament
ministry largely under direct supervision of ordained LCMS pastors.
Approximately 60 percent of rostered congregations and 85 percent
of all licensed deacons are in these three regions; and
Whereas, The Great Lakes and Great Plains Regions also likely
have similar situations geographically, demographically, and financially. But for philosophical reasons and other dynamics such as
cultural environment, these two regions have largely not utilized the
licensed deacon program, with some exceptions; and
Whereas, Where licensed deacons tend to serve, congregations
frequently experience pastoral vacancies for long periods of up to
several years and resort to calling pastors to multiple congregations
to provide fundamental Word and Sacrament service. Many dual parishes exist and can even be triple or quadruple congregations. Priority
on Word and Sacrament service precludes many other duties simply
for lack of time and resources; and
Whereas, There are synodwide shortages of trained and ordained
pastors, which is frequently more acute in regions with fewer active
Lutherans and large geographic areas; and
Whereas, There is an ongoing need for licensed lay deacons to
provide relief and/or support, either for congregations with vacancies
or for pastors requiring time off, by providing Word and Sacrament
ministry; and
Whereas, There is a demand for trained men to perform duties
and assist pastors on a regular basis with visitation of the elderly,
shut-ins, care centers, and others separated from the church body to
provide worship, Communion, and fellowship. Licensed lay deacons
are especially valuable during vacancies; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod permanently adopt and support the
licensed deacon program to support individuals, pastors, and congregations to ensure that God’s Word and the Means of Grace are
being administered to all His people.
Messiah
Prosser, WA
13-48

To Bring End to District Licensed
Lay Deacon Programs
Whereas, Our Lutheran Confessions state that “no one should
publicly teach in the Church or administer the Sacraments unless he
be regularly called” (AC XIV); and
Whereas, Holy Scripture sets high standards for the theological
aptitude of pastors, that they be “able to teach” (1 Tim. 3:2) and “able
to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who
contradict it” (Titus 1:9), and that “not many of you should become
teachers, my brothers” (James 3:1); and
Whereas, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has two fine
residential seminaries, as well as a nonresidential Specific Ministry
Pastor (SMP) program; therefore be it
Resolved, That the various district “licensed lay deacon” programs, where they are being used to prepare laypeople to serve in
place of a regularly called pastor, be brought to an end by July 14,
2017.
St. Matthew
Bonne Terre, MO
2016 Convention Workbook