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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 80

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

It is both a pleasure and a privilege to serve the people of
the Synod with the members of the Synod Praesidium. God be
praised!
Herbert C. Mueller Jr., First Vice-President

(LCMS Chief Mission Officer), Rev. Dr. Lawrence
Rast (CTSFW president), Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer
(CSL president), Rev. Dr. Dean Wenthe (Concordia
University System president), Rev. Dr. Patrick Ferry
(Concordia University Wisconsin president), Rev.
Dr. Daniel Gard (Concordia University Chicago
president), Rev. Dr. Brian Friedrich (Concordia University Nebraska president), Rev. Dr. James Baneck
(PED executive director), and Rev. Dr. Jon Vieker
(Assistant to President Harrison). The objectives of
this Summit were to: (1) identify and discuss current
issues surrounding pastoral formation in the LCMS;
(2) seek ways for greater collaboration and cooperation with the Synod in refining our comprehensive,
unified, and robust pastoral formation process; and
(3) develop an action plan that addresses issues discussed in the summit, including the potential action
items relevant to the 2019 LCMS Convention. All
of these objectives were met during the course of the
Summit.

Pastoral Formation Committee
(See also R1.2: Chief Mission Officer, “Office
of Pastoral Education”)
The Pastoral Formation Committee (PFC) was established
at the preceding LCMS Convention by 2016 Res. 6-01. The PFC
exists to ensure that the Synod’s objective of training pastors
is fulfilled consistently and to foster excellence in coordination
and collaboration between the Synod and our two seminaries,
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL) and Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), with respect to LCMS
pastoral formation for all non-colloquy routes leading to ordination. The PFC’s charter includes intentional consideration of
and facilitation of discussion over the long-term strategic direction of pastoral formation within the Synod. 2016 Res. 6-01 also
provided for amendment of the LCMS Bylaws, specifically the
inclusion of a new Bylaw 3.10.4—Pastoral Formation Committee.
The PFC is comprised of the LCMS Chief Mission Officer
(chairman) and the presidents of the seminaries as voting members, and the executive director of the LCMS Office of Pastoral
Education (PED) as a non-voting advisory member. The PFC
meets at least once per year and reports on its work at the annual joint meeting of the two seminary boards of regents.
The following was discussed and/or accomplished by the
PFC in the 2016–19 triennium:
••

During the past triennium, the seminaries, in consultation with the PFC, brought forward no new routes
leading to ordination in the Synod. Thus the PFC
is not recommending any new routes to ordination
to the 2019 Convention for approval by Convention
resolution.

••

In January 2017, the PFC welcomed the newly onboarded PED executive director, the Rev. Dr. James
Baneck.

••

Members of the PFC continued fruitful discussion of
the relationship between Synod and the seminaries,
considering the seminaries as agencies of Synod (Bylaw 1.2.1), the fostering of coordination and collaboration by the PFC (Bylaw 3.10.4), and the governance
of the seminaries by their respective board of regents
(3.10.5).

••

At the behest of the PFC, the PED executive director planned and facilitated a “Pastoral Formation
Summit,” which in turn served as the impetus for a
proposed, major synodwide church worker student
recruitment initiative. This Summit was convened in
September 2018 at the LCMS International Center
in St. Louis. Participants included Synod President
Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, Rev. Kevin Robson

2019 Convention Workbook

••

The PFC was also fully represented at the annual
Joint Board of Regents Meetings on both seminary
campuses to discuss seminary cooperation, accreditation, enrollment, tuition, and more.
Kevin D. Robson, Chief Mission Officer and Chairman,
Pastoral Formation Committee

R4.1

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is profoundly thankful to
the Lord of the church and to you, the people of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod, for the countless ways you join us
in the mission of our Lord Jesus Christ. As the 21st century
brings new challenges, the Lord of the church is raising up a
new generation of pastors, deaconesses, and church workers for
the unprecedented mission opportunities before us. Because it’s
the Lord Jesus who leads His church into the future, Concordia Seminary is sending forth graduates with “confidence and
cheerful courage,” as our first president, Dr. C. F. W. Walther,
put it so positively. It is indeed a great time to be the Church!
This report shares with you high points of the last triennium. It is arranged according to the four priorities of Concordia
Seminary’s Strategic Plan 2018–2020.
Recruit qualified ministry candidates and leaders in sufficient
quality to meet the demands of the church in today’s world. Since
its founding in 1839, Concordia Seminary has provided more
than 12,500 workers for the church. Of last year’s total 570 students, 351 are in the seminary’s pastoral formation programs
(Master of Divinity, Residential Alternate Route, Specific Ministry Program [SMP], SMP to General Pastor Certification,
Center for Hispanic Studies, and Ethnic Immigrant Institute of
Theology). Twelve students are in our Deaconess Studies Program. This enrollment is not sufficient for the needs of the Synod. Recruitment of future church workers is a privilege the Lord
of the church has given to us all. Concordia Seminary is striving
to create a culture of recruitment throughout the seminary and
Synod. We are committed to investing needed resources to ac-