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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 382

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

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382

X. REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS: 13-03 TASK FORCE

Recommendation: Outreach begins with existing congregations. The task force commends the Office of National Mission for
developing resources, such as the Every One His Witness Lutheran
evangelism program, to help Christians reach their neighbors with
the Gospel. The Office of National Mission should develop and disseminate resources to help congregations reach their neighbors as
well. In line with recommendations set forth in #1 above, outreach
should also include support, whether peer-to-peer or district level,
for existing congregations in changing areas, that they may provide
a physical presence while witnessing about Christ. Also in line with
recommendations set forth in #1 above, where the need is great for
specific skills, the seminaries should be encouraged to focus their
SMP programs primarily on educating students who meet such
needs and can immediately reach people of other cultures. In all
of their routes to the ministry, they are encouraged to emphasize
reaching people of other cultures with the Gospel.
4.

To establish minimal standards for pastors (while keeping the optimum in view)
Recommendation: The PFC continue and amplify its existing work, gathering regularly as needed with key leaders, including
(as appropriate in given circumstances) representatives from the
Boards of Regents of the seminaries, the International Center, the
Council of Presidents, pastors, key laypersons, Lutheran Church
Extension Fund (LCEF), Lutheran Federal Credit Union, and the
auxiliaries of the Synod.
The PFC shall diligently seek:
1.

To discuss the unique contribution of each seminary to
the life of the church;

To plan for the ongoing vitality and use of the seminaries;

To advocate increasing Synod dollars to the seminaries
and finding avenues to finance preparation of pastors;

To explore providing fully supported seminary education into the future;

To work with the Boards of Regents of the seminaries to
align the Synod and seminaries’ strategic plans;

To develop an aggressive recruitment effort to supply the Church with faithful pastors, working with the
seminaries and district coordinators as outlined under
recommendation #2;

To work with Synod staff to project Synod demographics, pastoral needs, and congregational health for five-,
10-, and 15-year intervals;

To assess the future of accreditation for the seminaries;

To work with the seminary Boards of Regents to recommend any needed improvements to the standards for
pastoral formation, including the interplay of academics
and confession;

10. To review, evaluate and set appropriate standards and
best practices for Synod-based accreditation of CUS
pre-seminary programs and locations, to ensure optimal
deployment of resources; and
11. To explore options for co-locating Synod entities to the
seminary campuses.
2019 Convention Workbook

Recommendation: The PFC evaluate the routes to ordination
already in place and bring them all to a standard of excellence that
will form pastors to proclaim God’s Word to all people with faithfulness and integrity. This should involve consolidating all nonresidential education routes to pastoral ministry into the SMP program, and strengthening the quality of the SMP program to ensure
that both those enrolled and those served by its graduates benefit
from fully and appropriately formed and equipped pastors.
5. To recommend avenues to finance preparation of pastors
Recommendation: We give thanks for the work already done
by Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and Concordia Theological
Seminary, Fort Wayne, to this end, and encourage continued support of our seminaries at the Synod (especially the Joint Seminary
Fund), district, congregational, and individual level. We also encourage the seminaries (and CUS) to work with LCEF to explore
the possibility of non-government related student loans. (See also
recommendations #1 and #4.)
The task force also recommends that careful attention be given to preparing for government action that might impact Lutheran
higher education. Our seminaries and CUS schools could face significant challenges in the next few years relating to accreditation
and student financial aid (state and federal).
Accreditation is the process whereby an independent third party reviews an educational institution to ensure that the institution’s
academic programs and operations meet recognized standards of
quality and viability. Accreditation is intended to provide a “stamp
of approval” for the degrees that graduates receive. It is also required for students to obtain federal and state financial aid (only accredited institutions qualify), and for students to have their credits
transfer to other institutions, or for advanced degrees. Traditionally,
institutions have been able to define their own mission (which in
the case of LCMS schools, includes the confession of our faith).
The accrediting agency does not make a value judgment on the mission, but simply determines whether the institution is doing what
it says it intends to do—however that may be defined. Recently,
proposals have been advanced to have accrediting agencies make
value judgments on an institution’s commitment to serving “diverse
populations,” which could have adverse effects on institutions as
they carry out their stated mission. Navigating these waters requires
real wisdom. Loss of accreditation could have a devastating effect:
Students could not receive financial aid, and academic credits or
degrees would be “devalued.”
Another issue relates to tax-exempt status, as well as financial
aid that is provided through federal and state governments. At the
federal level, any school with discriminatory policies cannot have
tax-exempt status. The seminaries and CUS schools do not engage
in discrimination, but they do operate consistently with a biblical
understanding of issues of human sexuality and the qualifications
for the Office of the Holy Ministry. The First Amendment protects
the right of religious institutions to operate, but the scope within
which we can exercise our religious liberty may be reduced with
adverse legislation or court decisions.
The Lutheran Federal Credit Union, in partnership with LCEF,
continues to explore avenues for alternate student loan financing.
The task force commends these efforts, as well of the work of the
Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty in advocating for our religious freedom.
6.

To explore the possibility of providing free seminary
education
Recommendation: We give thanks for the work already done