LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 26

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26

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
2.

They will provide feedback on what works, what does
not work, and what is missing.

3.

They will provide feedback as to improve SAS.

After this strategy and resources are tested and refined, they
will be shared with the whole Synod. Target date for availability
of these resources is fall of 2023.
CPH Curriculum. In 2022, SAS collaborated with CPH
in plans to develop a full SAS curriculum, preschool through
adult. This curriculum is being developed for congregations and
Lutheran schools. Age-appropriate materials will cover these
topics:
1.

What is the Church?

2.

What are the various church work vocations in the
LCMS (ordained and commissioned)?

3.

How do we care for our church workers?

4.

How to develop a culture of church work formation and
recruitment in our congregations and schools.

Through a major gift from LCEF and gifts from each of our
Concordia universities, every preschool through high school in
the LCMS will receive this curriculum free of charge, with the
resources needed for every student. SAS and CPH are hoping to
have this resource available by Lutheran Schools week in January
2024.
KFUO Coffee Hour. Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth host
KFUO Coffee Hour, which is a program that brings stories of the
intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Coffee Hour has
teamed up with SAS every Friday morning since August 2022,
featuring church work formation, church workers, parents of
church workers, pastors and professors, leaders and administrators
in the LCMS, laypersons and key collaborators, and stakeholders.
Go to kfuo.org/tag/set-apart-to-serve/ to view the lineup of guests
and listen to these informative conversations. This is an excellent
resource for personal or family use, Bible classes, youth groups,
classroom use, or to share with someone you know who might be
considering church work.
Synodwide Collaboration. To execute and sustain this work
of the Church until the Lord returns, synodwide collaboration
is absolutely necessary. From its inception, SAS has been
collaborating, partnering, soliciting input, and teaming up with
stakeholders throughout the Synod. These stakeholders provide
significant expertise and contribution to SAS, helping build
this initiative throughout its development. These include our
seminaries, Concordia universities, all 35 district presidents,
LCEF, Concordia Publishing House, LCMS schools, LCMS
Youth Ministry, LCMS Mission Advancement, Concordia Plans,
National Lutheran Outdoors Ministry Association (NLOMA),
Higher Things, LCMS Foundation, Schwan Charitable
Foundation, LWML, LCMS Board of Directors, 36 pilot project
congregations and schools, several donors, Lutheran Education
Association (LEA), Association of Lutheran Secondary Schools
(ALSS), subject-matter experts, and more. The collaboration is
reciprocal. SAS is strengthened by learning from and working with
each of these significant partners.
Second-Career Phase. Phase 1 of SAS focuses on raising
up a new generation of church workers as we strive to increase
fruitful engagement between youth influencers and youth. The
second phase of SAS started in December 2022, with an alignment
meeting of critical stakeholders from the seminaries, Concordia
2023 Convention Workbook

universities, Schwan Foundation, colloquy committees, and
LCMS schools. Goals for this second phase include (1) increasing
awareness of potential second-career opportunities to serve as a
pastor, Lutheran school teacher, or other church work vocation,
(2) increasing awareness of paths to church work vocations, (3)
understanding the drivers, barriers, and influencers to a secondcareer church worker vocation, and (4) developing strategies
to engage influencers and activate the drivers that increase the
number of second-career pastors, Lutheran teachers, and other
church workers. Next steps will include research, building shortand long-term plans, and integrating this second-career phase with
the larger SAS initiative.
Research and Dashboard. SAS is multi-faceted, with
several layers. It involves collaboration and research concerning
CUS and seminary church worker enrollments and placements;
worker well-being; church worker compensation; attention
and readership of SAS articles, resources, and websites (e.g.,
Reporter, The Lutheran Witness, and Lutherans Engage the
World); youth and adults enrolling in church work programs;
congregations encouraging and supporting their members
toward church work and Sunday School and VBS participation;
participation at the LCMS Youth Gathering, Higher Things, and
camps; routes to the pastoral ministry; colloquy requirements
and completions; formation and recruitment of all ethnicities;
missionary and international reach and impact; congregation
closings and mergers; new mission and church plants; and more.
SAS is continuously researching and analyzing important aspects
of church worker formation and recruitment. SAS is currently
developing dashboards that will provide metrics around each
part of the initiative. This will not only provide the Synod with
transparent, useful information, but will also help the SAS team
continue to refine strategies and resources.
Concordia University Church Worker Program
Comparison Guide. During 2022, the SAS team made several
presentations (NLOMA, district conventions, Higher Things,
LCMS Youth Gathering, Vocatio at CSL, Christ Academy
at CTSFW, Best Practices, Council of Presidents, Theology
Professors Conference, LEA, CONFEDEX, and Wittenberg,
Germany) where attendees expressed that it was difficult to
compare church work programs, tuition and costs, and discounts
and grants for the Concordia universities. SAS is teaming up
with the Concordia universities to develop a one-stop Concordia
university church worker program comparison guide. This
resource will help the viewer know what church work programs
are offered at each of the Concordias, the academic path for each,
and basic financial information. It will also direct the viewer back
to the individual Concordias, providing direct contact information
for each of the schools to obtain further information.
Information and Resources. SAS has been widely
communicated throughout the Synod since 2019. Information,
stories, and events have been communicated in several issues of
The Lutheran Witness, Reporter, Lutherans Engage the World,
and LCEF Interest Time magazine; on the LCMS Facebook page;
via direct emails to church workers and congregations; and at
district conventions. Delegates, church workers, and laity are
encouraged to stay informed about SAS by watching for continued
information and stories on SAS in the future.
The SAS website at lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve is also a
valuable resource. It is populated with a library of videos that
explain SAS and shares stories from current church workers and