LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 37

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OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
programs also exist for directors of Christian education, directors
of Christian outreach, directors of family life ministry, directors
of parish music, deaconesses, parish assistants, and directors of
church ministries (Bylaw 2.6.1.1). The number of nonteacher colloquies during the three academic years from 2019–22 were DCE: 3;
DCO: 0; DFLM: 0; DPM: 8; DCS: 0; PA: 0; and DCM: 1. The commissioned colloquy policy manual details aspects of the process
that apply to all colloquy programs and also provides a dedicated
section for each of the other categories of commissioned ministers
listed in Bylaw 2.6.1.1. The manual can be accessed on the Synod
website at lcms.org/colloquy-ministers-of-religion-commissioned.
The Synod’s commissioned colloquy programs address the
third objective of the LCMS—to “recruit and train pastors, teachers, and other professional church workers and provide opportunity for their continuing growth” (Constitution Art. III)—as well
as the second and sixth of the Synod’s seven mission priorities for
this triennium—to “support and expand theological education” and
to “enhance early childhood education, elementary and secondary
education, and youth ministry.”
Since 1959, the Colloquy Committee for Commissioned Ministry (CCCM), under various names, has been charged by the Synod Bylaws with “direct[ing] the [Synod’s] activity in matters of
colloquies for [commissioned ministers]” and “establish[ing and
monitoring] academic and theological standards for [each of the
colloquy programs].” More recently, the CCCM is also charged
with “oversee[ing] for each category of commissioned ministry at
each college and university of the Synod the … required courses of
study” (Bylaw 3.10.3.2 [a]). Yet the Concordia University System
(CUS) has “the overall responsibility to provide for the education
of … ministers of religion—commissioned” (Bylaw 3.6.6.1), including those in the colloquy program who can take colloquy classes either in person from a Concordia college or university or online
via the Concordia University Education Network (CUEnet). Over
the years, the division of labor and day-to-day work of colloquy
has been shared by and ebbed and flowed in various proportions
between the CCCM, the Synod’s colleges and universities, and the
district presidents and their staffs. In 1996, CUEnet was founded
as a service organization of the CUS. Since 2001, when CUEnet
began offering the Concordia Online Teacher Colloquy Program, it
also has played a very significant role in commissioned colloquy,
handling not only the online delivery of colloquy coursework but
also much of the day-to-day administration.
Six core colloquy courses are required of all colloquy applicants, plus two program-specific courses that are required of
teachers. The other colloquy programs have differing numbers
of program-specific courses in addition to the six core courses.
CUEnet offers all eight courses required for teacher colloquy at
the current price of $799 per course. However, due to the generous
financial support of foundations and individuals (see Report R14),
the total current cost for teacher colloquy through CUEnet—including tuition, books, fees, and scholarships—is $3,693. Participants in colloquy programs for other categories of commissioned
ministry who take the six core courses through CUEnet also benefit
from these scholarships. In addition, many schools and congregations—plus several districts and other LCMS entities—also offer
colloquy scholarships.
At the beginning of this triennium, an almost all-new colloquy
committee was appointed by the Synod President and the president
of the CUS according to Bylaw 3.10.3.1. There were only two carryovers from the previous triennium, one of whom left the commit-

37

tee during the triennium. The First Vice-President of the Synod,
who is the ex officio chair of the committee, was also new at the
beginning of this triennium. Because of several changes in called
positions, there are currently two vacancies on the committee. We
anticipate a full committee being appointed at the beginning of the
next triennium. Current CCCM members are:
•

the First Vice-President of the Synod as chairman (the undersigned);

•

a representative of the Concordia University System (CUS)
(Dr. Paul Philp);

•

two college/university presidents (Dr. Russell Dawn; vacancy);

•

two CUS faculty involved in colloquy (Dr. James Pingel;
Dr. Lorinda Sankey); and

•

one representative from CUEnet (vacancy).

In addition to the new committee composition at the beginning
of the triennium, calls for a reexamination of the colloquy process after almost two decades of the current system also began to
surface. Shortly thereafter, Concordia University, Portland closed,
which, because of staffing connections with CUEnet, further added
to the changing situation for commissioned colloquy. As a result,
the president of the CUS, with the support and encouragement of
the Synod President, asked Dr. Paul Philp to prepare a report on
CUEnet for the CCCM. During the research phase for this report,
CUEnet’s senior director, Dr. Ray Halm, entered his eternal rest
in the summer of 2020. Upon completion of the report in October
2020, the CCCM began quarterly meetings to discuss the report,
examine the policy manual in detail, and undertake a thorough review of the colloquy process. In the summer of 2021, CUEnet’s
Chief Operations Officer and Director of Academic Programs, Dr.
Heather Stueve, accepted a call to another field of labor, thus concluding her long tenure on the committee and at CUEnet. As if
this weren’t enough impetus for change, three new CUS university
presidents were inaugurated, and a fourth interim president began
service near the beginning of the triennium. As can be imagined,
all of this contributed to a ripe opportunity for the CCCM to undertake an in-depth review of commissioned colloquy, which has,
in turn, led to expanded and even new conversations with key colloquy stakeholders as detailed below.

Work Performed and Contemplated
Besides the occasional request to consider an exception related
to application criteria, the primary work of the CCCM is to review
policy and procedures for commissioned colloquy. Convention reports indicate that between 2010 and 2019, there were two such inperson meetings for this purpose, plus numerous phone calls and
Zoom meetings. During the current triennium, the committee has
held 10 all-day meetings as of January 2023, with an 11th and final
meeting for the triennium in April 2023. Three of these have been
in person. Through these discussions, including a significant presentation from LCMS Secretary Dr. John Sias, the committee has
vastly improved its understanding of the commissioned colloquy
process and generated more than 60 ideas for policy revision. During the remaining months of the triennium, the committee hopes to
codify those suggestions, which would have little to no impact on
other colloquy stakeholders, into a minor policy revision.
Beginning in the spring of 2022, once the CCCM felt comfortable with its own understanding of the colloquy process, it embarked on an intentional effort through its chairman to expand the
2023 Convention Workbook