LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 131

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OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
all Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Pastors.” Res. 6-04’s sixth
Resolved reads: “That the Pastoral Formation Committee consider
the establishment of a method to certify post-seminary continuing
education programs and resources offered by organizations, institutions, and individuals outside of the Synod, her seminaries and
Concordia University System institutions, or by other organizations not owned or under the supervision or oversight of the Synod,
and the committee deliver its evaluation and accompanying recommendations in its report and, if appropriate, enable overtures to the
2022 Synod convention.”
Pastors in the LCMS are encouraged and expected to engage in
continuing education throughout their pastoral ministry. Congregations are encouraged to support their pastors’ continuing education financially and provide the time needed for such opportunities.
Every pastor has a document on file at his district office called a
Self-Evaluation Tool (SET), in which he reports his continuingeducation experiences.
The SET lists continuing education in four categories: courses
offered by Post-Seminary Applied Learning and Support (PALS),
courses offered by LCMS seminaries, courses offered by other
higher education institutions, and other qualified educational experiences. Within these categories, the pastor is asked to identify
course title, institution, dates, number of Continuing Education
Units (CEUs), and degree (if applicable). He is also asked to identify what skills were developed or what areas of continuing education these experiences offered: exegetical, historical, systematic,
preaching, teaching, outreach, pastoral care, administration, worship, leadership, or ministerial well-being.

C.3.1. Recommendations
The Pastoral Formation Committee recommends and endorses
the following practices concerning the method to certify post-seminary continuing-education programs, resources, and participation:
1. All qualified CEUs are self-reported on the pastor’s SET
form. Pastors are responsible for obtaining their own CEU
certificates and awarded CEUs.
2. SET forms are annually reviewed and managed by the district office.
3. All LCMS pastors begin their continuing education experience with PALS; CEUs for self-reporting are provided by
the PALS office.
4. Pastors are encouraged to consider LCMS seminaries and
universities as their first choices for continuing education
opportunities.
5. Pastors are encouraged to participate in continuing-education experiences offered by the LCMS International Center,
agencies, RSOs, and other LCMS-sanctioned entities, which
include the following:
a. Making Disciples for Life conferences, LERT training,
Life Ministry, Every One His Witness, short-term missions,
etc., as offered by the LCMS Office of National Mission,
LCMS Office of International Mission, and LCMS Office
of Pastoral Education.
b. District workshops and conferences; Concordia Plan Services, LCEF, LWML, LHM, and CPH educational offerings.
c. RSO educational offerings from such organizations as
Doxology, Ambassadors of Reconciliation, Concordia

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Lutheran Ministries, Confessional Lutherans for Christ’s
Commission, Lutheran Counseling Services, Lutheran Senior Services, Lutheran Special Education Ministries, and
The Lutheran Home for the Aged Association.
6. Qualification for CEUs not obtained through an LCMS-related institution or entity is granted by the district president
and listed under “Other qualified education experiences” on
the pastor’s SET form.

D. Conclusion
The Pastoral Formation Committee remains committed to fulfilling its duties as prescribed in Bylaw 3.10.4 and warmly welcomes all questions and inquiries concerning its responsibilities
and assignments. “And I will give you shepherds after my own
heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jer.
3:15).
Kevin D. Robson, Chairman

End Notes
1. A number of other subject matter experts were consulted in preparations leading up to the issuance of this report, including Rev. Dr. Daniel
Preus (former interim president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis [CSL]),
Rev. Dr. W. Mart Thompson (CSL Specific Ministry [SMP] Program Director), Rev. Dr. Joel Okamoto (former CSL Exegetical Theology Department
Chairman), Rev. Dr. Carl Fickenscher II (Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne [CTSFW] Director of Pastoral Formation Programs),
Rev. Dr. John Sias (the Secretary of Synod), the seminary joint Boards of
Regents, the Joint Seminary Advisory Committee (Rev. Dr. Todd Peperkorn,
Mr. Mark Stern, Rev. Max Mons, Dr. Ron Garwood, Mr. Leo MacKay, and
Rev. William Cwirla), seminary faculties, and the LCMS Council of Presidents Designated Committee (LCMS Ohio District President Rev. Dr. Kevin
Wilson, LCMS Kansas District President Rev. Justin Panzer, and LCMS
Pacific Southwest District President Rev. Dr. Mike Gibson).
2. For a brief history of pastoral formation, see Part III of 13-03 Task
Force Report, 2019 Workbook, 377–81.
3. For the full report of the 2016 13-03 Task Force, see Convention
Workbook 2019, 375–84.
4. The following are examples of curriculum review, adjustments, and
revisions. EIIT at CSL went through major revision and was approved by
the CSL faculty on May 10, 2019, and CSL Board of Regents on May 16,
2019. SMP has also gone through several updates at CSL. In 2017–2018,
on-campus intensives were standardized as a part of the program. In
2019–2020, Counseling and Listening Skills were added to PRA411 (Intro to PMin), Law/Gospel Counseling Approaches were added to SYS413
(Lutheran Distinctions), Church Administration Formation was added to
PRA416 (Pastor as Leader and Theologian), and Lutheran Service Book
was added as a required purchase for PRA412 (Worship). Further assessment and revision is currently underway based on CSL residential Outcomes and Performance Indicators for SMP certification.

Appendix: The Synod’s Routes to
Ordained (Pastoral) Ministry
A. Residential Routes
A.1. Master of Divinity (MDiv)
Residential Route
Purpose
Program Goal: Forming general pastors; breadth and depth of
theology for general pastoral ministry
2023 Convention Workbook