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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 325

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

PASTORAL MINISTRY AND SEMINARIES
workers—remain a primary source of hope for the Lutheran
Christian future in Eastern New York state; therefore be it
Resolved, That these programs leading to the development of
mission leaders at all levels of service be commended and
recommended to the congregations of our district for use; and be it
further
Resolved, That the district in convention send this commendation
and recommendation to the 2023 Synod convention for adoption;
and be it further
Resolved, That in particular the global impact programs—EIIT,
CHS, MTC—be commended to the seminaries and to the Synod in
convention for strengthening and expanding, including the SMP, in
scope and potential, in preparing and certifying “general pastors”
for the LCMS; and be it finally
Resolved, That the district in convention in July 2022 resolve to
renew its 2006 commitment by pledging to raise up and prepare 100
new home-grown mission leaders, including a significant
percentage of ordained pastors, in the next six years.
Atlantic District
Ov. 6-07

To Create Plan to Address
Near-Term Pastoral Needs
WHEREAS, There is broad recognition that the Synod is facing a
significant shortfall of pastors; and
WHEREAS, Such recognition resulted in the passing of 2019
Resolution 6-01, “To Support and Participate in the Comprehensive
Church Worker Recruitment Initiative,” which launched Set Apart
to Serve; and
WHEREAS, The Set Apart to Serve initiative has established a
multi-year approach seeking to encourage our youth to serve as
pastors or church workers; and
WHEREAS, Such a multi-year effort does not address the
immediate or near-term shortage of pastors; and
WHEREAS, Concordia Seminary, Concordia Theological
Seminary, and the Concordia University System (CUS) are not
currently supplying sufficient quantity of theologically trained
workers to resource the mission initiatives of the Church in the near
term; and
WHEREAS, The Synod, gathered in convention in 2016, limited
Word and Sacrament ministry to ordained pastors, limiting the use
of other designated servants; and
WHEREAS, Article XIV of the Augsburg Confession states that
“no one should publicly teach in the Church or administer the
Sacraments unless he be regularly called”; and
WHEREAS, The Gospel calls us to continue mission initiatives
serving our congregants, communities, and world which requires
that workers be recruited, trained, and released into ministry at
present, in the near term, and over the coming decades; and
WHEREAS, Districts have experience utilizing programs to
provide formal theological training for potential workers, including
the current Specific Ministry Program, the Ethnic Immigrant
Institute of Theology, and the Center for Hispanic Studies; and
WHEREAS, The implementation of the system in place in the
Synod to foster and encourage worker recruitment and development

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through our educational institutions has not met the present and
near-term need; and
WHEREAS, Unless the Synod plans for comparable losses in
congregations and mission efforts, there will continue to be a
worker supply and demand problem; and
WHEREAS, Our God calls us not to bury the gift entrusted to us
out of fear of the master but rather to be empowered to use it for His
mission; and
WHEREAS, Such empowerment allows for responsible creativity
as the history of the Synod in missions exhibits; and
WHEREAS, The Bylaws do not preclude the Pastoral Formation
Committee from consulting with others with knowledge of the
mission field and the pool of potential pastors for the mission field
in formulating strategic direction of pastoral formation; and
WHEREAS, Receiving good and knowledgeable council is wise
and reflects good stewardship; and
WHEREAS, The Bylaws do not limit the reporting of the Pastoral
Formation Committee’s work to only the annual joint meeting of
the boards of regents of the two seminaries; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Pastoral Formation Committee, working with
the Council of Presidents, the seminaries, the CUS, and our partner
institutions, where appropriate, develop a worker training plan to
supply sufficient pastors to serve our congregants, communities,
and world working with our partner institutions, where appropriate,
in the near term; and be it further
Resolved, That this training plan account for recruitment,
development, and sending of pastoral candidates; and be it finally
Resolved, That this training plan be presented to the districts at
the 2025 district convention cycle.
Board of Directors
Florida-Georgia District
Ov. 6-08

To Encourage and Support Existing
Learning-In-Ministry, Non-Residential,
Distance Programs Leading to Ordination
WHEREAS, Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers
are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send
out laborers into his harvest” (Matt. 9:37–38); and
WHEREAS, God is bringing thousands of new immigrants to our
communities and thereby providing our congregations with new and
vast harvest fields; and
WHEREAS, Our Minnesota South District pastors and
congregations are identifying new potential pastoral leaders in and
among these immigrant communities; and
WHEREAS, Our Synod seminaries have established a distance
theological education through the Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP),
Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology (EIIT), Cross-Cultural
Ministry Center (CMC) and Center for Hispanic Studies (CHS)
programs; and
WHEREAS, An unintended consequence of Synod promoting
residential seminary education as the preferred option for the
preparation of men for pastoral ministry (2019 Resolution 6-02) is
that non-residential, immigrant students do not receive the same
tuition assistance from the seminary to cover the costs of their

2023 Convention Workbook