LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2023, Page 333

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PASTORAL MINISTRY AND SEMINARIES
academic requirements of the SMP program prior to ordination and
placement on the Synod roster as ministers of religion—ordained;
and be it further
Resolved, That students who have successfully completed the
first six months of academic requirements be designated “SMP
vicars” and may conduct Word and Sacrament services under the
supervision of the local supervising pastor with the approval of the
respective seminary program directors, the district president, and
the sponsoring congregation; and be it further
Resolved, That SMP vicars may remain in that designation so
long as they are enrolled in and actively pursuing completion of
their program leading toward ordination; and be it further
Resolved, That if a student for any reason is no longer enrolled
in the SMP program, the SMP vicar designation would be
withdrawn until active enrollment in the SMP program is resumed;
and be it finally
Resolved, That any delay or postponement of a student’s
progress toward completion must be approved by the respective
seminary’s program director in consultation with the president of
the district where the student serves and resides.
Board of Regents
Concordia Theological Seminary
Ov. 6-22

To Increase Number of Students Preparing
for General Ordination by Expanding Work
of Cross-Cultural Ministry Center
WHEREAS, God has greatly blessed the congregations of the
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and our global partner
church bodies since 1839 with pastors educated and shaped by our
wonderful seminaries; and
WHEREAS, The congregations of the Pacific Southwest District
acknowledge that there is a growing need for well-trained, general
ordination pastors who are able to receive divine calls from
congregations without restriction, provide supervision for other
rostered church workers, supervise vicars, hold elected or appointed
office on the district or national Synod level such as a circuit visitor,
and vote as delegates at the Synod convention of the church; and
WHEREAS, Pastors of the LCMS are retiring in larger numbers
than ever before (an estimated one-third of our congregations will
be without a pastor by 2035), and the number of men entering our
seminaries is less than what is needed to replace these faithful
servants and expand further mission and ministry; and
WHEREAS, Most students in today’s world of education expect
that they will be afforded the opportunity to learn in a variety of
educational methods which include both online as well as in-person
instruction; and
WHEREAS, It has become increasingly difficult and prohibitive
for prospective LCMS seminary students to leave homes, family,
employment, and ministry context to move cross-country to enroll
in a four-year residential Master of Divinity program; and
WHEREAS, The Cross-cultural Ministry Center (CMC) at
Concordia University, Irvine, has, for 27 years, faithfully offered
the only master’s degree in the LCMS with a hybrid model of online
and in-person education leading to general ordination with
certification through Concordia Seminary (CSL); and

333

WHEREAS, Enrollment in CMC is currently limited by: 1) A total
enrollment of 29 students in the program; 2) where those students
are geographically located (LCMS Region 5—Western US); and 3)
A seemingly narrow definition of “culture crossing” that is required
for enrollment; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Pacific Southwest District memorialize the
2023 Synod convention to direct CSL to remove the current
limitations for the CMC (number of students, geographical
locations of students, and criteria for culture-crossing ministries) to
enable more men to prepare for the pastoral ministry.
Pacific Southwest District
Ov. 6-23

To Increase Number of Students Preparing
for General Ordination through Distance Learning
Opportunities and by Expanding Work
of Cross-Cultural Ministry Center
WHEREAS, God has greatly blessed the congregations of The
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and our global partner
church bodies since 1839 with pastors educated and shaped by our
wonderful seminaries; and
WHEREAS, The seminaries of the LCMS are currently offering,
beyond the residential Master of Divinity program, a variety of
routes for pastoral formation which take into consideration the
needs, desires, and context of the students, including the Ethnic
Immigrant Institute of Theology (EIIT), Center for Hispanic Studies
(CHS), Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program, SMP to General
Pastor Certification (typically an 8 year program), the Residential
Alternative Route, and the Cross-Cultural Ministry Center at
Concordia University, Irvine (CUI); and
WHEREAS, The congregations of the California-Nevada-Hawaii
District acknowledge that there is a growing need for well trained,
general ordination pastors who are able to receive Divine Calls from
congregations without restriction, provide supervision for other
rostered church workers, supervise vicars, hold elected or appointed
office on the district or national Synod level such as a circuit visitor,
and vote as delegates at the Synod conventions of the church; and
WHEREAS, Two thousand pastors of the LCMS are expected to
retire in the next ten years and the Synod currently has 476 pastoral
vacancies, and the entire graduating class of both seminaries was 88
in 2022 to replace these faithful servants and expand further mission
and ministry; and
WHEREAS, Students in today’s world of education expect
opportunities to learn in a variety of educational methods
(pedagogy); and
WHEREAS, Academic training has taken advantage of technology
to offer distance education and it has become a standard of
delivering training in many contexts in our culture; and
WHEREAS, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL) and Concordia
Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW) provide only
residential, in-person instruction for the general ordination route of
the Master of Divinity; and
WHEREAS, It has become increasingly difficult and prohibitive
for prospective LCMS seminary students to leave homes, family,
employment, and ministry context to move cross-country to enroll
in a four-year residential Master of Divinity program; and

2023 Convention Workbook