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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 139

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

CONGREGATIONAL SERVICES 139

Resolved, That pastors and congregations be encouraged to
“pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest
field” (Matt. 9:38).

Wheaton Circuit Forum
Minnesota North District

2-18

To Establish Placement Process for CRM Pastors

WHEREAS, There are many qualified pastors on candidate status
who desire to receive a call to serve a congregation; and

WHEREAS, The church at large is continually reminded of the
number of vacant congregations currently in the Synod; and

WHEREAS, Pastors on candidate status often go for long periods
without receiving any calls; and

WHEREAS, These pastors could help alleviate the number of va-
cancies; and

Whereas, Many vacant congregations are either unaware of the
availability of pastors on candidate status or for some reason are
reluctant to call such pastors; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Council of Presidents be directed to estab-
lish a suitable placement process for pastors on candidate status
who request such placement; and be it further

Resolved, That District Presidents encourage vacant congrega-
tions to request the placement of a pastor on candidate status when
appropriate.

St. Peter
Vincennes, IN

To Provide Alternative Pastoral Placement

Wuereas, The current call system does not always provide
calls to pastors who are in need of a different congregation; and

WueREAS, The number of calls pastors receive throughout
their ministry varies greatly; and

WHEREAS, Congregational conflict may necessitate rapid
movement of pastors to alleviate pastoral resignations; and

WHEREAS, Ministerial health may be better encouraged and
promoted as pastors recognize there are options available for
them to avoid the difficulties of intractable and virtually
irreversibly hostile situations offered within the called ministry of
the LCMS; therefore be it

Resolved, That the District Presidents be encouraged to
continue to provide suitable pastoral placements that are sensitive
to the gifts and needs of pastors and congregations; and be it
further

Resolved, That District Presidents continue to provide such
suitable placements especially when an immediate need for a new
placement is necessary; and be it further

Resolved, That the Council of Presidents develop an
alternative system of pastor placement that will offer the option
for the immediate placement of pastors who find it immediately
necessary to leave; and be it further

Resolved, That the Council of Presidents present such
proposal to the 2001 LCMS convention; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Council of Presidents consider such
alternative system to be based on placement procedures currently
in use in the LCMS (e.g., current seminary placement, colloquy
vicarages, missionary placements, and so on) and which exude
and uphold the biblical teaching and LCMS practice of the divine
call.

St. John
Midland, MI

2-20

To Place Candidates by Drawing Lots

WHEREAS, The assignment of calls for new graduates from the
synodical seminaries to congregations in the LCMS has become
politicized by the Council of Presidents as typified by the 32 grad-
uates who were not placed in May 1992; and

WHEREAS, Students have been reluctant to enroll in the synodi-
cal seminaries because they do not want to subject themselves to
four years of study only to become political pawns of the COP; and

WHEREAS, There has been a marked decline in enrollment at the
Synod’s seminaries resulting in a shortage of pastors, which is in
part due to the politicizing of the call process by the COP; and-

WHEREAS, The present process of assigning calls gives the ap-
pearance, if it is not in fact, of being marred by subjectivity and fa-
voritism; and

WHEREAS, The 1998 LCMS convention agreed to choose be-
tween two candidates for the Board of Higher Education by lots in-
stead of a politicized election process; and

WHEREAS, The convention was encouraged that selection by lots
was biblical and God pleasing; therefore be it

Resolved, That all new graduates be placed by drawing lots in
order to remove the appearance of politics, subjectivity, and fa-
voritism from the call process; and be it further

Resolved, That placement by lots of new graduates is biblical
and God pleasing; and be it further

Resolved, That the assigning of all pastoral candidates and the
selection of the calling congregations be completed by drawing
names of the candidates and congregations by lots simultaneously
from the official list of candidates and calling congregations; and
be it finally

Resolved, That all candidates be notified of their calls at the
same time.

Redeemer
St. Clair Shores, MI

2-21

To Make Completed SETs Available
to Calling Congregations

WHEREAS, Pastors are to be of sound doctrine and practice
(1 Tim. 1:3; 4:13; 2 Tim. 1:13; 2:15; 3:14-4:5; Titus 1:9; 2:1, 7-8;
SC III 5; LC Preface 19, [ 54; If 41; FC SD Rule and Norm 14);
and

Wuereas, God warns the church that she ought always be on
guard against false prophets and false teachers (Matt. 7:15,
24:23-24; Mark 13:21-22; 1 Tim. 6:3-5; 2 Peter 2; 1 John 4:1; Ap
VII 48; Tr 41; LC Preface 19; III 47); and

WHEREAS, God commends to the laity that they verify that their
pastors are preaching and teaching in accord with His Word (Acts
17:11); and ;

WHEREAS, Ascertaining each candidate’s doctrine and practice
is of the highest importance when considering whom to call (1 Tim.
5:17); and

WHEREAS, The Pastor’s Information Form (PIF) contains very
little information of a theological nature, but the Self Evaluation
Tool (SET) contains many theological questions covering doctrine
and practice; and

WHEREAS, The PIF often contains confidential information, but
the completed SET usually contains little or no confidential infor-
mation; and

WuereEas, The PIF is not completed by the candidate, but the
SET is completed by the candidate and thus contains his own
words and reflects his own thinking; and

WHEREAS, Currently both the PIFs and completed SETs are
made available to cal] committee members; and

2001 Convention Workbook