LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 89

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SYNODICAL REPORTS 89

Pastoral Education, which develops strategic plans that expand upon
the basic educational strategies of the BHE/CUS Board to fulfill its re-
sponsibilities for providing education services and processes to pre-
pare pastors for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

The Goals

¢ Evaluate assumptions and objectives of pastoral education and re-
view assessment findings for corrective action

* Support and nurture pastoral education, serving as an advocate
for pastoral education in the church

* Encourage excellence in pastoral education and scholarship for
the church and to the world

¢ Review and evaluate the administrative operation and academic
quality of pastoral education programs (i.e., Master of Divinity,
DELTO, Alternate Route, off-site programs, distance learning,
technology, etc.)

¢ Annually review data and statistics and trends in pastoral educa-
tion among Association of Theological Schools in the United
States and Canada and The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
seminaries

* Recommend alternative proposals and policies to the BHE for the
education of pastors

¢ Encourage enhancement of a deep faith in God and the formation
of a pastoral character in the preparation of pastors and leaders
who are prepared to assist the people of the church to integrate
their faith and life

¢ Encourage pastoral education to reflect a more intentional inter-
national and global component

¢ Foster a praying and caring environment for pastoral education
with a proper integration of sound confessional theology and ef-
fective pastoral practice

Distance Education Leading To Ordination (DELTO)

The DELTO program is a response to the extraordinary mission
needs of the church. It provides contextual theological education lead-
ing to ordination for men who provide pastoral service to congregations
or in situations that cannot support a full-time pastor or missionary.

Pursuant to adoption of substitute Res. 3-08A, “To Address Needs
and Opportunities for Pastora] Ministry in Specialized Situations,”
President Kieschnick appointed the Oversight Committee to revise
DELTO. Committee members to represent the Board for Higher Ed-
ucation are William F. Meyer and L. Dean Hempelmann; to repre-
sent Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, are Andrew Bartelt and David
Wollenburg; to represent Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort
Wayne, are William Weinrich and Walter Maier II (subsequently
Peter Scaer); to represent the Council of Presidents are Arleigh Lutz,
Howard Patton (subsequently Robert Newton), Warren Schumacher;
and to represent the President’s Office is Samuel Nafzger.

The Oversite Committee revised the DELTO program in ad-
missions criteria, education program guidelines, placement of can-
didates, and general information on several particulars. The com-
plete program description is online (http://www.lcms.org/pages/
internal.asp?NavID=4103).

The curriculum, through a high level of cooperation and collab-
oration between the seminaries and the Board for Higher Educa-
tion (specifically CUEnet and the Director of Pastoral Education),
will be delivered with courses video-streamed by faculty members
from both seminaries, as well as a student working with a course
instructor from the seminary where the student is enrolled, and a
designated pastor-mentor in proximity to the student. DELTO is a
distance education model for theological education.

The first courses appeared in spring 2003. The courses are team
taught online by faculty members of the seminaries. The Marvin
M. Schwan Charitable Foundation is funding the production of
these online courses.

LCMS Themes for Pastoral Education

The purposes and priorities of pastoral education were devel-
oped by the Director of Pastoral Education through interviews with
each faculty member at the two seminaries, input from the mem-
bers of the Board for Higher Education, and focus groups formed
with lay members of the church in geographically selected LCMS
congregations, spanning the breadth of the country.

In 2003 the BHE adopted the LCMS Themes for Pastoral Edu-
cation to be the directive for pastoral education. The 12 themes will
direct the future of pastoral education by providing a planning and
guiding focus for the preparation of pastors. These themes will
serve as a Standard for review of the seminaries. The seminaries
and the BHE will utilize these themes to develop programs and
policies, forge relationships and structures, and use resources to
fulfill these themes for pastoral education.

The church both needs and desires a unified vision for pastoral
education that encompasses the aspects of pre-seminary education
(a more consistently prepared entering student), seminary educa-
tion (coordination, cooperation, and collaboration of the two semi-
naries), and post-seminary continuing education (lifelong learning)
for pastors. The church wants to get the best from those whose
thrust is to preserve the Word and those whose thrust is to get the
Word out. Twelve themes for pastoral education provide a plan-
ning and guiding focus for preparation of pastors for The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod at the commencement of this new cen-
tury. The LCMS Themes for Pastoral Education are as follows:

Academic Readiness

The church needs pastors who are grounded in the Holy Scrip-
tures, rooted in the Lutheran Confessions, formed by the history of
the church, and able to apply the Word of God to the lives of peo-
ple for their salvation and for his own, to the glory of God. Pastors
must be able to teach and preach the truth of the faith in Christ with
unambiguous clarity and precision. They must be prepared to lead
in worship centered in Word and Sacraments. The church wants
pastors who communicate effectively, reaching the heart and mind
with the Word. Competent faculty must engage students to be
preachers and teachers of the Gospel. Students coming to the sem-
inary need to be ready academically for seminary education
through a broad baccalaureate preparation, and students going from
the seminary need to engage in continuing education. Experiential
education at the seminary must integrate strong theology and ef-
fective pastoral practice.

Pastoral Practice

The church needs pastors who are competent leaders in pastoral
ministry. They must be able to integrate strong theology and pas-
toral practice. With a deep faith in God, a compassionate heart for
people, and a gentle and peace-loving spirit they are to serve the
Saved and the lost by applying the Word of God to people’s spiri-
tual needs in diverse situations. As called servants of the Word,
they must be able to establish helpful interpersonal relationships,
be people-oriented and work effectively with them, be forgiving
and caring. They must be able to prepare people (through preach-
ing, teaching, worship, and learned practical skills) for their ser-
vice to God and the church (e.g., Christian day school, youth, evan-
gelism, stewardship, music, Sunday school, etc.). They must be
resourceful leaders to help congregations address the changing con-
texts of service as a community of faith. A supportive family and a
cooperative spirit with fellow pastors in the church bring concord
and strength to the pastor and congregation. Through practice, re-
flection, evaluation, and lifelong education pastors must continue to
grow and maintain competency for the office.

2004 Convention Workbook