LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 134

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134

RESOLUTIONS

distinctions within the one Office of the Holy
Ministry de iure humano (by human authority) was
established so that those ministers with broader
and deeper theological understanding should be able
to provide doctrinal supervision for less experienced,
or less well-prepared, ministers. These distinctions
were made to ensure that the Gospel was rightly
preached and taught, and to preserve the unity of
the church.
c. By the time of the Reformation, the common way of
talking about such distinctions within the Office of
the Holy Ministry was to speak of the differentiation
between the power (or authority) associated with the
Office of the Holy Ministry and the jurisdiction (or
scope of the administration) of the office.
3. The church may establish, by human authority,
distinctions in jurisdiction and in categories of service
of its pastors so long as these distinctions do not
compromise the authority of the office, undermine the
Gospel, or burden the consciences of Christians by
confusing human regulations with divine commands.
4. Ordination vows may be taken prior to the conclusion
of a complete course of study provided that the
ordained has received a preparation sufficient to
preach and teach the Gospel rightly, administer the
Sacraments correctly, and take his vows with
integrity.
5. The church should provide the opportunity for a pastor
who has been certified and ordained to serve in a
specific kind of ministry subsequently to be prepared
to serve the church more broadly through a combination of further academic preparation, accumulated
pastoral experience, and examination.
Overview of the “Specific Ministry Pastor”
Program
The student will take a core curriculum so as to acquire
a foundational competency in Lutheran theology for pastoral ministry. This foundational core will be both contextualized and specialized within and for a specific ministry.
In addition to the original objective of the Distance Education Leading To Ordination (DELTO) Program to provide
pastoral ministry where full-time ministry cannot be maintained, such specific ministries will include such categories
as church planter, staff pastor, and others as needs arise.
The specific curriculum will be determined and developed by the seminary faculties, in collaboration with those
from the field who represent the specific ministerial contexts at district and congregation levels. It will be based on
the following principles:
1. Curricular goals based on outcome competencies
appropriate to the stages of the program
2. The contextual nature of this educational model,
which includes experiential learning within a mission
context
3. The engagement of supervisors/mentors by the
seminary in consultation with the district president as
a critical element of the distance education model
4. A combination of distance education and residential
components (likely through short-term seminars and
2007 Convention Proceedings

the option to take courses within the residential
curriculum)
5. The potential applicability of coursework for academic
credit towards an M.Div.
6. A time frame for completion of approximately 4–5
years
The Specific Ministry Pastor Program will be divided
into a preordination curriculum and a post-ordination curriculum. The preordination curriculum will equip the student in such a way that the church has confidence that the
student will preach the Gospel in its truth and purity and
conduct his ministry in conformity with Lutheran doctrine
and practice. In order to do this, the preordination curriculum will address such basic competencies as Catechism, interpretation of Scripture, God and Christ and the work of
Christ, the Sacraments, introduction to the Book of Concord,
the conduct of worship, and preaching.
The post-ordination curriculum will address these topics in greater depth and detail and will include such topics
as OT content and theology, NT content and theology, gifts
of Christ, body of Christ, Church history and the history of
Lutheranism, Christian education, pastoral theology, and
theology of missions.
In addition, the student will participate in several residential and field seminars aimed at cultivating the requisite ministry skills for his specific ministry context (e.g.,
church planters, staff pastors, and evangelists).
• Possible residential seminars might include pastoral formation, issues in pastoral ministry, team ministry, urban
ministry, and spiritual formation.
• Possible field seminars might include basic mission
planter training, edge gathering, and advanced mission
planter training.
The Specific Ministry Pastor Program will utilize selected mentors in the preparation of a man for pastoral
ministry with an emphasis on the area of spiritual formation.
Step 1: Preparation for and Admission to the
Program
The identification of an applicant will be carried out by
the congregation and district through a comprehensive
screening process.
For entry into the program, a student will need to show
that he possesses the requisite social skills and passion for
theology and mission, as well as demonstrating the specific
skills and competence needed to be successful in a distanceeducation program.
For entry into the program, a student will need to pass
the Entry Level Competency Exams (ELCEs) in the areas
of OT, NT, and Catechism/Christian Doctrine. Preparation
for the ELCEs may be accomplished by taking the corresponding district-level courses, Concordia University System or seminary-offered courses. In addition, other courses
within a district’s lay training program may be helpful,
such as courses on evangelizing and catechizing. All students will need to demonstrate competency to engage the
program in the English language and in public speaking.
Based upon completion of the above requirements and
with recommendations from congregation and district, the