LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2007, Page 225

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SEMINARY AND UNIVERSITY EDUCATION “225

WHEREAS, It is unfortunate that such candidates who are trained
and qualified to serve as pastors are forced by their state of limbo to
pursue other careers and are lost as full-time servants in the church;
and

WHEREAS, Such a loss is a great waste of training and of a
human resource that is available to the church; .and

WHEREAS, Such a loss is detrimental to Christ’s mission for His
Church, the mission of making disciples of all nations by baptiz-
ing and teaching them; and

WHEREAS, Such candidates may be willing to be placed into a
congregation once again, as they had been following their semi-
nary training; and

WHEREAS, Such a placement would provide a point in time
when their state of limbo would come to an end; therefore be it

Resolved, That this Synod convention put in place the following:

1. That the names of men who are candidates for the Office of the
Holy Ministry be submitted by their district president to the seminary
placement committees for placement along with seminary graduates,
and
2. That the submission of their names to the seminary placement
committees take place unless a candidate chooses in writing not to have
this done but chooses to have his name continue to be considered along
with all those who are eligible for call.
St. Peter
Swanville, MN

5-35

To Encourage Commitment to Continuing Education
for Clergy

WHEREAS, Those called into the Office of the Holy Ministry are
encouraged by St. Paul to “guard the deposit” of the faith “en-
trusted to them” (1 Tim. 5:20) and “to teach what accords with
sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1); and

WHEREAS, Paul exhorts Timothy and all those who serve in the

pastoral ministry to “fan into flame the gift of God” given through
_ the laying of hands (2 Tim. 1:6); and

WHEREAS, The pastors of the church are called to preach the
Gospel in season and out of season by engaging a constantly
changing world; and

WHEREAS, The cultures that surround the pastor’s ministry are
diverse and continually changing; and

Wuereas, Such change and diversity call for sound and sure
theological moorings upon which to ground pastoral ministry; and

WHEREAS, A pastor, when he graduates from seminary, pos-
sesses a foundation for pastoral ministry but is continually growing
and learning the aptitude and art of service among the people of
God; therefore be it

Resolved, That all LCMS pastors feed their minds and spirits
with the living Word; and be it further

Resolved, That all LCMS pastors engage in an ongoing pattern
of spiritual growth, professional enrichment, and theological edu-
cation; and be it further

Resolved, That all LCMS pastors develop a plan for continuing
theological education on a yearly basis and that the plan be devel-
oped in coordination with congregational leadership and shared
with each pastor’s ecclesiastical supervisor; and be it finally

Resolved, That all LCMS congregations support the continuing
education plans of their pastors by granting requisite study leaves
and by providing financial remuneration to cover the costs incurred
by their pastors for continuing education.

Faculty
Concordia Seminary
St. Louis, MO

5-36
To Promote Continuing Education

Preamble

In the 1960s and early 1970s, Aid Association for Lutherans
provided scholarships to enable pastors to take summer seminary
courses every five years after their graduation. Those who partici-
pated in this program found these courses to be good refreshers and
a way to keep abreast of what was happening theologically.

Resolved, That the seminaries and the Synod attempt to reestab-
lish this opportunity and seek financial assistance to make this a
possibility for pastors who otherwise could not afford taking ad-
vantage of this program; and be it further

Resolved, That all pastors avail themselves of some kind of the-
ological enrichment every year; and be it finally

Resolved, That on the forms district presidents provide calling
congregations, the enrichment courses the pastor has taken be
listed.

Hosanna
Mankato, MN

5-37

To Restore Sacrament to Alumni Gatherings

WHEREAS, Synod schools (colleges and seminaries) offer
alumni gatherings as an important time for alumni reminiscing, re-
lating to one another and their school, refreshment, and renewal in
worship experiences, and relearning the mission of these schools;
and

WuerEAS, The ministry of Word and Sacrament is central to
our Synod’s schools’ mission; therefore be it

Resolved, That we commend our Synod schools in their alumni
gathering efforts and their keeping the ministry of Word and Sacra-
ment central to their mission; and be it further

Resolved, That we encourage them, and especially Concordia
Seminary, St. Louis, to return to the practice of offering the Lord’s
Supper for their alumni at these events.

Resurrection
Coronado, CA

5-38

To Offer Guidelines for Conferring
Honorary Degrees and Awards

Rationale

On May 7, 2005, Concordia University, River Forest, awarded
the Spiritus Christi Medallion award to Dr. Mary Nelson, an advo-
cate of the poor in Chicago and also of the homosexual agenda in
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Dr. Nelson
is on the roster of the Network for Inclusive Vision, a homosexual
advocacy group within the ELCA whose stated purpose is “The
Network provides a public roster of church leaders committed to
witness to the inclusive Gospel of Jesus Christ by fostering the full
inclusion of sexual minorities (i.e., persons who are lesbian, gay,
bi-sexual, or transgendered) in the congregational life and ordained
ministry of the ELCA” (www.inclusivenet.com).

Our Synod President has written to the church regarding homo-
sexuality, affirming a resolution of the 1998 Synod convention
which stated that Lutherans are to “give a public witness in word
and deed to heterosexual marriage as an estate to be held in honor
by all and kept inviolate.” The awarding of the Spirit of Christ
Medallion to one who publicly advocates homosexual marriage and
ordination in the church is not in keeping with the spirit of our
Synod’s position, nor, of course, the Lord and His Holy Word.
President Kieschnick has also written “there are no gray areas in
our church body on this topic. There is no compromise or accom-