LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 28

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28

SYNOD REPORTS

Seminary Development

Pastoral formation has historically taken place in residential seminaries. This model was replicated on the foreign mission field on
seminary campuses built and sustained by mission funding from
America. OIM will continue to support foreign seminaries with special attention given to regional seminaries that serve both the local
church and international students from other Lutheran churches. For
example, The Lutheran Seminary in Togo (CLET) serves Frenchspeaking students from Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Cote
D’Ivoire; the Lutheran Seminary in Matongo, Kenya (NEEMA) draws
students from Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, etc.; Seminario Concordia in
Argentina serves Spanish-speaking students from 12 Latin American
countries. Pastoral formation also encompasses a variety of distance
and alternative educational programs.
Continuing Education

In many mission fields, “necessity” has led to pastors with inadequate theological education being prematurely ordained. As a result,
there is a crucial need for continuing education. There is a great desire
among most indigenous pastors for ongoing education, best organized
through the local seminary.
Seminary Libraries

Building a good theological library is essential to creating a good
seminary. Over the years many libraries have been built. This has
required a great investment of time and money. Where English is the
language of instruction, the task is easier. Where instruction is only
in the indigenous language, the challenges are magnified, particularly
where the local language lacks a sophisticated scientific or theological capacity. Over the past 12 months, the Director of Theological
Education has worked closely with the Director of Library Services
at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, to assess the conditions and needs of Lutheran libraries. The result is the creation of the
Chemnitz Library Initiative (CLI), a partnership of CTS, the Office
of the President, and the International Lutheran Council. The purpose of the CLI is to strengthen confessional Lutheran seminaries by
providing materials, expertise, and training in theological librarianship. Textbook and electronic/online resources are being developed
to support the curriculum, students, professors, and church at large.
Fiscal Challenges

Maintaining quality residential seminaries is a costly endeavor.
Building the campus is the easiest part of establishing a residential
seminary. It is more difficult to provide ongoing support for maintenance, utilities, salaries for professors and staff, and tuition and
living expenses for students—many of whom are married students
with families. It often takes generations for new churches in developing countries to take full financial ownership.
International Studies in LCMS Seminaries

Faculty development at Lutheran seminaries around the world
requires bringing the brightest and best for graduate studies at the
Synod’s seminaries, costing approximately $30–35,000 per year for
each student. To support this crucial enterprise, President Matthew
Harrison has established the Global Seminary Initiative (GSI) to raise
funds that will enable our seminaries to provide scholarships to international students. A portion of the GSI budget is also used to send
LCMS professors for short-term teaching assignments at Lutheran
seminaries around the world.
LCMS Disaster Response

LCMS Disaster Response is focused on sharing moments of mercy
that change lives for an eternity through mercy ministry done in close
proximity to Word and Sacrament. Congregation-based disaster
2013 Convention Workbook

response and relief involves working in a collaborative, cooperative, and coordinated manner with LCMS districts, congregations,
worldwide partner churches and other faith-based groups, as well as
governmental and nongovernmental agencies—all to meet the relief
and recovery needs of local communities affected by disasters and
tragedy.
Over the past triennium, LCMS Disaster Response was actively
engaged nationally in response to the massive flooding and/or tornados in South Dakota, North Dakota, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas,
Indiana, and Missouri, as well as an extensive ongoing response to
the widespread destruction caused by Superstorm Sandy along the
entire Eastern seaboard of the U.S. LCMS Disaster Response staff
was also on scene offering assistance and pastoral care following the
tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut.
Internationally, LCMS Disaster Response has engaged in numerous disaster relief and recovery efforts worldwide, with five major
emphases providing aid and assistance in the Philippines, Japan, Haiti,
Chile, and New Zealand. Other regions around the world also received
financial or technical assistance (Thailand, Cambodia, Kenya, DR
Congo, Liberia, India, Guatemala, Cuba, Panama, and Mexico).
In support of these efforts, LCMS Disaster Response provides
appropriate training in disaster preparedness and volunteering to congregations, districts, regional areas, and partner churches. Backed by
donors from the LCMS, over $20 million in aid and assistance were
provided to those in need during this triennium.
Message from Executive Director Randall Golter
Office of International Missions

The Church exists to receive and distribute the Lord’s gifts to
the world. Right now, Missouri is engaged in 33 countries (this does
count short-term mission teams). May it be each and every country!
Thirty-three is too low! The Lord has given to the LCMS the pure
doctrine. He has given His doctrine not only to the LCMS but to many
confessional Lutheran churches around the world. We should not be
arrogant but with all boldness “speak of what we have seen and heard”
(Acts 4:26). It’s really not about us; we’re big sinners, really big sinners. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has many weaknesses.
But, the Lord has given us His Word. Dare we hide or keep it under
a basket? May it never be! Churches around the world are looking
to Missouri for confessional strength and training. This is a privilege
and a great responsibility! We must speak, train, and send missionaries. It’s not about us but about the Lord and His tender mercies to
us and to all.
Closing thought: Only one thing is needed in the Church, and that
is the very life-giving evangelical truth alone! Therefore, the Church
must not let bureaucracy or aberrant teaching or sluggishness or anything get in the way of His Word proclaimed, applied, washed, and
distributed to hungry souls, bodies, and mouths.
Come with us to preach Christ to your region and to the world!
Frankly, the healthiest Church is one which is continually looking out to the salvation and welfare of the lost!
“What can we do to preserve the Gospel? This treasure grows
while it is spent. It becomes our most cherished possession if we
give it away” (Herman Sasse, “Church Government and Theology,”
Lutheran Theological Journal, August 1972, 37–44).
Pastoral Education
The area of Pastoral Education plans, promotes, and coordinates
pastoral education in order to provide healthy, well-trained clergy
for the LCMS.