LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 228

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228

Seminary and University Education

harvest and to provide the training of qualified pastors for our Synod
congregations; and
Whereas, The SMP program was adopted as an official avenue
for the raising up and education of qualified pastors for our Synod
congregations; and
Whereas, The SMP program is a distance-based, specialized program of theological education thoughtfully developed and offered
by both of our LCMS seminaries and is available to those who are
involved in a ministry site where they will serve as vicars for the first
two years of the program. After successful completion of the first
two years of the program and certification by the seminary faculty,
students are ordained into the Office of the Holy Ministry and then
complete two more years of seminary instruction; and
Whereas, Each SMP student has the approval and support of his
home congregation and the LCMS district in which he serves, with
each SMP student being supervised by an experienced LCMS pastor
during and after his program of study; and
Whereas, The SMP program is already providing well-trained,
biblically grounded, and confessionally committed pastors for the
congregations of the Synod; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Rocky Mountain District of the LCMS, meeting in convention, offer our thanks to the two seminaries of the LCMS
for their diligent work in the development of the excellent SMP education programs at each seminary; and be it further
Resolved, That we offer thanks to God Almighty for the men who
are now serving the Lord and His Church faithfully as pastors in
Synod congregations because of the excellent education and preparation for ministry they have received through the SMP program;
and be it further
Resolved, That the Rocky Mountain District memorialize the 2013
LCMS convention with a resolution that celebrates the above-mentioned benefits and blessings of the SMP program and calls for the
enhancement of the of the SMP program of the LCMS; and be it
finally
Resolved, That the delegates of the 2012 Rocky Mountain District
Convention stand and offer a doxology of praise to Almighty God,
Father, Son, and Spirit for the new pastors who now bless the ministry of our Synod and district as a result of the SMP program.
Rocky Mountain District
5-32

To Encourage Cost Reduction and Additional
Funding for SMP Program
Whereas, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod recognized
the need for specific ministry pastors (SMPs) and passed Resolution
5-01B at the 2007 Synod convention authorizing the creation of the
SMP program; and
Whereas, Many congregations of the Mid-South District have
benefitted from the Word and Sacrament ministry of SMP vicars and
pastors; and
Whereas, Many more congregations could benefit from having a
specific ministry pastor; however, they find it cost-prohibitive; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Mid-South District memorialize the 2013
LCMS convention to appoint a task force to work with both seminaries, the Council of Presidents, and the Board of Directors of the
Synod to reduce costs to the congregations and SMP students and to
seek additional funding for the SMP program.
Mid-South District
2013 Convention Workbook

5-33

To Affirm and Support Specialized Ministry Pastor
(SMP) Program
Whereas, The needs for providing pastoral ministry in specific
and specialized situations where a traditionally prepared seminary
candidate or pastor is not available continue to multiply; and
Whereas, Our Synod needs to find a way to provide for an
increase in pastoral ministry to meet such needs of the Church, especially in light of the mission challenges of today’s world; and
Whereas, Our Synod has resolved to plant 2,000 new congregations by 2017, for which pastors will be needed; and
Whereas, All those who regularly and publicly perform the functions of the Office of the Holy Ministry should do so as those called
to and placed into that office because “[i]t is taught among us that
nobody should publicly teach or preach or administer the sacraments
in the church without a regular call” (AC XIV); and
Whereas, Any way of providing for pastoral ministry must be
faithful to our Lutheran Confessions, faithful to our historic commitment to a well-educated and well-formed ministerium, faithful
to our historic commitment to provide pastors in both academic and
practical tracks, and faithful to our historic commitment to provide
pastoral ministry and leadership at the cutting edges of the mission
fields, wherever they might be; and
Whereas, The SMP program and its development faithfully bring
together and address several issues that have concerned our Synod
for many years as it seeks to
a. find a way to meet the existing and expanding needs for pastoral
ministry, especially in the variety of contexts of mission and ministry in
today’s church;
b. respect our commitment to the doctrine of church and ministry,
especially in light of AC XIV;
c. honor our commitment to responsible theological education that
provides the church with well-educated pastors, who as missional leaders are faithful to Lutheran theology and practice;
d. retain our commitment to the importance, need, and great strengths
of residential pastoral education at both the certificate and M.Div. level,
along with a commitment to the continuing education of all clergy;
e. restore our past creativity in recognizing the importance, need,
and great strengths of alternative models of pastoral education leading
to ordination, including a commitment to continuing education;
f. utilize the advances in educational technology that allow for responsible pastoral education and formation through distance-education
models;
g. develop a more coherent and comprehensive model for pastoral
education by which various routes leading to certification, call, and ordination are coordinated; and
h. be potentially interrelated, so that, for example, a student in a nonresidential certificate route might be able to engage also in a residential
degree program; and

Whereas, The SMP program has provided an opportunity for our
Synod to build on its rich experience in providing faithful theological
education and to coordinate and consolidate programs and curriculum into a more cohesive and comprehensive curriculum design
that engages the best practices of educational design and pedagogy,
including much of the current course materials already proven and
in use; and
Whereas, The process of conversation and collaboration over the
past 20 years of work in developing alternate models of pastoral education (including such programs as SOTEX, DELTO, CCM-Irvine)
has brought together representatives of the needs of the field with the