LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 404

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404

Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) Task Force

edified in Christ and equipped for the church’s mission in the world. The
pastor stands in the place of Christ in his relation to the people of God.
He is entrusted by God through the call of the church with the responsibility of expounding and proclaiming the Word of God, of administering
the Sacraments, and of exercising supervision of the flock over which
the Holy Spirit has made him overseer (cf. Acts 20:28; Heb. 13:17).

Perhaps no passage better underscores the significance and glory
of the Office of the Holy Ministry than the Old Testament lesson
appointed for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost that was recently
read in many Synod congregations. Speaking through His prophet, the
Lord chastises those who were to be caring for His people: “You have
scattered My flock and driven them away, and you have not attended
to them.” He then describes what is to be the true nature of the Office
of the Holy Ministry: “I will set shepherds over them who will care
for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall
any be missing” (Jeremiah 23:1–6, emphases added).
The Office of the Holy Ministry was instituted by the Lord of the
Church to care for His flock, making it the most important responsibility in the world. This understanding of this office, the “Glorious
Office of the Holy Ministry,” now provides the context for the following discussion of the SMP program.
II. Process Used to Carry Out Assignment
In response to the President’s assignment and with his series of
questions in mind, the task force met six times over the past seven
months, one of the meetings via conference call, two of the meetings
on the campuses of the Synod’s seminaries.
With staff assistance from Dr. Glen Thomas, Executive Director
of the Synod’s Office of Pastoral Education, the task force gathered
information regarding the SMP program and related topics, beginning with the resolutions of the Synod leading up to the action of the
2007 convention that initiated the SMP program. The task force carefully examined 2007 convention Res. 5-01B “To Establish Specific
Ministry Pastor Program” and Res. 5-02 “To Address Licensed Lay
Deacons” (attached to this report as Addendum A, pp. 37ff.). It also
reviewed video tapes of the presentation of the resolution to the 2007
convention. For objective information regarding the SMP program
since its inception until the present, the task force relied on the March
15, 2012 “White Paper” prepared and distributed by the Specific
Ministry Pastor Committee (attached as Addendum B, pp. 44ff.).
For additional information and opinion, the task force obtained
input from those most closely involved in the SMP program:
• Direct input from eight (8) current members of the Specific Ministry
Pastor (SMP) Committee;
• In-person conversations with seven (7) members of the Fort Wayne
seminary faculty and staff most closely involved with the SMP
program;
• In-person conversations with six (6) members of the St. Louis seminary faculty and staff most closely involved with the SMP program;
• Documents and other materials prepared by the seminaries to explain
and promote the SMP program to the Council of Presidents, prospective participants, and the general public;
• Conversations with or email input from eleven (11) district presidents
with SMP program participants in their districts;
• Conversations with or email input from numerous supervising pastors
(mentors) of SMP program participants;
• Conversations with or email input from numerous SMP participants
at all class levels.

Task force members also prepared personally for this assignment
by reading books and articles germane to the subject, including:
• “A Letter from C.F.W. Walther to Jacob Aall Ottesen.” Trans. William
M. Cwirla. Concordia Journal 18, 1992;

2013 Convention Workbook

• “A Proposal to Address Needs for Pastoral Ministry in Specialized
Situations.” Paper prepared by L. Dean Hempelmann in response to
2001 Res. 3-08B;
• “A Tale of Two Seminaries.” Jackson W. Carroll, Barbara G. Wheeler,
Daniel O. Aleshire, and Penny Long Marler. Christian Century,
February 1997;
• “Absent in Body: Is Spiritual Formation Possible in Online Christian
Education?” Stephen D. Lowe and Mary E. Lowe. Christianity Today,
May 2010;
• Being There—Culture and Formation in Two Theological Schools.”
Jackson W. Carroll, Barbara G. Wheeler, Daniel O. Aleshire, and
Penny Long Marler. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997;
• Christ’s Church: Her Biblical Roots, Her Dramatic History, Her
Saving Presence, Her Glorious Future. Bo Giertz, trans. Hans Andr.
Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2010;
• Christian Dogmatics. Francis Pieper. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing
House, 1950;
• Church and Ministry: The Collected Papers of the 150th Anniversary
Theological Convocation of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
Jerald C. Joerz and Paul T. McCain, eds. LCMS Office of the President,
1998;
• “Costs for Online Education Versus Residential.” Get Educated
Consumer Reporting Team. GetEducated.com (2011);
• “Duties of an Evangelical Synod.” At Home in the House of My
Fathers: Presidential Sermons, Essays, Letters, and Addresses from
the Missouri Synod’s Great Era of Unity and Growth. C.F.W. Walther
1829. Trans. Matthew Harrison. Lutheran Legacy, 2009;
• Earthen Vessels: Hope Reflections on the Work and Future of
Theological Schools. Daniel O. Aleshire. Grand Rapids, Michigan:
William B. Eerdmans, 2008;
• Ecclesiastes. James Bollhagen. St. Louis, Missouri: Concordia
Publishing House, 2011;
• Educating Clergy: Teaching Practices and Pastoral Imagination.
Charles R. Foster, Lisa Dahill, Larry Golemon, Barbara Wang
Tolentino, Lee S. Shulman, William M. Sullivan. JB Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 2006;
• “Employers Weigh In on How They View Online Degrees.” Sarah
Baraba. Metro St. Louis Suburban Journals, July 30, 2012;
• “Evangelism in the Early Church.” William C. Weinrich. Concordia
Theological Quarterly 45 (April 1981);
• God’s Potters: Pastoral Leadership and the Shaping of Congregations
(Pulpit and Pew). Jackson W. Carroll. Grand Rapids, Michigan:
William B. Eerdmans, 2006;
• Luther’s Works Vol. 26. Jaroslav Pelikan, ed. St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1974;
• “Pastors Who Play God.” Timothy Saleska. Concordia Journal 31
(2005);
• Preaching to Young Theologians: Sermons of Robert Preus. Klemet
Preus. Luther Academy Publishing, 2010;
• “Preparation of Commissioned Lay Pastors—A Study of the Features
of Representative Programs.” Barbara G. Wheeler. New York: Auburn
Center for the Study of Theological Education, 2008;
• “Presbytery Survey About Commissioned Lay Pastors.” Research
Services, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Louisville, Kentucky, 2007;
• “Ready to Lead?—The Problems with Lay Pastors.” Barbara Wheeler.
Christian Century, July 2010;
• Reclaiming Patterns of Pastoral Ministry: Jesus and Paul. Jonathan
Grothe. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1988;
• “Rethinking Theological Education Again.” Phyllis Anderson. ELCA
Website, January/February 2010;
• “Sanctification in Lutheran Theology.” Concordia Theological
Quarterly 49 (1985);
• “Strategies for God-Talk in a Pluralistic Society.” Witness and Worship
in Pluralistic America. Charles Arand. St. Louis: Concordia Seminary,
2003;