LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 419

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) Task Force

2.

3.

4.

5.

teach or preach or administer the sacraments in the church without a
regular call” (AC XIV). As it is true that means of grace, the Gospel
and the Sacraments, are the rightful possession of all believers in
Christ as members of the priesthood of all believers, only the one
Office of the Holy Ministry is entrusted with the public exercise of
these means. As such, we affirm that only those who are rightly and
publicly called and ordained should publicly exercise the functions
which are entrusted to this ministry.
Lutherans affirm that there is only one Office of the Holy Ministry,
established by God for the public conduct of the ministry of Word and
Sacrament. However, the church may recognize certain distinctions
within that one Office of the Holy Ministry and establish degrees of
supervision without undermining the unity of the office.
• All those who serve Christ and the church in the Office of the
Holy Ministry exercise de iure divino (by divine authority) the
power to preach the Gospel, forgive sins, administer the Sacraments, and exercise church discipline. There is no distinction
within the one office with respect to this power and authority.
• Nevertheless, all ministers serve under supervision. In ancient
times, the practice of making certain 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.
• 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.
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.
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.
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.
2.
3.

Curricular goals based on outcome competencies appropriate to the
stages of the program
The contextual nature of this educational model, which includes experiential learning within a mission context
The engagement of supervisors/mentors by the seminary in consultation with the district president as a critical element of the distance
education model

419

4. A combination of distance education and residential components
(likely through short-term seminars and 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 distance education 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 student’s application will be presented to the admissions committee of the seminary
for action. As part of the application process, each student, sponsoring congregation, and district will sign a covenant of commitment
to complete the entire specific ministry pastor curriculum, including
all coursework and seminars following examination and ordination.
Step 2: Preordination Curriculum

Upon entrance into the Specific Ministry Pastor Program, the student will be assigned as a vicar in a specific locality but normally will
not be authorized to administer the Sacraments. He will preach sermons prepared in collaboration with and approved by his supervisor.
At this point, he will participate in courses and seminars comparable
2013 Convention Workbook