LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 421

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Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) Task Force
of able and effective pastors to provide leadership to Synod’s congregations in fulfilling the Great Commission”; and
Whereas, In carrying out this further task, it was apparent that
a.
b.

c.

d.

the existing focus of DELTO, even as it was redesigned and redeployed, would not be sufficient to meet these needs;
the Synod would benefit from a more coherent and comprehensive
approach to pastoral preparation and certification for ministry in specialized and specific contexts;
the past years have provided the church, in general, and the seminaries, in particular, with substantial experimentation and experience
with distance education models, including the evaluation of both the
advantages and disadvantages; and
the Synod is presented with an opportunity to build on such experience 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 six years has brought together representatives of the needs of the
field with the entities of the Synod to whom leadership for pastoral
education and certification is entrusted, and in so doing provided a
helpful model for continuing such collaborative work; and
Whereas, Both seminaries have provided leadership in this process and worked together on written documents affirming the need
for a new category within the one office of the pastoral ministry and
in affirming an educational process that will lead to certification and
ordination for such pastoral ministry, utilizing both traditional residential components along with new distance education models; and
Whereas, The DELTO Oversight Committee in seeking to fulfill its further task has
a.

b.

worked closely with both seminaries in honing a proposal for a category of specific ministry pastor and an education and formation
program that will lead to certification and ordination for such pastoral ministry; and has
worked closely also with many other constituencies throughout the
church in developing this proposal, including the Board for Pastoral
Education, the Council of Presidents, district and Synod mission leaders, and pastors in the field; and

Whereas, The great strengths of this proposal bring together 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; and
g. develop a more coherent and comprehensive model for pastoral education by which various routes leading to certification, call, and
ordination are coordinated and 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 Specific Ministry Pastor Program has the support
of the Board for Pastoral Education, the faculties of both seminaries,
and the Council of Presidents; and

421

Whereas, The Specific Ministry Pastor Program has been
reviewed by the Commission on Theology and Church Relations and
was found to be consistent with Scripture and the Confessions; and
Whereas, The Commission on Constitutional Matters has
issued opinions 07-2499 and 07-2500 that no changes to Synod’s
Constitution are required should this resolution be adopted; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Specific Ministry Pastor Program be adopted
in principle and the seminaries, Board for Pastoral Education, and
Council of Presidents be authorized to implement it; And be it further
Resolved, That Bylaw sections 2.13 and 2.14 of the Handbook of
the Synod be amended accordingly, as follows:
PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
(A) Change the title of Bylaw section 2.13 to read as follows:
2.13 Restricting, Suspending, and Expelling Congregations or Individuals from Membership Status and Limitations
(B) Incorporate current Bylaws 2.13.1 and 2.13.2 into Bylaw 2.14.1 as
follows:
• Current Bylaw 2.13.1 becomes Bylaw 2.14.1
• Current Bylaw 2.13.2 becomes Bylaw 2.14.1 (a)
• Current Bylaw 2.14.1 becomes Bylaw 2.14.1 (b)
The early paragraphs of Bylaw section 2.14 therefore to read as follows:
2.14 Expulsion of Congregations or Individuals from Membership in the Synod

Preamble
2.13.1
2.14.1 Termination of membership in the Synod is a serious matter involving both the doctrine and life of those to whom it has been granted.
Such action should only be taken as a final step when it is clear that
those who are being terminated after previous futile admonition have
acted contrary to the confession laid down in Article II or the conditions of membership laid down in Article VI or have persisted in
offensive conduct (Constitution, Art. XIII 1). For this reason the
Synod establishes procedures for such action including the identification of those who are responsible for ecclesiastical supervision of
its members. Such supervision includes not only suspension or termination of membership but also advice, counsel, encouragement,
and, when necessary, admonition regarding teaching and/or practice. Furthermore, the procedures that may lead to termination of
membership also provide for the protection of members by including
provisions for challenging the decisions of ecclesiastical supervisors
in these matters as well as provisions for restoration of membership
that has been suspended or terminated.

General
2.13.2 (a) Although the Constitution (see Art. VI 3 and Art. XII 7–8) deals
with the “life” of ordained and commissioned ministers of the Synod
and provides for dealing with “ungodly life” of ordained and commissioned ministers, this does not suggest that the Synod, including any
district of the Synod, has the duty or even an opportunity to observe
the activities in the life of an individual member of the Synod or has
the means or authority to regulate, restrict, or control those activities. The only remedy available to the Synod in response to improper
activities in the life of such a member of the Synod is, as is true with
respect to violations of other conditions of membership or is otherwise
appropriate under the Constitution or these Bylaws, and following
the procedures set forth in these Bylaws, to take such action as may
lead to termination of that membership and the attendant rights and
privileges.
2.14.1 (b) The action to commence expulsion of a congregation or individual from membership in the Synod is the sole responsibility of the
district president who has the responsibility for ecclesiastical supervision of such member. This Bylaw section 2.14, among others,

2013 Convention Workbook