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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 423

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) Task Force
To Address Licensed Lay Deacons

423

ADDENDUM B (Specific Ministry Pastor [SMP] Final Report)

RESOLUTION 5-02

The Specific Ministry Pastor Program

Overtures 5-11–12 (CW, pp. 216–217)

Whereas, 1989 Res. 3-05B, “To Adopt Recommendations of
Lay Worker Study Committee Report as Amended,” which authorized lay men to serve in Word and Sacrament ministry in certain
circumstances as licensed lay deacons, was never intended to serve
as an alternate route into the pastoral office; and
Whereas, The need for such licensed lay deacons may still
be present in those relatively rare and unusual situations where
no ordained pastor is available, “lest God’s people be deprived of
the opportunity for corporate worship and the celebration of the
Sacraments” (Convention Proceedings, 1989, p. 112); therefore be it
Resolved, That the Board for Pastoral Education and the Council
of Presidents be requested to study the situations currently served
by licensed lay deacons to determine whether there continues to be
a genuine need for this program within the Synod and to present a
report with recommendations to the 2010 convention of the Synod.
Action: Adopted (9)
(After the committee chairman reported that Committees 3 and
5 had harmonized their nearly identical resolutions according to the
text of Res. 5-02, the resolution was introduced for consideration. A
substitute motion was offered: “Resolved, That all laymen licensed by
synodical or district programs to conduct word and sacrament ministry be enrolled in the specific ministry pastor program by August
1, 2009, or such licensure shall be rescinded.” The assembly voted
not to consider the substitute resolution, and discussion continued
until a motion was introduced to amend the resolution by replacing the second and third paragraphs with the following: “Whereas,
The need for such licensed lay deacons continues to be crucial and
necessary, ‘lest God’s people be deprived of the opportunity for corporate worship and the celebration of the Sacraments’ (Convention
Proceedings, 1989, p. 112); therefore be it Resolved, That the Board
for Pastoral Education and the Council of Presidents be requested to
study the situations currently served by licensed lay deacons, and to
present that report with recommendations at the 2010 convention of
the Synod.” The chair ruled this to be a substitute resolution, and the
assembly voted not to consider it. An amendment was introduced to
add the following words to the resolve following the word “Synod”:
“and additionally, to study this program as it relates to Augustana
XIV.” The motion to amend failed, leaving Res. 5-02 without amendment. An amendment was proposed to add a resolve paragraph before
the existing resolve paragraph as follows: “Resolved, That the Board
for Pastoral Education be encouraged to develop financial incentives for licensed lay deacons to enroll in the Specific Ministry Pastor
Program (SMPP); and be it further.” This proposed amendment also
failed, and the resolution was adopted as presented by the committee [Yes: 948; No: 202].)

A White Paper
Presented to
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
by
The Specific Ministry Pastor Committee
of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
March 15, 2012
Introduction

The Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) Committee of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) is pleased to provide this White
Paper to serve as an accurate source of data concerning the SMP program. In doing so, the SMP Committee intends to offer a service to
the LCMS as discussions concerning the SMP program take place
throughout the Synod. As a White Paper, this document is designed to
provide data in an objective manner without forming conclusions or
suggesting reactions that the reader should have to the data presented.
While seeking to provide data that is meaningful and helpful in
addressing SMP-related topics being discussed in the Synod, the SMP
Committee acknowledges that it cannot anticipate every question
or issue that may be raised. Yet, the SMP Committee is pleased to
respond to requests for additional data not provided in this document,
assuming those requests are realistic given the limited staff and budget resources available. Any such requests should be directed to the
chair of the committee.
Background Information

The 2007 Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
(LCMS) passed Resolution 5-01B, “To Establish Specific Ministry
Pastor Program,” (see Appendix 1) by a vote of 908 in favor to 287
opposed (76% in favor). The resolution stipulated: “That the Specific
Ministry Pastor [SMP] Program be adopted in principle and the seminaries, Board for Pastoral Education, and Council of Presidents be
authorized to implement it.” The Convention adopted the SMP program in principle because the specifics of the program, including
admission policies and procedures, curriculum, and many other
details were non-existent at the time the Convention met. These items
would be developed during the months following the Convention with
a goal of having the first SMP students enrolled in the fall of 2008.
Res. 5-01B also contained a reporting mandate: “That the Specific
Ministry Pastor Committee submit a progress report to the Synod at
least nine months prior to the 2010 convention.” This mandate was
added to the original resolution through an amendment offered from
the floor of the Convention. It is in compliance with this reporting
mandate, contained in Res. 5-01B, that the SMP Committee provided
a report to the church (via the Web site of the former LCMS Board
for Pastoral Education) in October 2009.
SMP Committee Meetings and Members

Following the 2007 LCMS Convention, the SMP Committee met
five times: September 12 and December 12 of 2007, February 15,
2008, and February 20 and September 18–19 of 2009. The Committee
is comprised of the following members:

2013 Convention Workbook