LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 168

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service in the public teaching of God’s Word and administration
of the Holy Sacraments; and (3) he be ordained into this office by
the appropriate district president or his representative according
to the order of the church; and be it further
Resolved, That where a man does the work of the holy ministry
(AC V), he have a “proper public call” by examination and certification, call, and ordination; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod receive this resolution in the spirit of
Friedrich Wyneken (second LCMS President): “This office is not
about concealing from the so-called laity its sovereignty, patronizing it, and defining ever more narrowly the boundaries within
which it may move. It does not clip its rights, limit its heart, close
its lips, [or] reduce it to timidity that it remain nice-looking and
subject and not dare in any way to impinge upon the sovereignty of
the educated and well-reasoned pastor. In short, the office does not
consist in suppression of the laity in order to elevate the clergy at
the laity’s expense. … The dignity, the desire, and the joy of the true
co-worker of God is to draw ever more his community of believers into their freedom and its worthy use, to encourage them and
lead them ever more in the exercise of their rights, to show them
how to exercise their duties that they be more and more convinced
of their high calling and that they demonstrate that they are ever
more worthy of that calling” (Friedrich Wyneken, At Home in the
House of My Fathers, p. 366).
Action: Adopted (4)
(After its introduction and discussion, Res. 6-02 was adopted as
presented [Yes: 875; No: 177].)

work of our seminaries to train future pastors, as well as the careful work of our Colloquy Committee. We want men who love Jesus,
whose hearts have been transformed by the Holy Spirit so that they
also love people. We want men who are fiercely loyal to their Savior and to His Body, the Church. But we want these men to be
thoroughly trained in biblical truth as well as other necessary disciplines for the task” (R64, p. 268); and
Whereas, The Synod has been blessed by the graduates of the
master of divinity programs at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne; and
Whereas, The 2013 Res. 5-14A Task Force report states, “The
most complete means of preparing a man for the general responsibilities of the pastoral office and a lifetime of service is the master
of divinity route at our two seminaries. This full residential experience has always been our ‘gold standard’ for pastoral formation”
(R64, p. 271); therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention affirm that the most
complete means of preparing a man for the general responsibilities of the pastoral office and a lifetime of service is the residential
master of divinity route at the Synod’s seminaries; and be it further
Resolved, That men aspiring to the noble task of pastor be
encouraged by the Synod in convention to apply for admission to
the master of divinity programs at the Synod’s seminaries; and be
it finally
Resolved, That the Synod in convention urge all members of
Synod and members of Synod congregations to encourage men to
study in the master of divinity programs of the Synod’s seminaries.
Action: Adopted (7)

To Affirm the Master of Divinity Route
at the Synod’s Seminaries
RESOLUTION 6-03

(Res. 6-03, Res. 6-04, Res. 6-05, and Res. 6-06 were, without
objection from the assembly, bundled together and introduced by
the committee as a single proposed action. After debate, Res. 6-03,
Res. 6-04, Res. 6-05, and Res. 6-06 were adopted as presented [single action by hand vote].)

Report R64 (CW, pp. 268–296); Overture 6-10 (CW, pp.
359–360)
Whereas, Our Lord said, “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to
send out laborers into His harvest” (Luke 10:2), and the apostle
Paul wrote, “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a
noble task” (1 Tim. 3:1); and
Whereas, The 2013 Res. 5-14A Task Force Report states,
“The New Testament passages listing qualifications for the pastoral office focus mainly on the character of the man proposed for
the office (‘above reproach, husband of one wife, sober minded,
self-controlled, respectable,’ etc. [1 Tim. 3:2ff]). The one theological requirement in that section is that the man be ‘able to teach.’ He
must ‘keep a close watch on himself and on the teaching’ (1 Tim.
4:16). He must be ‘able to give instruction in sound doctrine and
also to rebuke those who contradict it’ (Titus 1:9). Character and
the ability to teach and to hand the doctrine on to others are the
qualifications Scripture looks for. These high standards apply to
each of the various means by which the church recruits and trains
pastors from her midst. Here is scriptural rationale supporting the
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U P O N T H I S R O C K • Resolutions

“6. Seminaries”