LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 238

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cons who do not publicly preach or administer the Sacraments,
namely, those who serve in ministries of mercy, education, or visitation, and so forth, or in an outreach role, assisting in evangelism
and church planting (but not in public preaching and administration of the Sacraments); and be it further
Resolved, That district presidents may continue to recruit, train,
and credential new deacons for general varieties of service in the
church that do not include public preaching and administration
of the Sacraments; and be it further
Resolved, That until Jan. 1, 2018, district presidents may train
and annually license lay deacons to preach publicly and to administer the Sacraments. Beyond that date in exceptional cases, as
defined in (1) and (2) below, the appropriate district president may
annually grant licensure with the consent of the plenary of the
Council of Presidents and the Colloquy Committee for the Pastoral Ministry:
(1) The deacon serves under the direct supervision of an ordained pastor and is currently enrolled in or preparing for
one of the LCMS training tracks for the Office of Public
Ministry and participates in the public ministry as an aspect of his training, e.g., in preparation for SMP, EIIT, etc.);
or
(2) The deacon serves in distinctive aspects of the Office of
Public Ministry (that is, preaching or administration of the
Sacraments) only during times of emergency or extraordinary need (when there is no ordained pastor available or
able to serve), only on a temporary or occasional basis, and
under the direct supervision of an ordained pastor;
and be it further
Resolved, That those deacons currently licensed for and serving in Word and Sacrament Ministry (that is, publicly preaching
and administering the Sacraments) shall have until July 1, 2018, to:
(1) apply to one of our seminaries for admission into an alternate route program;
(2) apply for entrance into an SMP program; or
(3) apply to the regional colloquy committee for admission
to the SMP roster, unless granted a waiver by his district
president, the plenary of the Council of Presidents, and the
appropriate regional colloquy committee;
and be it further
Resolved, That the district president, the plenary of the Council of Presidents, and the regional colloquy committees, in making
decisions related to the three resolves above, shall do so in a fashion that no congregation or current ministry will be forced to close
or discontinue; and be it further
Resolved, That lay deacons licensed for Word and Sacrament
Ministry who have applied for colloquy to the SMP roster prior
to July 1, 2018, shall continue to serve under their current district
licensure until the colloquy process is complete and certification is
given by the Colloquy Committee; and be it further
Resolved, That upon the certification of the Colloquy Committee, the licensed lay deacons will be eligible to be called by the
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U P O N T H I S R O C K • Resolutions

congregations where they have been serving, ordained into the
Office of the Public Ministry, and placed on the roster of SMP pastors; and be it further
Resolved, That as recommended by the Res. 4-06A Task Force,
the LCMS, in partnership with districts, congregations, and individuals, provide funding to ensure that financial constraints will
not prevent any eligible licensed lay deacon from participating in
an LCMS seminary ordination-track program; and be it further
Resolved, That the First Vice-President of the Synod and three
members of the Council of Presidents appointed by the Council be
directed to draft by June 1, 2017, necessary policies and procedures
for the implementation of this resolution, such policies and procedures to be finalized and approved by the Colloquy Committee
for the Pastoral Ministry; and be it finally
Resolved, That the LCMS thank and commend the Res. 4-06A
Task Force for its work on the question of licensed lay deacons.
Action: Adopted (5)
(During discussion, a motion to end debate was introduced but
failed, and discussion continued until the chair tested the will of
the assembly to end debate. Debate was ended, and Res. 13-02A
was adopted as presented [Yes: 809; No: 277].)

To Address Future Church Leadership Needs
in Light of Current and Future Challenges
RESOLUTION 13-03
Reports R62, R64 (CW, pp. 235, 268); Overtures 6-14–15,
13-01–07, 13-09, 13-11–12, 13-14–19, 13-21–24, 13-27–29,
13-31, 13-38–42, 13-50 (CW, pp. 360–362, 437–442, 444–457,
460–461, 464)
Whereas, In its history, the Lutheran Church has in various
ways prepared men for the Office of the Public Ministry; and
Whereas, The church in every era requires pastors who are
“able to teach” (in a manner appropriate to the situation), of good
character (“above reproach”), properly called, faithful to the Scriptures and the Confessions, and recognized by the wider church; and
Whereas, Congregations and missions will continue to experience financial, geographic, and demographic challenges, and the
Synod must address the need to provide the ministry of Word and
Sacrament in such circumstances; and
Whereas, Long-term concerns of mission and ministry have
raised questions about how the divinely instituted pastoral office
may be preserved, while remaining faithful to Scripture and the
Lutheran Confessions even in unique and exceptional circumstances; and
Whereas, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS)
faces a declining pool of candidates for pastoral ministry, while
there is a simultaneous increase in the ethnic diversity of the American population that is not reflected in the current membership of
the Synod; therefore be it
“13. Routes to Ministry”