LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 29

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OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

A.3. Second Career
In the fall of 2024, SAS facilitated journey mapping workshops
at both Synod seminaries with second-career seminarians, and then
also with their wives. Information was gathered to collect information in the stages of awareness, consideration, decision, enrollment,
relocation, and seminary years. For each phase, we explored steps
taken, key questions and decisions, with whom they interacted, and
barriers. Two resources resulted: (1) Next Chapter, New Calling—A
Guide for the Wife of a Potential Second-Career Pastor, and (2)
Talking Points for Encouraging Second-Career Church Work.
In October 2025, SAS partnered with the Colloquy Committee
for Commissioned Ministry and Concordia University Education
Network (CUEnet) to develop a teacher colloquy webinar and “Colloquy 101” resource. Topics included what teacher colloquy is and
what it requires; the personal, spiritual, and classroom benefits of
colloquy; the colloquy process, including requirements, coursework, formats, timing, and financial aid; and next steps and resources for those who are ready to begin the process. From Oct. to Dec.
2025, there were 29 new teacher colloquy starts. See resources.
lcms.org/multimedia/teacher-colloquy-webinar.

A.4. Addressing Barriers
To address the need for ordained and commissioned church
workers, the LCMS must address the barriers to church work formation and recruitment. One primary barrier is awareness. Since its
inception, SAS is working on helping all constituents of the Synod
become more aware of the purpose, need, and action steps of forming and recruiting full-time church workers. Included in this barrier
is helping everyone and every entity on every level in Synod know
they play a significant role in forming and recruiting youth and
adults for full-time church work. These barriers are being addressed
through building a synodwide network of collaborative partnerships, conducting surveys, facilitating pilot and focus groups, and
making full use of the LCMS communications channels and periodicals.
A second barrier is the cost of church worker education. This
barrier has been aggressively addressed throughout the church. Our
Concordia universities and seminaries have made significant progress in making church work programs more affordable. Through
the hard work of our institutions and generosity of their donors, this
barrier has become much more manageable. In addition, Concordia
University System has offered significant church work grants, districts and congregations are granting church work scholarships, and
families and students are making choices to make church work education manageable. Concordia university and seminary costs can be
viewed at lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.
A third barrier is around worker wellness. Current ordained and
commissioned church workers and parents have consistently shared
their reluctance to encourage our youth to consider full-time church
work around the worker wellness issue. A significant component to
this issue is how we treat one another as the baptized in Christ and
how we regard servants of Christ and His Word. SAS is collaborating with LCMS Worker Wellness as it engages a year-long pilot
project. This pilot is focused on how we help congregations care
for their workers in compensation, health care, time off, boundaries,
and more. Next steps include messaging to congregations, collaborating with district presidents, and more. However, in recruitment
conversations, many people do not realize how congregations care
for their church workers in addition to salary. Congregations also
provide excellent health care through Concordia Plans. Also, there

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is housing allowance (or parsonage), an excellent pension, and
time flexibility for the worker and his family.

A.5. Impact
SAS measures impact in several ways. One measurement of impact is the overall awareness of the intentional culture the Synod
is developing through SAS. The awareness of SAS has risen from
54 percent in 2021 to 91 percent in 2025. Among commissioned
workers, awareness has risen from 39 to 91 percent. Among lay
leaders, awareness has risen from 26 to 53 percent.
Through SAS, there is also an increase in the percentage of
intentional conversations influential adults are having with youth
about considering a full-time church work vocation. The proportion of laypeople having intentional church-work conversations
with youth increased from 19 to 30 percent from 2023 to 2025.
The proportion of commissioned workers having such conversations increased from 59 to 74 percent in the same period. Among
ordained ministers, these conversations increased from 74 to 83
percent.
In the 2025 district conventions, 16 out of the 35 districts adopted specific SAS (church work recruitment) resolutions. In these
resolutions, six districts adopted having a specific SAS district focus group (committee), encouraging congregations to do the same.
Eleven districts adopted their schools using the CPH SAS curriculum. Seven districts adopted specific measures to increase worker
wellness and compensation across the district. In addition, all 35
districts are partnering with SAS in various ways including district
education executive focus groups, circuit visitor focus groups, focus groups with districts developing an SAS committee/focus, and
a second-career teacher advertisement pilot. In addition, district
personnel provide names and contact information for pilots with
school principals, parents, youth, and lay leaders.
The Concordia universities and seminaries are doing excellent
recruitment work and making church work programs more affordable. Through their efforts, within a synodwide SAS culture, we
are realizing an increase in students enrolled in our church work
programs. Enrollment in pre-seminary programs in our Concordia
universities increased from 136 in 2022 to 174 in 2025. Lutheran
teacher enrollment increased from 354 to 402 in the same period.
With the addition of the new classical education program in three
of our Concordia universities, Lutheran education enrollment is
415. DCE enrollment increased from 85 to 93. Director of parish
music decreased from 32 to 28, which we are striving to increase.
Deaconess enrollment at CUC and the two seminaries increased
from 81 in 2022 to 101 in 2025. Seminary enrollment (in all pastoral routes) increased from 571 to 586 in the same period. With
pre-seminary enrollment increasing, and men entering the seminary from other undergraduate institutions, we are expecting seminary enrollments to increase accordingly.

A.6. Resources
Resources have impact only if they are used. Through our pilot projects, surveys, and partnerships across the Synod, SAS has
developed several excellent, user-friendly resources for pastors,
commissioned workers, parents and families, laity, youth, and
districts to form and recruit youth and adults for full-time church
work. Resources developed over the last year include Forming a
Congregation SAS Focus Team (committee), Forming a District
SAS Focus Team (committee), Helping Parents Prepare Youth for
Church Work Vocations, Next Chapter: New Calling—A Guide
for the Wife of a Potential Second-Career Pastor, Second Career
2026 Convention Workbook