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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 41

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

Statistics
During the three years prior to this report, 295 colloquy applications were forwarded to the Office of First Vice-President (OFVP)
by the Concordia University Education Network (CUEnet) and the
CUS colloquy directors. Two hundred seventy-two of these were
for teacher colloquy. Teacher colloquy applications increased 67
percent during the third year of the triennium compared with the
second year, with a similar percentage increase in comparison with
the first year of the triennium. As far as the human component of
this great blessing, this can likely be attributed to Set Apart to Serve
efforts, the policy and application overhaul, and great work on the
part of CUEnet and the CUS colloquy directors.

liefs. These areas of study have been specified in the LCMS Bylaws
or the CCCM policy manual since 1960. In addition to these six
core courses, each of the seven colloquy programs also requires
other coursework that is necessary for that particular type of commissioned ministry.
CUEnet is authorized to offer the six core courses online to colloquy students in any of the seven colloquy programs. As far as the
remaining “program-specific” courses, CUEnet offers those only
for teacher colloquy.2 Colloquy students in the other six commissioned colloquy programs must take their program-specific coursework through one of the CUS colleges or universities.

CCCM Composition
The general composition of the CCCM is stipulated in Bylaw
3.10.3.1. Specific members are listed in the Convention Workbook’s
Directory—Officers, Boards, and Commissions of the Synod. This
triennium, Concordia University, Nebraska, President Dr. Bernard
Bull replaced Dr. John Nunes, who resigned in early 2021, and
Concordia University, Irvine, Professor Dr. Cari Chittick was added as a third CUS university faculty member because of a 2023
change to Bylaw 3.10.3.1.

Table 1: Commissioned Colloquy Applications Received
February 2023–January 2026

Colloquy Partners
Though the CCCM “directs” the Synod’s activity in matters of
colloquy (Bylaw 3.10.3.2), it cannot carry out the Synod’s commissioned colloquy programs by itself. Rather, the Synod’s colleges
and universities, assisted by the CUS, are key partners in administering commissioned colloquy programs on behalf of the Synod as
part of their bylaw responsibility for the “preparation of commissioned ministers for service in the Synod” (Bylaw 3.6.6). In doing
so, the Synod’s colleges and universities, as well as the CCCM, rely
on the valuable assistance of CUEnet.
CUEnet was founded in 1996 as a service organization of the
CUS. In 2001, CUEnet began offering the Concordia Online Teacher Colloquy Program. The relationship between CUEnet, the colleges and universities of the Synod, the CCCM, and commissioned
colloquy is explained further at lcms.org/colloquy-ministers-ofreligion-commissioned#cuenet.

Work Performed
The CCCM met 13 times since the writing of its last convention
report—10 times via internet conference, and the three most recent
in person. Going forward, the committee plans to meet in person at
least half of the time. In 2025, the CCCM began using BoardEffect
for its meeting dockets.
Most of our meeting time has consisted of discussion and decisions on policy revisions, though requests for policy exceptions
(or clarifications) have also consumed a fair amount of time. These
requests for exceptions and clarifications have resulted in continuing conversation on recent policy changes with an eye toward a
relatively minor update in the next triennium.

Policy Update
After almost five years of work, the CCCM adopted a significantly revised policy manual on Sept. 30, 2024. Significant features
of this revision include
•

replacing the former pre-requisite for teacher colloquy: “past
or present state certification, or an advanced degree in the
field of education from a regionally accredited institution”
with the following new language: “past completion of an
education program from an accredited institution OR three
years of experience in the field of education;”

•

removing, for the six non-teacher colloquy programs, the
prerequisite that one had to be “trained to do the work of
[that specific type of ministry, e.g., DCE] through an accredited institution that offers an equivalent degree” and replacing it with the prerequisite of “three years of experience in
the field of [that specific type of ministry]” as one way of
giving “evidence of being a competent worker in the field of
[that specific type of ministry],” per Bylaw 3.10.3 (b);

•

clarifying the length of LCMS membership required for colloquy, namely one year prior to application and two years
prior to final interview and certification;

•

requiring applicants and colloquy directors to forward applications to LCMS district offices at the beginning of colloquy
coursework;

As of this writing, the full cost before scholarships for teacher
colloquy through CUEnet is $8,014, which includes the following:
•

$7,792 – tuition for eight courses ($974 per course)

•

$172 – Concordia Electronic Theological Library

•

$50 – endorsement processing

It is important to note, however, that tuition assistance is available through a generous grant that CUEnet has received for the last
several years—a gift that CUEnet anticipates will continue. Currently, the tuition grant for students is just over 40 percent of tuition
costs. In addition, most students also receive financial assistance
from their congregation, school, and district.
A more detailed report from and about CUEnet can be found in
the CUS report (Report R14).

Program of Study
Common to all seven commissioned colloquy programs are six
core courses—Old Testament, New Testament, History of Theology, Lutheran Confessions, Christian Doctrine, and Varieties of Be-

2026 Convention Workbook