LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 69

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OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS
Despite claims to the contrary, the Lutheran faculty of LHOS are not “confessional” Lutherans in the
sense that LCMS has typically understood the term. Confessional Lutheranism, as understood by the
LCMS, is undergirded by (a) confessing the verbal inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, and therefore both
their inerrancy (errorlessness) and their infallibility (their inability to mislead or to fail to accomplish that
which they set out to do); (b) subscribing the entire Book of Concord of 1580 as a correct exposition of
the verbally inspired, inerrant and infallible Scriptures, still determinative of doctrine and practice.
LHOS faculty have varied roster status. Chris Croghan, LHOS’s chief academic officer, was educated as an
undergraduate at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, holds the M.Div. and Ph.D. from Luther Seminary
(ELCA) in St. Paul, Minn., and is rostered in the ELCA. 13 CEO Sarah Stenson is a Lutheran, but holds the
M.Div. from Sioux Falls Seminary (Baptist, now Kairos University); she is rostered in the LCMC with
significant NALC ties. 14 Lars Olson, director of pastoral formation, is rostered in the ELCA; his wife also
serves as a pastor. 15 Despite protestations to the contrary (and even the ELCA ordination vows) and
based on the clear evidence of breaking with Scripture on the ordination of women, none of the faculty
hold a quia subscription to the Lutheran Confessions 16 nor do they uphold the verbal inspiration and
inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures. They cite as their favorite work of theology a book by Gerhard Forde, 17
which is telling given the significant departures of Forde-esque theology from Confessional Lutheranism,
as the LCMS has traditionally understood it.

Curriculum
Transcripts from Kairos/Luther House of Study are markedly different from those of institutions, showing
little concern for academic and theological rigor. With one exception, the transcript shows no credits and
no grades; students may meet the requirements for a competency without taking the accompanying
coursework. The confusing nature of the transcripts makes it nearly impossible to understand what a
student has learned.
Overview
Despite these difficulties, the curriculum does have a shape. It groups readings and written assignments
under the nine competencies. Competency assessment seems to be built into the curriculum on the
basis of a fairly standard pattern of written assignments: Students may choose one of a handful of
parish-level writing assignments, such as a series of five 75- to 100-word bulletin inserts summarizing the
four Gospels and Acts, or five 300-word newsletter articles that give an overview of the four Gospels and
Acts, or a Bible study lesson plan to cover the four Gospels and Acts. The assignment for what appears to
“Chris Croghan,” kairos.edu/faculty/chris-croghan, accessed Feb. 9, 2026; Rostered Ministers Results for
“Croghan,” accessed Feb. 10, 2026.
14
“Sarah Stenson,” kairos.edu/faculty/sarah-stenson, accessed Feb. 9, 2026.
15
“Get to know the Luther House of Study staff,” lutherhouseofstudy.org/get-to-know-the-luther-house-of-studystaff, accessed Feb. 9, 2026.
16
A quia subscription to the Lutheran Confessions indicates that the one who subscribes them does so because
they are a correct exposition of Holy Scripture. Conversely, there are Lutherans who hold a quatenus subscription
— a subscription that indicates they accept the teaching of the Lutheran Confessions only to the extent they feel
the Lutheran Confessions accurately represent the teachings of Scripture. While there are numerous varieties of
quatenus subscription, they all tend to fall into one of two varieties. In the first variety, the subscriber holds a
different confession than that of the Lutheran Confessions on one or more points; in the second variety, the
subscriber verbally assents to the Lutheran Confessions (quia subscription) but teaches and allows teaching and
practices that deviate from Lutheran Confessions.
17
“Get to know the Luther House of Study staff,” lutherhouseofstudy.org/get-to-know-the-luther-house-of-studystaff, accessed Feb. 9, 2026.
13

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be academic assessment is a 750- to 1000-word treatment of a passage from the Gospels or Acts. 18 The
assignments are at best appropriate for an undergraduate survey course on the New Testament. This
level of appropriation of theological content is found throughout the curriculum.
Finally, each of the nine competencies are measured by a “master assessment.” In the case of
competency two, which focuses on the Bible, students submit two sermons, one on the Old, one on the
New Testament, for evaluation. The sermons may be written out or recorded. Presumably the three
mentors come to an agreement, or at least vote, on whether the sermons demonstrate competency. 19
It is difficult to see how the ability to engage in close, critical reading is engendered by this curriculum.
Reading Assignments
Perhaps the most distressing element of the curriculum, besides its low expectations for the level at
which theology is to be grasped, is the reading list. While punctuated here and there by LCMS authors
and Luther, the reading list is utterly dominated by Steven Paulson, Gerhard Forde and James Nestingen,
ELCA and former ELCA theologians. With their well-known problems in the areas of scriptural inerrancy,
the atonement and the third use of the law, and their Barth-inflected proclamation theology, the
preponderance of these authors in the secondary literature that makes up so much of the curriculum
represents a significant divergence from confessional Lutheranism. According to one student, LCMS
theologians and teaching are often used as a foil.
Furthermore, the assignments in Luther are surprisingly basic. The vast majority consist of his
introductions to the books of the Bible and some of his basic writings, such as those contained in
Dillenberger’s Martin Luther: Selections from His Writings.
Students do encounter the entire Book of Concord. The interpretive readings that accompany the Book
of Concord assignments tend to come from Paulson, Forde and Nestingen, along with some LCMS
authors. But on the whole, the “pattern of sound words” (2 Tim. 1:13) that our LCMS seminaries, CTSFW
and CSL, uphold is utterly lacking.

Center for Missional and Pastoral Leadership20
According to a video on the CMPL site, the program is intended to be “a fully-online, fully-accredited
master of divinity program” aimed at missional leadership in the local congregation. 21 The CMPL
program rests on five pillars: biblical, reformational, missional, affordable and global.
In line with its name, the video referenced above claims that the Center for Missional and Pastoral
Leadership weaves mission into every class.
More concerning is the Center for Missional and Pastoral Leadership’s claim to be educating and forming
pastors for the church. Such formation occurs entirely outside of the healthy LCMS oversight to which
the LCMS seminaries willingly and gladly submit for the sake of maintaining sound doctrine. According to
the CMPL FAQ, CMPL was founded at the request of (presumably LCMS) “congregations and church
leaders” to “equip potential pastors and church workers for missional ministry in areas that are not
“Luther House of Study Curriculum: Master of Divinity Kairos 9.0,” 7.
“Luther House of Study Curriculum: Master of Divinity Kairos 9.0,” p. 9.
Information on CMPL can be found on the Center for Missional Pastoral Leadership Facebook page,
thecenter.info and at cst.ilt.edu/cmpl.
21
“The Pillars of the Center for Missional and Pastoral Leadership Formation,” cst.ilt.edu/cmpl, accessed Feb. 9,
2026.
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currently being served.” Quite explicitly, “The program is designed for students who are seeking to grow
in service in their local ministry context, perhaps eventually to become a pastor or church leader.”
“Congregations in every tradition, and in particular Lutheran congregations, are struggling to find pastors
to serve them. In some cases, congregations go without a pastor for three and four years. This program
will help raise up more pastors and leaders for congregations that need them, and especially
congregations in settings where maintaining a full-time pastor is a challenge. Students are equipped not
simply to occupy the office of pastor, but with tools to engage their congregations and communities with
the Gospel, so that the Lord of the Church might call even more people to himself.” 22

Fall 2025; and Matthew Borrasso (Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Lexington Park, Md. [LCMS]) was
likewise enlisted to teach in Fall 2025. 27 None of these faculty have received Synod prior approval for
these teaching positions and are not sanctioned by the LCMS. CMPL instructors in Fall of 2025 included:

Overall Structure

Notwithstanding the numerous LCMS clergy associated with and teaching in the CMPL program, CMPL
students may take ILT/Christ School of Theology courses, and ILT/Christ School of Theology students may
enroll in CMPL courses. While the courses in the first term of offerings were taught by the LCMS pastors
listed above, as of February 2026, CMPL courses are cross listed with ILT courses and staffed by ILT
instructors. 28

CMPL is housed in the Institute of Lutheran Theology in Brookings, S.D., a completely online institution
of theological education, offering seven degrees: Ph.D., D.Min., S.T.M., M.Div., Master of Chaplain
Ministry (M.C.M.), Master of Ministry (M.M.), and an M.A. CMPL presently enrolls students in one of
three of those programs: M.A. [in Religion], M.M., and the M.Div. The curriculum for those three
programs is structured in such a way that the M.A. (36 credits) uses a subset of coursework for the M.M.
(45 credits), which in turn uses a subset of coursework for the M.Div. (90 credits). According to CMPL
leadership, the enrollment of the “25–26” students is split roughly 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 among the programs. In
other words, students who enroll and begin coursework in one may apply for admission to another and
bring their credits along. 23
Mentorship
Mentorship in the field for the program, which, as noted, enrolls both LCMS and non-LCMS students, is
coordinated by CMPL faculty member the Rev. Todd Jones (LCMS rostered pastor), who serves as CMPL’s
Director of Formation. 24
Distance education
The CMPL program uses primarily synchronous, online coursework. While the CMPL model seems to
have been dependent upon the formation of cohorts as a powerful educational tool, most students
enrolled in Fall of 2025 vary in how many courses they are taking, 25 meaning that the starting cohort will
soon break apart and its power as an educational tool will diminish. These distance courses are taught
on a Fall Semester/J-Term/Spring Semester/Summer Semester schedule.

Faculty
The CMPL faculty includes the following: Jeff Kloha (Associate Pastor at Our Savior Lutheran Church,
Arlington, Va. [LCMS]), James Marriott (Associate Pastor at Faith Lutheran Church, Georgetown, Texas
[LCMS]), Todd Jones (Candidate, living in Bella Vista, Ark., but rostered in LCMS Michigan District),
Benjamin Haupt (Assistant Pastor at Christ Memorial Lutheran Church, St. Louis, Mo. [LCMS] and Global
Executive Director at the Pastoral Leadership Institute, a non-RSO para-church organization). 26 Dale
Meyer (President Emeritus of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis [LCMS]) served as a guest professor during

•
•
•
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Haupt — Introduction to Pastoral Ministry
Borrasso — Faith, Knowledge and Reason
Meyer — 1 Peter (elective)
Kloha — Biblical Hermeneutics

Curriculum
The CMPL M.Div. curriculum is a boilerplate four discipline, theological seminary curriculum with courses
in Biblical Theology (24 credits), Historical and Systematic Theology (24 credits), Philosophical Theology
and Ethics (12 credits) and Pastoral Theology (21 credits). Together with introductory courses in
hermeneutics, New Testament Greek and classical Hebrew, the M.Div. program comprises 90 credits. The
M.A. [in Religion] (non-thesis, 36 credits) and the M.M. (45 credits) use smaller bits of the same
curriculum. While the M.Div. requires Greek and Hebrew, the M.M. requires Greek only, and the M.A.
requires no language. Language is taught not with the goal of interpreting or even translating the text on
one’s own (“The student will still be dependent upon others’ translations” 29), but with the goal of being
able to make sense of a commentary. The curricula are shared with ILT/Christ School of Theology.
Definite marks have been made on this shared curriculum by the CMPL faculty: Biblical Hermeneutics
and the entire Pastoral Theology curricula have been rewritten by CMPL faculty and adopted by
ILT/Christ School of Theology. 30
To be noted is that only three credits are devoted to the reading of the Book of Concord, while the
description of Biblical Theology courses is isagogic rather than exegetical (related, no doubt, to the Greek
and Hebrew proficiency aimed for in the curriculum). 31 In other words, the level of close reading of the
text of the Bible is diminished. The quick reading of the Book of Concord represents a deficient exposure
to and encounter with the Book of Concord, and may hint at what is meant by the term “reformational”
in the five pillars that undergird CMPL. The LCMS does not take “Lutheran” to mean a vaguely defined
“spirit of the Reformation” but connects it specifically to the teachings and spirit of the Book of Concord
of 1580. Nor should the sub-minimum level of proficiency in Greek and Hebrew be waved off. As Martin
Luther put it, “We will not long preserve the gospel without the languages. The languages are the sheath
in which this sword of the Spirit [Eph. 6:17] is contained.” 32

“Frequently Asked Questions,” cst.ilt.edu/cmpl, accessed Feb. 9, 2026. Emphasis added.
23
Zoom meeting with Jeff Kloha, Sept. 22, 2025.
24
facebook.com/61572676226956/videos/718371994311322, accessed Feb. 9, 2026.
25
Zoom meeting with Jeff Kloha, Sept. 22, 2025. At least one student is presently enrolled in three ILT/Christ School
of Theology courses (some which are not CMPL courses), while others are enrolled in one or two.
26
“Center Contributors,” cst.ilt.edu/cmpl, accessed Feb. 9, 2026; current assignments from locator.lcms.org/worker,
accessed Feb. 9, 2026.

Zoom meeting with Jeff Kloha, Sept. 22, 2025. Current assignments from locator.lcms.org/worker, accessed Feb.
9, 2026.
28
Conversation with ILT faculty member on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026.
29
Academic Catalog 2025–2026 The Christ School of Theology Institute of Lutheran Theology, p. 44; cst.ilt.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2023/10/CST-2025-2026-final-5.3.pdf, accessed Feb. 9, 2026.
30
Zoom meeting with Jeff Kloha, Sept. 22, 2025.
31
Academic Catalog 2025–2026, pp. 25, 45, 49.
32
Martin Luther, “To the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany That They Establish and Maintain Christian Schools,”
in Luther’s Works, vol. 45 (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1962), 360.

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2026 Convention Workbook