LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 78

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

78

2. Covenant Agreement [a.k.a. “Partnership Covenant for Participation in the SMP Program”].
This document details the commitments of the seminary, district president, sponsoring
entity/calling agency, pastor-supervisor, and specific ministry student-vicar and studentpastor, among which is a commitment for the provision of SMP supervision.

ensure that the Gospel was rightly preached and taught, and to preserve the unity of
the church [emphasis added].
2007 Resolution 5-01B further states:
The church should provide the opportunity for a pastor who has been certified and
ordained to serve in a specific kind of ministry subsequently to be prepared to serve
the church more broadly through a combination of further academic preparation,
accumulated pastoral experience, and examination [emphasis added]. 5

Both documents—Pastor Supervisor Responsibilities and Covenant Agreement—are included in
the COP Manual and the CSL SMP Manual (with various amendments in the CSL SMP Manual). The
Covenant Agreement was most recently reviewed by the COP in April 2024. The preface of this
document states:
Participation in the SMP program requires a relationship of trust among those
involved in this unique opportunity to prepare workers for Christian ministry and
mission. A candidate for this program does not initiate the admission process
himself, but rather is nominated and supported by those who represent and are
responsible for the specific ministry/mission into which the candidate will be
placed. This document articulates the covenant of trust and responsibility that
exists among the seminary, the candidate, the sponsoring ministry/mission, and the
district.
For sake of consistency and to avoid confusion, both of these “old” documents — Pastor Supervisor
Responsibilities and Covenant Agreement — should be replaced as “SMP-Supervising Pastor
Position Description Prior to SMP Graduation and Certification (Periods A and B)” and “Partnership
Covenant for Participation in the Specific Ministry Pastor Program” in the seminary manuals and the
COP Manual with the PFC’s newly developed documents proposed here (Appendix A) in fulfillment
of the PFC’s Resolution 6-03A assignment.

Credits and Contact Minutes: Master of Divinity and SMP
Pastoral formation through the attainment of a Master of Divinity degree is the route to pastoral
ministry in the LCMS that embodies, using the language of 2007 Resolution 7-01B, “broader and
deeper theological understanding.” 2023 LCMS Resolution 6-03A reaffirms what previous
conventions also stated, namely that:
The residential Master of Divinity (M.Div.) route at our Synod seminaries continues to
be positioned and understood as the Synod’s strongly preferred route to ordination,
supplying Synod congregations with well-formed, highly educated pastors who as
members of the Synod (ministers of religion—ordained, Bylaw 2.6.1) are prepared to
preach, teach, and care for souls over a lifetime of faithful ministry in any and every
context into which the Lord calls them into service” [emphasis added].
The following table presents a brief comparison of the pastoral formation routes available through
CSL. (Note that total credits are listed here as semester credit hours.)
CSL

SUPERVISION OF SPECIFIC MINISTRY PASTORS
RATIONALE AND FEEDBACK/COMMENTS
(PERIOD C)

MDiv
RAR
GPC
CHS

Rationale for Ongoing Supervision in Period C
2023 LCMS Bylaw 2.13.1 states that upon graduation the specific ministry pastor “shall serve under
the supervision of his district president and another pastor who is not a specific ministry pastor.”
From the creation of the SMP Program (2007 Resolution 5-01B) to the present, the specific ministry
pastor serves under such supervision for the duration of his ministry as a specific ministry pastor.
The primary reason for SMP supervision after graduation and certification is stated in the original
2007 Resolution 5-01B:
All ministers serve under supervision. In ancient times, the practice of making
certain distinctions within the one Office of the Holy Ministry de iure humano (by
human authority) was established so that those ministers with broader and deeper
theological understanding should be able to provide doctrinal supervision for the
less experienced, or less well-prepared, ministers. These distinctions were made to

Total Semester
Credits
98
74
60.5
36

Classroom
Credits
90.5
66.5
60.5
10 modules per
course each term
32
24 courses

Combination of
Credit hour Courses*
1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0
1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0
1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0
2.0

Minimum Contact
Minutes
63,350
46,550
42,350
28,800

2.0

22,400
4,080

SMP
32
EIIT
0
CMC
*CSL is on the semester system.
1.0 credit hour course: minimum of 700 contact minutes
1.5 credit hour course: minimum of 1050 contact minutes
2.0 credit hour course: minimum of 1400 contact minutes
2.5 credit hour course: minimum of 1750 contact minutes
3.0 credit hour course: minimum of 2100 contact minutes

The following table presents a similar comparison of the routes available through CTSFW. (Note
that total credits are listed here as quarter credit hours.)

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, (CSL) and Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, (CTSFW) offer the
online General Pastoral Certificate (GPC) for specific ministry pastors to become a general pastor in the
LCMS. specific ministry pastors may also complete the M.Div. or R.A.R. programs. Credit is given for prior
SMP coursework in all three routes.

5

5|P a g e

Total Quarter
Classroom
Combination of
Credits
Credits
Credit hour Courses*
MDiv
139
136
1, 2, 3, 4
SMP
51
48
3
*CTSFW is on the quarter system.
1 credit hour course: minimum of 600 minutes of direct faculty instruction.
2 credit hour course: minimum of 1,200 minutes of direct faculty instruction.
3 credit hour course: minimum of 1,800 minutes of direct faculty instruction.
4 credit hour course: minimum of 2,400 minutes of direct faculty instruction.
CTSFW

Minimum Contact
Minutes
81,600
28,800

The following table presents a comparison of the Master of Divinity and SMP Curricula at CSL and
CTSFW.
CSL MDiv
Exegetical
Isagogics
Greek Grammar
Hebrew Grammar
Interpreting and Communicating the
Word (Hermeneutics)
The Torah (Genesis – Deuteronomy)

CSL SMP
Bible
Scripture and Faith
Old Testament Theology
New Testament Theology
The Church and Its Life

Pentateuch II (Gen-Deut)

The Prophets
The Psalms
Synoptic Gospels (Matt, Mark, Luke)

Introduction to Practical Ministry
Introduction to Pastoral Ministry

CTSFW SMP
Bible
Pastoral/Missional Theology in Luke/Acts
The Books of Moses (Gen-Deut)
The Person of Jesus in John’s Gospel
The Epistles of Paul – Planting the Gentile
Mission
The Prophets – Christ and His Mission
Foretold

Major Prophets
The Psalms
Gospels (Hermeneutics, Textual
Criticism, Matthew)
Gospels II (Luke, Mark)
Gospels III (John, 1 John)
Pauline Epistles
New Testament Greek Readings

Pauline Epistles
Gospel of John
Biblical Languages Lab

Introduction to Historical Theology
The Reformation and the Lutheran
Church
History Elective

CTSFW MDiv
Exegetical
Isagogics
Greek Grammar
Hebrew Grammar
Pentateuch I (Gen-Deut)

Historical
The Lutheran Reformation

Practical
Introduction to Pastoral Ministry
Preaching I

Homiletics
Worship and Word
Teaching the Faith
Pastoral Care and the Word
Reading and Preaching the Word (cotaught with Exegetical)
Introduction to Pastoral Leadership
Pastoral Leadership and Theology
Electives: Congregational Revitalization,
Worship and Culture, Conflict
Resolution, Growing the Faith, Classics
of the Devotional Life, Spiritual
Autobiography, Communicating the
Gospel to Contemporary Culture,
Christianity and Literature, Special
Issues in Pastoral Counseling
Field Education

Preaching II
Introduction to Worship
Teaching the Faith
Pastor as Leader and Theologian

Church History I (First Eight Centuries)
Church History II (Reformation Era)

6|P a g e

Trinity — The Mission of God in Today’s
World
Theologia I: Baptism, Life in Christ
Theologia II: Preaching
Theologia III: Lord’s Supper: Life in Christ
Nourished and Sustained

The Master of Divinity degree includes on-campus immersion and formation, with in-person
classes, real-time interaction with professors and fellow students, in-person daily chapel,
socialization and support for seminary families, and more. SMP certification is a mostly online,
hybrid program carried out in the context of an SMP cohort. SMP students are required to attend at
least one on-campus, one-week intensive course annually. At CSL, many SMP students attend two,
and the majority of those attending only one express that they would like to attend two on-campus
intensives but are limited by personal circumstances.
At the 2013 LCMS Convention, delegates adopted Resolution 5-04B “To Continue and Strengthen
Specific Ministry Pastor Program” [emphasis added]. The Rationale states that there are concerns
regarding the SMP program. One of the eight concerns listed is “lack of consistent standard for
mentoring SMP vicars and pastors” [emphasis added].

District President and Circuit Visitor Feedback/Comments

Historical
The Church in Missiological Perspective

Church History III (Lutheran Orthodoxy/
Modern Church History)
Church History IV (Lutheran Church in
America from 17th century)
History Area Elective
Seminar: Historical Text
Seminar: Luther Text
Pastoral Ministry and Missions
Homiletics I
Teaching the Faith
Homiletics II
Ministry and Mission in Today’s Pluralistic
Context
Pastoral Theology I
Pastoral Theology II
Theological Ethics
Pastoral Counseling
Liturgics I
Liturgics II
Bibliography and Technology
Field Education

In 2024 and 2025, the PFC interviewed each of the 35 LCMS district presidents. In addition, the
Standing Partnership marketing and communications firm interviewed 60 circuit visitors and
collected surveys from more than 1,800 LCMS pastors. These interviews were conducted to fulfill
convention assignments given to the PFC in 2023. The district presidents, circuit visitors, and
pastors were asked to provide comments on and suggestions for improvements to the current state
of Period C SMP supervision within the Synod’s 35 districts.
One conclusion drawn from these interviews is that the level of Period C SMP supervision varies
significantly between districts, between individual SMP supervisors within a district, and across the
various ministerial contexts served by SMP pastors. Concerning the general quality and
consistency of current SMP supervision (Periods A, B, C), district presidents and circuit visitors
noted that:
•
•

Systematics
Introduction to Systematic Theology
The Master Narrative
Creeds and Confessions
Creedal Themes
Systematics I

Lutheran Distinctions

Systematics II
Church and World

Means of Grace
Lutheran Confession of Faith

Free Electives (12) including: Lutheran
Confessions in Today’s World, The Holy

Confessing Christ in Today’s World (Intro
to Missions
Ministry in a Pluralistic Context
Formation Lab
Systematics
Lutheran Confessions I (AC, Apology)
Introduction to Systematic Theology
Lutheran Confessions II (Sm/Lg
Theologia I: Baptism, Life in Christ
Catechisms, Smalcald Articles, Treatise)
Lutheran Confessions III (Formula of
Theologia III: The Lord’s Supper: Life in
Concord)
Christ Nourished and Sustained
Dogmatics I
Lutheran Confessions in Today’s World
Dogmatics II
The Holy Trinity: The Mission of God in
Today’s World
Dogmatics III

7|P a g e

2026 Convention Workbook

•

Consistency of Period C SMP supervision is rated 1 out of 10 (10 being best), while quality of
Period C SMP supervision rated 3.5 out of 10.
Once an SMP student-vicar is ordained, SMP supervision in Periods B and C is largely
hands-off, with merely occasional direct visits. This general practice (with notable
exceptions) sends a signal (unintended or not) to SMP student-pastors (still being formed
through seminary SMP courses) and SMP pastors (once graduated from the SMP Program at
either seminary) that Period B and C supervisors feel that their supervision work is mostly
complete and no longer so critically needed.
Senior pastors serving as SMP-supervising pastors, who are often full-time pastors
themselves, find it challenging to provide consistent ongoing SMP supervision. The
demands of their congregations often limit the time and attention they can dedicate to

8|P a g e