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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 380

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

PASTORAL MINISTRY AND SEMINARIES

380

Resolved, That this process would produce a plan that would be
presented at the 2029 Synod convention.
Board of Directors
Nebraska District
Ov. 6-26

To Seek Koinonia on Pastoral Formation
and Routes to Ministry
WHEREAS, The issue of pastoral formation has received much
attention in both official and unofficial forums of the Synod over
the last decade; and
WHEREAS, Since 2010, the Koinonia Project has been developed
and employed by the Synod with “the prayer that there be a cultural
shift toward more open and honest discussion under the Word of
God” (2016 Res. 4-05A, “To Continue and Expand the Koinonia
Project,” Proceedings, 148); and
WHEREAS, The Synod in convention adopted 2016 Resolution 405A, resolving that “each member of the Synod and each member
of a Synod congregation will follow the principles of the Koinonia
Project, namely, that when there is disagreement regarding doctrine
and practice the baptized will come together through their unity in
Christ to live out that unity as they study the Word of God and
pray”; and
WHEREAS, Various activities, statements, and reports since Jan.
1, 2025, have generated controversy within the Synod on the issue
of pastoral formation and routes to ministry, evidencing
disagreement within the Synod on the issue; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention encourage the spirit of
koinonia (fraternal conversation) throughout all the members and
entities of the Synod concerning pastoral formation and routes to
ministry; and be it further
Resolved, That the Council of Presidents, the Office of the
President, and the Pastoral Formation Committee establish and
initiate a synodwide process consistent with the Koinonia Project of
not less than two years that allows for much fraternal discussion and
edification with respect to pastoral formation, including existing
and potential routes to ministry, and anticipated future ministry
needs for the members of the Synod; and be it finally
Resolved, That this process shall include face-to-face discussions
within all circuits and districts of the Synod involving ministry
leaders (ordained, commissioned, and lay) to reflect the various
views, perspectives, and contexts in which the members of the
Synod carry out ministry.
St. John
Seward, NE
Ov. 6-27

To Encourage Brotherly Speech about
All Approved Pastoral Formation Routes
and To Review Specific Ministry Pastor Pathways
WHEREAS, Our Lord commands His disciples to love one another
and to use words that give grace (John 13:34–35; Eph. 4:29); and
WHEREAS, Our Lord tells His disciples that the “harvest is
plentiful, but the laborers are few,” (Matt. 9:37) and calls His

2026 Convention Workbook

disciples to, “therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to
send out laborers into his harvest,” (Matt. 9:38); and
WHEREAS, The Augsburg Confession (AC) teaches that “the
ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments
was instituted” (AC V) and that “no one should publicly teach in
the Church, or administer the Sacraments, without a rightly ordered
call” (AC XIV); and
WHEREAS, The Augsburg Confession and its Apology (Ap)
confess that for the Church’s unity “it is enough to agree about the
doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments”
(AC VII 2; Ap VII&VIII [IV] 30); and
WHEREAS, The Small Catechism bids us under the Eighth
Commandment to “defend [our neighbor], speak well of him, and
explain everything in the kindest way”; and
WHEREAS, Luther exhorted this same brotherly encouragement
amongst those serving in pastoral ministry in his Treatise on the
Power and Primacy of the Pope (Tr), “In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul
makes ministers equal. He also teaches that the Church is superior
to [or more than] the ministers. Superiority or lordship over the
Church or the rest of the ministers is not attributed to Peter. For he
says, ‘All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas’
[3:21–22]. That is, do not let the other ministers or Peter assume for
themselves lordship or superiority over the Church. Do not let them
burden the Church with traditions. Do let the authority of anyone
prevail more than God’s Word. Do not let the authority of Cephas
be opposed to the authority of the other apostles, as they reasoned
at the time, ‘Cephas, who is an apostle of higher rank, observes this.
Therefore, both Paul and the rest ought to observe this.’ Paul
removes this claim from Peter and denies that his authority is to be
preferred to the rest or to the Church” (Tr 11); therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod exhort pastors, professors, and
congregational leaders to adopt a pastoral attitude of brotherly care
toward all men serving through Synod approved routes to the
pastoral office, including those in alternative or nonresidential
programs, by refraining from labels or slogans that imply tiers
among pastors, such as using “gold standard” to describe residential
education over and above other routes towards ordination approved
by the Synod, and outlined in Bylaw sections 2.6–2.10, and by
practicing the Eighth Commandment through prayer, mentoring,
welcome into circuit life, and encouragement in ongoing
theological study; and be it further
Resolved, That official communications, curricular materials,
and public forums of the Synod and its entities use consistent,
upbuilding language when speaking of residential and
nonresidential pastoral formation routes alike; and be it further
Resolved, That the appropriate Synod boards and commissions,
in consultation with both seminaries and the Council of Presidents,
review bylaws and policies related to the Specific Ministry Pastor
(SMP) program, including continuing‑education expectations and
years‑in‑ministry benchmarks, and bring recommendations that
clarify fair and orderly pathways by which experienced SMP
pastors, meeting defined theological and pastoral competencies,
may be examined for eligibility to serve in general pastoral service;
and be it further
Resolved, That this report and any proposed changes be
published on the Synod website and submitted for inclusion in the
Workbook no later than 180 days prior to the opening of the 2029
Synod convention; and be it finally