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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 387

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

PASTORAL MINISTRY AND SEMINARIES
example, a student in a nonresidential certificate route might
be able to engage also in a residential degree program” (2007
Res. 5-01B, Proc., 136–37);
and be it further
Resolved, That this recommendation(s) will be made available to
the congregations and pastors of the Synod no less than one year
prior to the 2029 Synod convention in order to receive feedback and
further suggestions prior to the publishing of the 2029 Convention
Workbook.
Board of Directors
Texas District
Ov. 6-35

To Ensure Pastoral Ministry in the Synod
during Times of Shortage
WHEREAS, 2023 Synod convention Resolution 6-02A, “To
Encourage Proper Pastoral Formation through Our Synod’s
Seminaries,” “affirm[s] the necessity and fruitfulness of Synodapproved alternate routes to ministry to be used in appropriate
ministry settings and for appropriately qualified candidates
(currently, the Specific Ministry Pastor program, the Ethnic
Immigrant Institute of Theology, the Center for Hispanic Studies,
the Specific Ministry Pastor-Español/English Program, the Crosscultural Ministry Center, and the Residential Alternate Route
program; previously, DELTO)” (Proc., 161) and “‘strongly
encourage[s] [district presidents and seminaries] to direct men to
residential pastoral ministry routes [at our Synod’s seminaries]* as
the preferred option’ (2019 Res. 6-02, [“To Promote Residential
Seminary Education as the Preferred Option for the Preparation of
Men for Pastoral Ministry,”] Proc., 159, *brackets original)” as the
way that the church operates during normal circumstances; and
WHEREAS, The Synod faces a growing pastoral shortage. The
number of available pastors is inadequate, and congregations often
wait an average of 24 months to complete the call process. This
challenge is expected to intensify in the coming years; and
WHEREAS, Within 15 years, the average age of the current
pastoral workforce will rise to 74, leading to a critical shortage of
pastors. This will impact not only small congregations that cannot
afford full-time pastors but also larger, well-resourced churches.
Without intervention, there will be too few pastors to serve even
half of existing congregations, let alone to support church planting
and growth; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod gives thanks to God for the faithfulness
of our Synod in providing this variety of scripturally and
confessionally faithful pathways of pastoral formation to fulfill the
need for laborers for the Lord’s harvest; and be it further
Resolved, That to ensure the ongoing proclamation of the Gospel
and administration of the Sacraments, the 2026 Synod convention
authorize district presidents to utilize all existing Synod-approved
pastoral formation programs at their discretion, allowing them to
determine the most suitable training pathway for candidates in their
district; and be it finally
Resolved, That the Synod direct its seminaries to provide equal
financial support for all approved pastoral formation programs,
removing financial barriers and expanding access to pastoral
training. By strengthening multiple formation pathways, the Synod
will be better equipped to meet the needs of congregations and to
continue advancing the mission of the church.

387
Florida-Georgia District

Ov. 6-36

To Expand and Strengthen Distance Learning
Routes to Ordination
WHEREAS, The congregations of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod have been blessed with pastors and teachers who
have been prepared for their service in a variety of ways over its
history, either more academically or practically oriented; and
WHEREAS, The seminaries of the Synod are currently offering,
beyond the now normative residential Master of Divinity (M.Div.)
program, a variety of routes for pastoral formation that take into
consideration the needs, desires, and contexts of the students,
including the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology, Center for
Hispanic Studies, Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program, SMP to
General Pastor Certification (typically an eight‑year program), the
Residential Alternative Route, and the Cross-Cultural Ministry
Center at Concordia University, Irvine; the Committee for Colloquy
to the Pastoral Ministry also recently offered an SMP colloquy route
to former lay deacons (2016 Res. 13-02A); and
WHEREAS, These programs, utilizing both in‑person and online
instruction, have formed and continue to form faithful and effective
pastors; and
WHEREAS, The need for ordained ministers of the Gospel to
serve the congregations of the Synod will only grow greater as
retirements increase; and
WHEREAS, The need for faithful servants to expand further
mission and ministry will also continue to grow; and
WHEREAS, Academic training has taken advantage of technology
to offer distance education, and it has become a standard means of
delivering training in many contexts in our culture; and
WHEREAS, It has become increasingly difficult and prohibitive
for prospective seminary students to leave homes, family,
employment, and ministry context to move cross‑country to enroll
in a four‑year residential M.Div. program; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention enhance the ability of
our alternate routes to ordination to meet the increasing demand for
pastoral candidates by removing current restrictions on enrollment,
geographic location, and ministry context, while maintaining the
Synod’s doctrinal standards and the integrity of pastoral formation;
and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod in convention increase the number of
opportunities to prepare candidates for general ministry via existing
and new routes (e.g., in person, hybrid, online) through our
seminaries, so that congregations throughout the Synod may be
served by faithfully formed pastors in a wide variety of contexts.
Southeastern District
Ov. 6-37

To Encourage Innovative Training of Pastors
WHEREAS, “[God] desires all people to be saved and to come to
a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4); and
WHEREAS, Our gracious Lord established the Office of the Holy
Ministry and calls men to serve as pastors over His dear flock; and
WHEREAS, Moved by compassion, Jesus declared, “The harvest
is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the
2026 Convention Workbook