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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 399

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

PASTORAL MINISTRY AND SEMINARIES
WHEREAS, Congregations served by SMP pastors have
experienced stability in Word and Sacrament ministry, faithful
proclamation of the Gospel, catechesis, pastoral care, and mission
outreach within their unique local contexts; and
WHEREAS, The SMP program has enabled mature, faithful men
with deep roots in their congregations and communities to be
formed for pastoral service while remaining engaged in local
ministry and vocations; and
WHEREAS, The Synod remains committed to maintaining high
standards of theological education and pastoral formation, while
also responding in creative and responsible ways to the real ministry
needs of the church; therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod affirm the value of the SMP program
as a faithful and necessary pathway for pastoral formation and
service; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod encourage continued support for the
SMP program through its seminaries, districts, and congregations,
including adequate resources, supervision, and mentoring for SMP
candidates and pastors; and be it further
Resolved, That that the Synod urge districts and congregations to
consider the SMP program as one faithful option for addressing
pastoral shortages and mission needs, particularly in underserved
communities; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod reaffirm that the SMP program
operates within the confessional, theological, and ecclesial
standards of the Synod, while continuing to evaluate and strengthen
the program to ensure faithful pastoral formation; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod in convention remove the 40-year-old
age requirement for admittance into the SMP program; and be it
finally
Resolved, That the Synod give thanks to God for the pastors
formed through the SMP program and for the congregations that
have been strengthened and sustained in Word and Sacrament
ministry through their service.
Emmanuel
Kahului, HI
Ov. 6-58

To Add Specific Ministry Pastor Church Planter
Designation including Applicants Under 40
WHEREAS, Congregations, circuits, and districts of the Synod are
working diligently to establish new church starts that would benefit
from seminary-trained church planters to provide future pastoral
leadership; and
WHEREAS, The gift of church planting knows no artificial age
restrictions, and knowing that our seminaries, where younger
pastors are formed, are not producing an abundance of residential
seminary M.Div. graduates who desire to serve in this role; and
WHEREAS, New church starts often benefit from a pastor who is
willing to work bi-vocationally, who is already established with
employment, a home, and relational networks in the area; and the
low-residence requirement and contextual formation features of the
Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program make it better-suited than
the residential model of education to prepare men to be this type of
church planting pastor; and
WHEREAS, The new 2025 SMP Policy Requirement 6 states:
“Seminary admissions will give priority to SMP applicants who will

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serve congregations that could otherwise not receive Word and
Sacrament ministry” (Pastoral Formation Committee, Policy
Requirements for the Specific Ministry Pastor Program: Admission,
Administration and Supervision, Nov. 2025); and
WHEREAS, The new 2025 SMP Policy Requirement 3 states,
“SMP applicants must be at least 40 years old,” with a footnote that
indicates, “Exceptions to Policy Requirements 1–3 may be
recommended to the admissions committees of the seminaries by
the Council of Presidents after approval by a majority of the COP”
(Ibid.); therefore be it
Resolved, That the specific ministry designations of the original
2007 SMP Resolution (2007 Res. 5-01B) be restored to the new
2025 SMP Policy Requirements (Pastoral Formation Committee,
LCMS, Nov. 2025, LCMS Policy Requirements For The Specific
Ministry Pastor Program), and that all be given equal priority in the
admission process to support the necessary work of church planting
in the Synod; and be it finally
Resolved, That applicants under the age of 40, whose ministry
context fulfills the Council of Presidents (COP) definition of a New
Church Start, be recognized by the COP as a standing exception to
Requirement 3 in the SMP policy document and be permitted to
enroll in the SMP program with a Church Planter designation.
Board of Directors
Michigan District
Ov. 6-59

To Broaden and Reopen Specific Ministry Pastor
Program for Wider Pastoral Formation
and Service
WHEREAS, God desires all people to be saved and He established
the Office of the Ministry so that, through the ministry of teaching
the Gospel and administering the Sacraments, people receive
forgiveness and salvation, and no one should publicly teach or
administer the Sacraments without a rightly ordered call, as
confessed in the Lutheran Confessions (AC V; XIV); and
WHEREAS, The Synod has long entrusted pastoral formation to
our seminaries for the church’s mission, and has also created the
Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) route to supply pastors in contexts
where a residentially prepared pastor could not be called; and
WHEREAS, The SMP program has served the church by providing
basic formation for men who serve under appropriate restrictions
and supervision, thereby maintaining ministry in small, rural,
ethnic, urban, and bi-vocational settings; and
WHEREAS, Recent policy changes to the SMP program have
added admissions and supervision requirements, including, among
others, a five-year Synod membership minimum, a three-year
membership in the congregation of placement, a minimum age of
40, and supervision framed as ongoing for roster retention with only
limited exceptions, which has narrowed the pool of otherwise
faithful candidates and hindered mission in many contexts; and
WHEREAS, The Synod already provides mechanisms for good
order and oversight through supervised calls and assisting capacity
calls, therefore the church can prudently broaden access while
preserving accountability; and
WHEREAS, C.F.W. Walther urged that a truly Evangelical
Lutheran synod deals evangelically with congregations and assists
them in acquiring orthodox pastors (“Duties of an Evangelical
2026 Convention Workbook