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LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2026, Page 430

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

430

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

WHEREAS, The Synod has designated that responsibility to the
prior approval panels outlined in various Bylaws (Bylaws 3.6.6.1;
3.10.5.7.3; 3.10.6.8.2; 3.10.6.9.2); and
WHEREAS, Those panels not only have responsibility to work on
behalf of the Synod but are also responsible to the Synod; and
WHEREAS, Those under consideration for theological
professorships and other positions requiring prior approval have
ordinarily been ordained into the Office of the Holy Ministry or
have been commissioned into an auxiliary office of the Church; and
WHEREAS, Those under consideration for aforementioned
positions have also been examined, approved, and certified for
service on the roster of the Synod; and
WHEREAS, Those individual members of the Synod have, by
virtue of their membership in the Synod, agreed to the confessional
basis as outlined in Constitution Article II, namely that “every
member of the Synod accepts without reservation: 1. The Scriptures
of the Old and the New Testament as the written Word of God and
the only rule and norm of faith and of practice; 2. All the Symbolical
Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as a true and
unadulterated statement and exposition of the Word of God, to wit:
the three Ecumenical Creeds (the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene
Creed, the Athanasian Creed), the Unaltered Augsburg Confession,
the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Smalcald Articles, the
Large Catechism of Luther, the Small Catechism of Luther, and the
Formula of Concord;” and
WHEREAS, Those individual members also abide by Bylaw 1.6,
concerning the confessional position of the Synod; Bylaw 1.7,
concerning agreements; and Bylaw 1.8, concerning dissent;
therefore be it
Resolved, That the Synod in convention give thanks to the Lord
of the Church for using the Synod and its agencies to prepare
workers for the harvest; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod in convention give thanks to those
engaged in the various prior approval processes for their difficult
and important work; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod in convention stipulate that, unless
those under consideration by the prior approval panels are found,
on the basis of clear and substantiated evidence, to be in violation
of their ordination, commissioning, or installation vows or of the
confessional subscription required by Constitution Article II and
applicable Bylaws, their approval be assumed; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod in convention require that the
processes and guidelines used by the various panels to carry out the
responsibility entrusted to them by the Synod be made transparent
and available to all members of the Synod; and be it further
Resolved, That the Synod in convention stipulate that, should one
under consideration be thought to fall short of the guidelines, the
candidate be given ample opportunity to clarify the candidate’s
position to the panel in consultation with the appropriate district
president as that candidate’s immediate ecclesiastical supervisor;
and be it finally
Resolved, That a new subsection be added to Bylaw 3.10:
PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
H. Prior Approval Standards and Procedures
3.10.8
Prior approval panels established under this section and
related bylaws (including but not limited to Bylaws 3.6.6.1 [c];
3.10.5.7.3 [a]; 3.10.6.8.2; and 3.10.6.9.2) act on behalf of and are
responsible to the Synod.

2026 Convention Workbook

(a) Unless, on the basis of clear and substantiated evidence, a
candidate for a position subject to prior approval is found to be in
violation of the candidate’s ordination, commissioning, or
installation vows or of the confessional subscription required by
Article II of the Constitution and applicable bylaws, approval
shall be granted and shall not be withheld.
(b) Each prior approval panel shall adopt written guidelines that
specify the standards applied and the ordinary process and
timelines used in evaluating candidates. These guidelines shall be
made reasonably available to the members of the Synod.
(c) When a prior approval panel believes that a candidate may fall
short of the guidelines, the panel shall (1) clearly identify its
concerns to the candidate in writing and (2) give the candidate
ample opportunity to clarify the candidate’s position to the panel,
in consultation with the appropriate district president as the
candidate’s immediate ecclesiastical supervisor.

Southeastern District
Ov. 7-18

To Reexamine Prior Approval Process
WHEREAS, One of the expressed purposes of the Synod is to
“recruit and train pastors, teachers, and other professional church
workers and provide opportunity for their continuing growth”
(Const. Art. III 3); and
WHEREAS, The Synod has the responsibility to oversee that
training, and has done so in various forms throughout its history;
and
WHEREAS, The Synod has delegated a portion of that
responsibility to the prior approval panels outlined in various
bylaws (Bylaws 3.6.6.1; 3.10.5.7.3; 3.10.6.8.2; 3.10.6.9.2); and
WHEREAS, The restructuring of the Synod by the 2010 Synod
convention eliminated existing agencies tasked with prior approval
for seminary faculty members (namely, the Board for Pastoral
Education) (2010 Res. 8-08A, “To Realign the National Synod
Ministries around Two Mission Boards”); and
WHEREAS, The 2013 Synod convention passed Resolution 511B, “To Amend Bylaw 3.10.4.7.3 re Appointment of Seminary
Faculty,” which amended what is now Bylaw 3.10.5.7.3 (a) to
establish a three-person prior approval panel for the appointment of
full-time seminary faculty members, to be comprised of three
ordained members, including “the President of the Synod (or his
designee), the chairman of the Council of Presidents (or his
designee), and the chairman of the Board for National Mission (or
his designee)”; and
WHEREAS, The Synod in convention subsequently passed 2016
Res. 7-06B, “To Assist Our CUS Institutions in Demonstrating Our
Common Confession,” which added what is now Bylaw 3.10.6.9.2
to establish a three-person prior approval panel for the appointment
of those teaching theology classes at a Concordia University System
(CUS) institution, to be comprised of three ordained members,
including “the President of Synod (or his designee), the chairman
of the Council of Presidents (or his designee), and a member of the
Concordia University System board selected by the chair”; and
WHEREAS, Those panels not only have responsibility to work on
behalf of the Synod but are also accountable to the Synod; and
WHEREAS, Some questions have arisen in recent years regarding
the transparency of the process, the standards by which the approval
is determined, and the exact composition—and appropriateness
thereof—of the panels themselves; therefore be it