LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 295

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HIGHER EDUCATION 295

operation of The Lutheran Church~— Missouri Synod’s colleges
and seminaries has been the envy of nearly every church
denomination in this country.

Faithful stewardship requires that changing patterns of
response be developed to insure a sufficient number of future
full-time church workers. The public higher education system
developed in this country has had its impact on the colleges
of the Synod; it has had its impact on the number of students
enrolling, on the types of programs students are interested in,
and very directly on the cost competitiveness of the system.

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has always recog-
nized that alternate routes to the ministry of the church are
valuable and vital for the church's future. However, it is also
evident that a system of higher education must be maintained
by the Synod as a “preferred route” into the professional
ministry. In spite of all else that might change, it remains certain
that one of the basic objectives of the Synod will continue to be
the training of pastors and teachers. This has been a synodical
objective from the beginning and continues as such because
congregations cannot accomplish this effectively and efficiently
by themselves.

The Task Force is very much aware that the responsibilities
given to it by the convention have far-reaching ramifications.
It is doubtful that everyone will be completely satisfied with the
conclusions that have been reached: however, the Task Force
believes that its recommendations are fair, fiscally realistic, and
in the long run in the best interest of the church.

A. Responsibilities for Student Recruitment and Support

Over the years a great deal of synodical energy has been
directed toward the responsibilities for recruitment and support
of the young men and women desiring to enter the ministry of
the church. The Task Force on Higher Education reaffirms that
this responsibility lies primarily with local congregations. The
following statement with supporting recommendations and
suggested models has been developed for consideration.

Recruitment of Students for Full-Time Ministry of the Church

Statistical projections compiled in 1972 indicate that The
Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod will suffer a severe shortage
of graduates from its seminaries by 1980.

Between 1972 and 1976 a steady demand of about 225 gradu-
ates for the pastoral ministry was foreseen. Beyond 1976 the
demand curve rises sharply to a need for about 275 pastoral
graduates per year.

This means that the projected supply of approximately 225
graduates per year between 1972 and 1976 would meet the
expected demand.

However, the projected supply of preministerial students in
the synodical system is drastically downward to about 175 in
1977 and a further decline to about 120 students by 1980.

Statistical data from other denominations indicate that this
general trend toward fewer young students electing to become
pastors in the church has affected all denominations. The Jesuit
Society of the United States likewise has experienced a decline
in new applications of almost 300% in the past decade.

According to 1974 projections, the supply-demand ratio for
teachers in our congregations will be seriously out of balance by
1977 because the number of students committing themselves to
teacher education careers in our synodical colleges has fallen
dramatically in the past 2—3 years. The need to increase
recruitment for teacher vocations and to hold at a fairly stable
level is presently indicated.

Recruitment for the professional ministry of the church is
not identical with recruiting students for a particular school.
Though total college level enrollment is higher than 12 years
ago, enrollment of freshman church work students has declined
from a high of 1,815 in 1965 to 873 in 1974. The number of fresh-
man students preparing for the pastoral ministry has declined
even more sharply from a high of 465 new students in 1965 to
195 in the fall of 1974.

A student questionnaire utilized by the Task Force found
that 33 percent of the students presently in the seminary
reached a firm decision to enter the pastoral ministry during or
prior to their high school years while some 20 percent made a
firm decision after college. These data substantiate previous
studies and clearly indicate that serious recruitment efforts for
the pastoral ministry need to be made in the early years of the
person's life.

A recently completed study by Clyde Kaminska, Concordia
College, Bronxville, found that a variety of studies dealing with
the influences on the vocational choice of young men who
planned to enter the pastoral ministry indicate that the choice
was largely influenced from within rather than from without.
People and relationships between people play a more important
role in the decision to enter the ministry than things and mate-
rials designed to influence thinking. Motivation to study for the
pastoral ministry is highly spiritual and clearly begins early in
the life of a young man. Kaminska’s research found that a young
man's decision to study for the ministry was influenced most by
his own parish pastor.

Another extremely important factor in a student's decision to
enter a church work profession appears to be the student's
own family. The Task Force questionnaire submitted to stu-
dents in our colleges indicated that for 38 percent of the students
the family was primarily responsible for the choice of college
attended by that student.

The findings of various surveys strongly suggest that serious
attention must be directed toward identification and recruitment
of young persons for full-time church work at an early age. The
immediate environment of family, congregation. and school
provides the motivation and inspiration that influence the
selection of church ministry as a vocation for a large percentage
of young persons.

The responsibility of providing people to serve as pastors.
teachers, and in other congregational ministries lies with the
congregations. not with the Synod or with the schools of the
Synod. The choice of preparation for the ministry likewise
ought not remain completely subject to the choice of the individ-
ual young person. It is essential that the church seek to identify
young persons who have the intellectual ability, the home
environment, and the spiritual qualifications for this high calling
rather than to depend solely on the selection by the individual
or by chance. Positive action is clearly called for to insure that
qualified young persons are encouraged in every possible way
to prepare for church work.

The Task Force Recommends

Al. That congregations of the Synod be made aware of their
responsibility to identify and encourage qualified young persons
to prepare for the pastoral ministry and for other professional
ministries of the church:

A2. That wherever possible young persons, particularly
young men, should be encouraged by their families and congre-
gations to begin their preparation for the ministry already at
the high school level:

A3. That since it is the responsibility of the congregation to
select and encourage future pastors and other church workers.
congregations must insure that financial support is provided for
those young persons:

Ad. That the Synod through its Board of Parish Education
prepare materials and programs for the use of congregations in
identifying and recruiting young persons for the church's
professional ministry:

A5. That the Board of Parish Education, together with the
Commission on Worship, consider the development of a litur-
gical act by which a congregation may impress on the young
persons, as well as on the members of the congregation, the
sacredness of the divine calling toward which the Lord through
His church is directing their lives: and

A6. That the Board for Higher Education continue to de-
velop and strengthen an active and aggressive counseling pro-
gram at all of our colleges. Such a program should identify
students who indicate the gifts and abilities that qualify them for
the church's professional ministry. These students are to be
counseled to enroll in the appropriate program(s) authorized
by the Synod through the Board for Higher Education.

Suggested Model for Identifying and Recruiting

At an early age — possibly prior to confirmation or at the time
of confirmation —the pastor, together with the elders of the con-
gregation, identify those who possess the unique gifts that
might indicate qualifications for full-time ministry in the church.
The pastor and the elders should meet with such young people
and their families to challenge them to prepare for the ministry