To Encourage Proper Pastoral Formation through Our Synod’s Seminaries

WHEREAS, “The Office of the Holy Ministry has been instituted by Christ Himself (John 20:19–23; Eph. 4:11–16). Through the Christian congregation, as the holder of all churchly authority, God calls qualified men to fill this divinely established office and send them as His ministers to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to administer the Sacraments publicly in the stead of Christ and by His command” (Lutheran Service Book: Agenda, 155); and

WHEREAS, The Synod, under Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, shall—

1. Conserve and promote the unity of the true faith (Eph. 4:3–6; 1 Cor. 1:10), work through its official structure toward fellowship with other Christian church bodies, and provide a united defense against schism, sectarianism (Rom. 16:17), and heresy;

2. Strengthen congregations and their members in giving bold witness by word and deed to the love and work of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and extend that Gospel witness into all the world;

3. Recruit and train pastors, teachers, and other professional church workers and provide opportunity for their continuing growth (Constitution Article III 1– 3); and

WHEREAS, “The training of men for the Office of the Ministry is retained by the Synod through her seminaries, and not left to the prerogative of individual districts;” (President’s Report, Part 2 [TB, 1:24–25]; see also Constitution Article III 3; Bylaw 3.10.4); and

WHEREAS, “Members agree to uphold the confessional position of the Synod (Const. Art. II) and to assist in carrying out the objectives of the Synod (Const. Art. III), which are objectives of the members themselves. While congregations of the Synod are self-governing (Const. Art. VII), they, and also individual members, commit themselves as members of the Synod to act in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod under which they have agreed to live and work together and which the congregations alone have the authority to adopt or amend through conventions” (Bylaw

1.3.4.1); and

WHEREAS, “The LCMS collectively prescribes and maintains the standards by which a man is certified and called into the Holy Ministry according to the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions (AC V, XIV). Men receiving their first call into the Holy Ministry in the LCMS must satisfactorily complete a prescribed course of study within one of the Synod-authorized routes and both be declared qualified for a first call and recommended by the faculty of either CSL or CTSFW. They will have thus received a diploma or certificate from either CSL or CTSFW (or have fulfilled the requirements established by the colloquy committee of the Synod)” (Report R60, CW, 126); and

WHEREAS, “In our life together, all Synod members have agreed that every one of our rostered ordained ministers be formally certified for pastoral ministry, either by one of the Synod’s two seminaries or the Synod’s colloquy committee” (Report R60, CW, 126); and

WHEREAS, According to Bylaw 4.1.1, “The Synod is not merely an advisory body in relation to a district, but establishes districts in order more effectively to achieve its objectives and carry on its activities,” and Bylaw 4.1.1.1, “A district is the Synod itself performing the functions of the Synod. Resolutions of the Synod are binding upon the districts.”; and

WHEREAS, “It is inconsistent with the LCMS Constitution and Bylaws for an LCMS district to develop and/or promote new or amended routes to ministry apart from the procedures and approvals to which the Synod—in its bylaws, policies, and resolutions—has previously committed itself” (Report R60, CW, 126; see also Bylaws 3.10.4–3.10.4.5). Such efforts subvert our shared commitment towards pastoral formation and erode our Synod’s harmony; and

WHEREAS, “Over the course of the Synod’s history, the LCMS has continually developed and refined its residential and nonresidential routes to ordination in order to address the needs of the church as they have arisen and dynamically changed through time” (Report R60, CW, 128); and

WHEREAS, The Master of Divinity route to call, examination, and ordination into the Office of the Holy Ministry is the most robust route in terms of academics and additional means of pastoral formation when compared to other approved routes in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and is considered “the most complete means of preparing a man for the general responsibilities of the pastoral office” (2016 Resolution 6-03, Proceedings, 168), and “the preferred option for the preparation of men for pastoral ministry” (2019 Res. 6-02, Proceedings, 159); therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod give thanks to the Lord for His provision to the Church of the Office of the Holy Ministry and commit itself to full and faithful preparation of men for this office; and be it further

Resolved, That we give thanks to God for the blessings He gives to His Church through the men He has raised up to serve in the Office of the Holy Ministry; and be it further

Resolved, That we affirm the necessity and fruitfulness of Synod-approved 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 Cross-cultural Ministry Center, and the Residential Alternate Route program; previously, DELTO); and be it further

Resolved, “That the district presidents and seminaries be strongly encouraged to direct men to residential pastoral ministry routes [at our Synod’s seminaries] as the preferred option” (2019 Res. 6-02, Proceedings, 159); and be it finally

Resolved, That districts and members of the Synod honor, use, and promote Synod-approved programs and not create independent programs of pastoral preparation or direct men to pastoral preparation programs outside of our Synod’s seminaries as such efforts are not in accord with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Synod (Const. Art. III 3; Bylaw

3.10.4