To Establish Task Force to Determine Additions and Revisions for Training of Preachers within the Synod

WHEREAS, Our Lord directed in the last chapter of Matthew to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”; and

WHEREAS, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved … how are they to believe in Him … without someone preaching?And how are they to preach unless they are sent?”(Rom. 10:13–15a); and

WHEREAS, Jesus “appointed twelve … that … He might send them out to preach” (Mark 3:14; Matt. 10:5) and sent seventy-two (Luke 10:1) to preach the Good News of Salvation; and

WHEREAS, At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit directed Peter, the other apostles, and those with them (120) to preach the Good News of salvation to thousands in Jerusalem (Acts 2:1–41), and later appointed other men to assist (Acts 6:1–7, including Phillip and Stephen)and succeed(Acts14:23a;Titus1:5;1Peter5:1,etc.)them in the preaching ministry; and

WHEREAS, The Lord used Phillip (Acts 8:4–40) to preach in Samaria and to the Ethiopian eunuch, as well as Stephen who preached to the people, Freedmen, and the council (Acts 6:8–7:60); and

WHEREAS, Men who would be called to this preaching ministry must meet certain qualifications (1 Tim. 3:1–13; Titus 1:6–9); and

WHEREAS, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) has been blessed by God with two seminaries that are training men to fulfill this preaching office as either general pastors or Specific Ministry Pastors (SMP); and

WHEREAS, The LCMS has recognized for over 40 years a future and now present need for additional men, over and above those currently attending our seminaries, to be inducted into the preaching office, due to the additional requests that are received each year for preachers than the number of men who are graduating from our seminaries; and

WHEREAS, Additional opportunities to establish new congregations and preaching stations are often not realized due to the lack of sufficient number of men to fill the preaching office; and

WHEREAS, The Synod in convention has repeatedly requested that the members of Synod increase their recruitment efforts to expose the benefits of the preaching office to men who meet the scriptural qualifications; and

WHEREAS, The type and level of formal and informal training required by the church for a man to be admitted to the preaching office (1 Tim. 3:1–13; Titus 1:6–9) has varied throughout the centuries since Christ’s ascension into heaven, as has the level of training provided at our seminaries over the 175 years of the Synod’s existence; and

WHEREAS, The 1989 Synod convention established the office of lay deacon to assist in addressing the need for additional men in the preaching office, to serve under the direction of an ordained pastor; and

WHEREAS, The 2016 Synod convention reaffirmed its subscription to Article XIV of the Augsburg Confession, our churches “teach that no one should publicly teach in the Church or administer the Sacraments” without a rightly ordered call; and

WHEREAS, Despite these efforts, sufficient numbers of men to fulfill the needs of the preaching office within the LCMS has not occurred for many years and is forecast not to be fulfilled in the foreseeable future; therefore be it

Resolved, That the work of recruiting men for the preaching office continue; and be it further

Resolved, That a task force be established to study the potential options for training additional men for the preaching office in order to meet the multiple needs for additional preachers; and be it further

Resolved, That this task force be made up of one ordained and one lay member from each district of the LCMS, appointed by the respective district presidents; and be it further

Resolved, That this task force organize itself into committees made up of at least one ordained and one lay member from each region of the LCMS for the purposes of evaluating the training of men for preaching offices available through the regular seminary process, the SMP training process, the institutions of the Concordia University System (CUS), and other means within the various districts of the LCMS, including the training of lay deacons, along with other topics the task force shall determine as necessary or beneficial; and be it further

Resolved, That this task force begin its work no later than four months after the close of the 2023 Synod convention; and be it further

Resolved, That this task force work with and receive input from the various seminaries, institutions of the CUS, other boards and commissions of the Synod, the offices of the Synod President and district presidents in developing its recommendations; and be it further

Resolved, That this task force take into account the recommendations developed by the previous SMP task force and task force on Licensed Lay Deacons; and be it further

Resolved, That this task force provide to either the 2026 (preferred) or the 2029 Synod convention recommended additions and modifications to the existing training programs for men entering preaching offices within the Synod; and be it further

Resolved, That the preliminary recommendations of this task force be made available to members of the Synod no less than nine months prior to the presentation of the final recommendations at a future Synod convention; and be it finally

Resolved, That each member of the LCMS continue to adhere to Jesus’ admonition in Luke 10:2: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”