To Create Plan to Address Near-Term Pastoral Needs

WHEREAS, There is broad recognition that the Synod is facing a significant shortfall of pastors; and

WHEREAS, Such recognition resulted in the passing of 2019 Resolution 6-01, “To Support and Participate in the Comprehensive Church Worker Recruitment Initiative,” which launched Set Apart to Serve; and

WHEREAS, The Set Apart to Serve initiative has established a multi-year approach seeking to encourage our youth to serve as pastors or church workers; and

WHEREAS, Such a multi-year effort does not address the immediate or near-term shortage of pastors; and

WHEREAS, Concordia Seminary, Concordia Theological Seminary, and the Concordia University System (CUS) are not currently supplying sufficient quantity of theologically trained workers to resource the mission initiatives of the Church in the near term; and

WHEREAS, The Synod, gathered in convention in 2016, limited Word and Sacrament ministry to ordained pastors, limiting the use of other designated servants; and

WHEREAS, Article XIV of the Augsburg Confession states that “no one should publicly teach in the Church or administer the Sacraments unless he be regularly called”; and

WHEREAS, The Gospel calls us to continue mission initiatives serving our con greg ants, communities, and world which requires that workers be recruited, trained, and released into ministry at present, in the near term, and over the coming decades; and

WHEREAS, Districts have experience utilizing programs to provide formal theological training for potential workers, including the current Specific Ministry Program, the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology, and the Center for Hispanic Studies; and

WHEREAS, The implementation of the system in place in the Synod to foster and encourage worker recruitment and development through our educational institutions has not met the present and near-term need; and

WHEREAS, Unless the Synod plans for comparable losses in congregations and mission efforts, there will continue to be a worker supply and demand problem; and

WHEREAS, Our God calls us not to bury the gift entrusted to us out of fear of the master but rather to be empowered to use it for His mission; and

WHEREAS, Such empowerment allows for responsible creativity as the history of the Synod in missions exhibits; and

WHEREAS, The Bylaws do not preclude the Pastoral Formation Committee from consulting with others with knowledge of the mission field and the pool of potential pastors for the mission field in formulating strategic direction of pastoral formation; and

WHEREAS, Receiving good and knowledgeable council is wise and reflects good stewardship; and

WHEREAS, The Bylaws do not limit the reporting of the Pastoral Formation Committee’s work to only the annual joint meeting of the boards of regents of the two seminaries; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Pastoral Formation Committee, working with the Council of Presidents, the seminaries, the CUS, and our partner institutions, where appropriate, develop a worker training plan to supply sufficient pastors to serve our con greg ants, communities, and world working with our partner institutions, where appropriate, in the near term; and be it further

Resolved, That this training plan account for recruitment, development, and sending of pastoral candidates; and be it finally

Resolved, That this training plan be presented to the districts at