To Encourage Both Synod Seminaries to Continue Teaching Men for Faithful Service and to Petition the Synod to Dramatically Increase Funds Sent to Un designated Seminary Operations

WHEREAS, Both of our LCMS seminaries continue to teach and prepare theological pastors who understand, believe, and teach the Lutheran Confession faithfully; and

WHEREAS, Our seminaries have increasingly been forced to secure their own funding for operations, necessitating the formation of separate development offices and staff (Current support for our seminaries from the Synodical budget amounts to 1 percent of the seminaries’ budgets.); and

WHEREAS, One of the reasons for the formation of a Synod was the common and truthful belief that congregations could do together what none could do alone, including providing seminaries for the training of pastors in the Synod (1847 Constitution Article I 5: “Reasons for forming a Synodical Organization:…To make possible the promotion of common church projects [seminary, agenda, hymnal, Book of Concord, schoolbooks, Bible distribution, mission projects within and outside the Church].” ); and

WHEREAS, The LCMS model of residential seminary education has served the Synod well since its founding and has become a model for seminaries around the world, with partner churches calling for aid and counsel in providing similar educational opportunities and standards for their students (“Today, the single most frequent and fervent request received by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod from partner and non-partner Lutheran church bodies around the world is to share our theological treasures.”; LCMS Web page for Global Seminary Initiative, www.lcms.org/makeagift/gsi, accessed February 16, 2023); and

WHEREAS, Congregations of the Synod and global missions will always need well-educated pastors and experienced and gifted faculties; and

WHEREAS, The cost of maintaining academic standards, recruiting and teaching future pastors, and operating residential seminaries continues to increase; and

WHEREAS, Many other church bodies in the United States are abandoning residential models and moving to online teaching and remote learning while requiring less overall education and training in the sacred texts and doctrine of the Christian Church to the detriment of pastoral formation; and

WHEREAS, Many in our Synod are also tempted to close a seminary and find cheaper and more expedient ways to solve the short-term clergy shortage that we face; and

WHEREAS, Such short-term thinking can provide some relief for the immediate crisis, but often has unintended consequences and creates greater struggles for the future; and

WHEREAS, Jesus has told us that the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few, to pray to Himtosend out laborers into His harvest field; and

WHEREAS, The Lord, in His mercy, has faithfully and generously provided these seminaries for the preaching and teaching of His Word, and they are a great blessing to confessional Lutheranism in the United States and throughout the world; therefore be it

Resolved, That letters of encouragement be sent to each seminary from the Montana District Board of Directors thanking them for their faithfulness to our Lutheran Confession and the formation of pastors, while also encouraging them to continue this work; and be it further

Resolved, That congregations of the Montana District be encouraged to consider generous contributions to the Joint Seminary Fund (LCMS Joint Seminary Fund, www.lcms.org/makeagift/joint-seminary-fund, accessed February 16,2023), afund that provides roughly one million dollars per fiscal year to each seminary (LCMS Communications, “‘Reporter’ supplement: Pastoral education–The truth of Christ is that important,” Reporter Online, March 4, 2020, reporter.lcms.org/2020/reporter-supplement-pastoral-education- the-truth-of-christ-is-that-important) or directly to one or both of the seminaries; and be it further

Resolved, That the Montana District lead this effort by example, setting a goal of contributing 5 percent of unrestricted giving from district congregations to the Joint Seminary Fund beginning in fiscal year 2023; and be it further

Resolved, That the Montana District petition the Synod in convention to return to the earlier practice of our Synod when seminaries were mostly funded by unrestricted monies given to the Synod at large by districts, member congregations, and individuals. Specifically, that the Synod would adjust budget priorities as necessary so as to make our seminaries a priority by providing for 50 percent of each seminary’s budget beginning in 2024, with a stated goal of increasing that percentage at each convention until both seminaries are fully funded by the Synod budget; and be it finally

Resolved, That this resolution be forwarded to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod for adoption at its 2023 convention.