To Encourage Licensed Counselors Serving Recognized Service Organizations to Complete Director of Family Life Ministry Colloquy Program

Preamble This overture encourages Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) serving in recognized service organizations (RSOs) of the Synod to complete the Director of Family Life Ministry (DFLM) colloquy program, so that they may be called and roster ed as distinctly Lutheran counselors, uniting professional li censure with ecclesial recognition and providing biblically sound, Christ-centered counseling care.

WHEREAS, RSOs of the Synod are called to extend the mercy of Christ through faithful service, and counseling ministries are a vital means by which the church bears witness to the Gospel in word and deed; and

WHEREAS, LMHCs and LCSWs serving within RSOs provide care to individuals and families who are often burdened by grief, trauma, relational conflict, and emotional distress, and are at times asked to address doctrinal issues related to faith and life; and

WHEREAS, The integration of biblical truth with clinical excellence ensures that counseling services offered in RSOs are both Christ-centered and professionally effective, pointing clients to the comfort, peace, and hope found in Jesus Christ; and

WHEREAS, The DFLM colloquy program equips candidates with theological formation rooted in the Lutheran Confessions,preparing themto serve as roster ed workers who embodyadistinctly Lutheran identity in their vocation; and

WHEREAS, Never before in the history of the Synod has there been an opportunity for licensed Lutheran counselors to be formally called and roster ed to serve within the Synod; and

WHEREAS, This unprecedented opportunity is now available, opening the way for counselors to serve the church in a distinctly Lutheran capacity, uniting professional li censure with ecclesial recognition; and

WHEREAS, Encouraging LMHCs and LCSWs to complete the DFLM colloquy program strengthens the church’s witness by raising up counselors who are not only clinically licensed but also ecclesially recognized, there by uniting professional practice with confessional fidelity; and

WHEREAS, Such preparation ensures that counseling ministries within RSOs remain accountable to the doctrine and mission of the church, while also meeting the highest standards of Christ-centered and distinctly Lutheran counseling care; and

WHEREAS, In September 2025, the Concordia University System approved that LMHCs and LCSWs meet the prerequisite requirements for admission to the DFLM colloquy program at Concordia University Wisconsin and Concordia University Nebraska; and

WHEREAS, RSOs of the Synod are required and expected to align in doctrine and practice with the Synod, ensuring that their programs and activities are in harmony with the mission and ministry of the church; and

WHEREAS, RSOs, while structurally independent, must agree to respect and not act contrary to the doctrine and practice of the Synod, fostering the mission and ministry of the church through their service; and

WHEREAS, The granting of RSO status signifies that an organization, though self-governed, extends the mission and ministry of the Synod, operates in accordance with Synod Bylaws and policies, and remains accountable to the theological and mission al integrity of the Synod; therefore be it

Resolved, That LMHCs and LCSWs serving in RSOs be highly encouraged to complete the DFLM colloquy program, so that they may be called and roster ed to serve as distinctly Lutheran counselors, providing biblically sound and clinically effective Christ-centered counseling services to the glory of God and the blessing of His people.