To Commit the Synod to Fully Funding Her Seminaries as a Primary Responsibility of Corporate Synod

WHEREAS, The Synod has established and maintains Concordia Seminary (CSL) and Concordia Theological Seminary (CTSFW) to form pastors for faithful Word and Sacrament ministry in the Church and her mission; and

WHEREAS, The Synod has repeatedly affirmed residential seminary formation as the preferred and normative route for preparation for the pastoral office (2019 Res. 6-02; 2023 Res. 6- 02A); and

WHEREAS, CTSFW reported an audited 2024 annual operating budget of $17,310,173, of which approximately two percent was provided through direct corporate Synod funding, with the remainder supplied through gifts, endowment distributions, and tuition (Jon Bruss, “Rise Again, Ye Lion-hearted! Strategic Plan 2024–2029,”Forthe Lifeofthe World,Vol.29,no.1[Spring2025]: 4–6); and

WHEREAS, Seminary leadership has publicly acknowledged that corporate Synod once underwrote a substantially greater proportion of seminary operating expenses than is presently the case; and

WHEREAS, The formation of pastors who rightly teach, administer the Sacraments, and shepherd Christ’s flock is foundational to every other work of the Synod; and

WHEREAS, Faithful stewardship requires that corporate Synod funding priorities reflect the Church’s primary responsibility to form ministers of the Gospel; therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention declare the full operational funding of CSL and CTSFW to be a primary responsibility of corporate Synod; and be it further

Resolved, That the Synod direct the Board of Directors (BOD), in consultation with the President of the Synod, the Chief Financial Officer of the Synod, and the presidents of both seminaries, to develop and implement a multi-year plan that begins with an increased appropriation for both seminaries in the Synod’s fiscal year 2027 (FY27) corporate budget (July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027), with the stated objective of moving toward full operational funding;

and be it further

Resolved, That the FY27 corporate Synod budget shall include a measurable increase in direct corporate Synod funding for each seminary, the amount of which shall be publicly reported and shall represent a material step toward full operational funding; and be it further

Resolved, That the FY27 increase be achieved through the reallocation and prior it iz ation of unrestricted corporate Synod funds, as determined by the BOD in the course of normal budget development, while explicitly preserving donor-restricted gifts and designated funding; and be it further

Resolved, That the BOD report to the Synod no later than Dec. 31, 2026, the specific FY27 dollar amounts appropriated to each seminary, the budget lines affected, and the projected increases for subsequent fiscal years; and be it finally

Resolved, That the Synod give thanks to God for the faithful generosity of His people and pray for wise stewardship that strengthens both the Church’s mission and the formation of her pastors.