To Affirm Exclusive Use of Synod Seminaries to Prepare Men for Office of Holy Ministry

Official Workbook overture source text

6-17 
To Affirm Exclusive Use of Synod Seminaries to 
Prepare Men for Office of Holy Ministry 
WHEREAS, The pastors’ conference of the Mid-South District, in 
regular session, desires that the Synod and its districts, circuits, and 
congregations reaffirm all the teachings of Scripture and the 
Lutheran Confessions as expressed in the Book of Concord, and 
practices that agree with these symbols of the Evangelical Lutheran 
Church; and 
W
HEREAS, The district pastors’ conference wishes to 
memorialize the 2026 Synod convention to affirm the exclusive use 
of the Synod’s seminaries to prepare men for the Office of the Holy 
Ministry; and 
WHEREAS, The Synod has created certain means to train, prepare, 
and assign men into ministries of the Synod in an orderly and 
agreed-upon process; and 
W
HEREAS, The Lord Christ has called His Church to a unity of 
faith in what is  taught, preached, and confessed, by which it fully 
embraces the call of continuing steadfast in the apostles’ teaching 
(Acts 2:42), that is, in all the teachings of Holy Scripture and the 
Evangelical Lutheran standards expressed in the Book of Concord  
(John 17:20–21; Eph. 4:4–6; FC SD X 31); and 
WHEREAS, Constitution Article III 1 reflects our Lord’s will by 
stating that The Lutheran Church —Missouri Synod (LCMS) shall 
“conserve and promote the unity of the true faith (Eph. 4:3–6; 1 Cor. 
1:10), work through its official structure toward fellowship with 
other Christian church bodies, and provide a united defense against 
schism, sectarianism (Rom. 16:17), and heresy”; and 
WHEREAS, The Bylaws provide for the two seminaries of the 
Synod, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), 
and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL); and 
W
HEREAS, The two recognized seminaries of the Synod, to the 
exclusion of other seminaries, were established to educate, form, 
and train the pastors of the Synod (Bylaw sections 2.7–8); and 
WHEREAS, The Bylaws provide for the possibility of a pastor 
from another unrelated church body to emerge from another 
confession and provide a means by which a pastor may join, by 
examination and by his agreement in doctrine and practice, with the 
Synod (Bylaws 2.7.2; 3.10.2–3.10.2.5); and 
W
HEREAS, A man from another church body, wishing to serve in 
the ministerium of the Synod, may do so, providing such a man is 
certified and received into the ordained membership of the Synod 
via the colloquy program (Bylaw 3.10.2); and 
WHEREAS, Through the exclusive use of its two seminaries and 
by His grace alone, the Lord has for nearly 180 years preserved in 
the Synod the true confession of His Word and practice in accord 
with Holy Scripture; and 
WHEREAS, The education, formation, and training of pastors are 
best accomplished through an in-person, face-to -face, live, and 
residential setting, as the history of our two seminaries and the 
Synod demonstrate; and 
WHEREAS, Educating, forming, and training men for the possible 
ministry of the Synod in seminaries that are outside the approval, 
oversight, and support of the Synod and that are associated with 
heterodox groups risks confusion and unnecessary and difficult 
division; and 
WHEREAS, The Center for Missional and Pastoral Leadership 
(CMPL, thecenter.info/cmpl/), an unauthorized online seminary 
under the umbrella of the Institute for Lutheran Theology 
(Brookings, SD, ilt.edu/) and affiliated with the heterodox North 
American Lutheran Church, has offered coursework to students 
from LCMS congregations leading to the Master of Arts (M.A.) in 
Religion, the Master of Ministry (M.Min.), or a Master of Divinity 
(M.Div.), the latter two of which are widely recognized as requisite 
education and formation for the pastorate; and 
W
HEREAS, Unite Leadership Collective (ULC, 
uniteleadership.org) (in partnership with Kairos University, an 
interdenominational university affiliated with the North American 
Baptist Conference) directs and facilitates the enrollment of 
students from LCMS congregations in M.A. and M.Div. programs 
of another online seminary, namely, Luther House of Study (LHOS, 
lutherhouseofstudy.org/); and 
W
HEREAS, The plea from leaders of ULC and the CMPL to enroll 
students in their programs has allegedly been given in response to 
the pastor shortage in the LCMS, indicating that both entities wish 
to use their respective seminary programs to educate, form, and 
train pastors for ministry in the LCMS; and 
WHEREAS, The Council of Presidents at its April 29, 2025, 
meeting issued a clear statement on non-Synod seminaries, stating, 
Our Synod needs pastors for all our congregations and mission 
outreach. We implore the Lord of the Church to send them. We 
commit ourselves to direct potential students for the pastoral 
office only to the routes to ordination approved by and 
accountable to Synod. The Council will not place graduates from 
other programs. The Council members agree not to ordain 
graduates from other programs. We commit ourselves to engage 
the Church, our Synod’s seminaries, and Pastoral Formation 
Committee to strengthen the routes to ordination and address the 
challenges and opportunities for providing the Church well -
formed candidates for the pastoral ministry. (Roy S. Askins, 
“LCMS Addresses Unauthorized, Non -LCMS Pastoral 
Formation Programs,” Reporter Online , May 8, 2025, 
2026 Convention Workbook
372 PAST ORAL MINISTRY AND SEMINARIES