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

Official Workbook overture source text

6-19 
To Affirm Exclusive Use of Synod Seminaries  
to Prepare Men for Office of Holy Ministry 
WHEREAS, The Lord Christ has called His Church to faithfulness 
in the things of God (John 8:31), which is sustained in the Church 
by the faithful transmission of the faith to and through the future 
pastors of the Church; and 
WHEREAS, The Lord Christ has called His Church to love toward 
one another (John 13:35), which is exercised by the creation of 
agreed-upon modes of undertaking corporate action; and 
WHEREAS, The Lord Christ has called His C hurch to a unity of 
faith that is identical with and tantamount to continuing steadfast in 
the apostles’ teaching  (Acts 2:42) , all the teachings of Holy 
Scripture and their expression in the Lutheran Book of Concord, that 
is, “the Gospel, in all its articles” (LCMS, A Statement of Scriptural 
and Confessional Principles  [adopted 1973] Article IV; see also 
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, In Article III 3 , in pursuance of the aforementioned 
objective and in love,  the Synod names and reserves for itself, on 
behalf of the members (that is, the rostered workers and 
congregations) of the Synod, the recruitment and training of pastors; 
and 
WHEREAS, Likewise in pursuit of the objectives of the Synod, the 
Synod Bylaws reserve for the two seminaries of the Synod, namely 
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), and 
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL), the duty, to the exclusion of 
other seminaries, to educate, form, and train the pastors of the 
Synod (Bylaw  sections 2.7–8) (notwithstanding that  
the Bylaws 
countenance the possibility of a pastor from another church body 
later in life emerging from the darkness of a false confession, 
2026 Convention Workbook
374 PAST ORAL MINISTRY AND SEMINARIES