To Ensure Pastoral Ministry in the Synod during Times of Shortage

Official Workbook overture source text

6-35 
To Ensure Pastoral Ministry in the Synod  
during Times of Shortage 
WHEREAS, 2023 Synod convention Resolution 6 -02A, “To 
Encourage Proper Pastoral Formation through Our Synod’s 
Seminaries,” “affirm[s] the necessity and fruitfulness of Synod-
approved alternate routes to ministry to be used in appropriate 
ministry settings and for appropriately qualified candidates 
(currently, the Specific Ministry Pastor program, the Ethnic 
Immigrant Institute of Theology, the Center for Hispanic Studies, 
the Specific Ministry Pastor -Español/English Program, the Cross -
cultural Ministry Center, and the Residential Alternate Route 
program; previously, DELTO)”  (Proc. , 161)  and “ ‘strongly 
encourage[s] [district presidents and seminaries] to direct men to 
residential pastoral ministry routes [at our Synod’s seminaries]* as 
the preferred option’ (2019 Res. 6 -02, [“To Promote Residential 
Seminary Education as the Preferred Option for the Preparation of 
Men for Pastoral Ministry,”] Proc., 159, *brackets original)” as the 
way that the church operates during normal circumstances; and 
W
HEREAS, The Synod faces a growing pastoral shortage. The 
number of available pastors is inadequate, and congregations often 
wait an average of 24 months to complete the call process. This 
challenge is expected to intensify in the coming years; and 
W
HEREAS, Within 15 years, the average age of the current 
pastoral workforce will rise to 74, leading to a critical shortage of 
pastors. This will impact not only small congregations that cannot 
afford full -time pastors but also larger, well -resourced churches. 
Without intervention, there will be too few pastors to serve even 
half of existing congregations, let alone to support church planting 
and growth; therefore be it 
Resolved, That the Synod gives thanks to God for the faithfulness 
of our Synod in providing this variety of scripturally and 
confessionally faithful pathways of pastoral formation to fulfill the 
need for laborers for the Lord’s harvest; and be it further 
Resolved, That to ensure the ongoing proclamation of the Gospel 
and administration of the Sacraments, the 2026 Synod convention 
authorize district presidents to utilize all existing Synod -approved 
pastoral formation programs at their discretion, allowing them to 
determine the most suitable training pathway for candidates in their 
district; and be it finally 
Resolved, That the Synod direct its seminaries to provide equal 
financial support for all approved pastoral formation programs, 
removing financial barriers and expanding access to pastoral 
training. By strengthening multiple formation pathways, the Synod 
will be b etter equipped to meet the needs of congregations and to 
continue advancing the mission of the church. 
Florida-Georgia District 
Ov.