To Expand and Strengthen Distance Learning Routes to Ordination

Official Workbook overture source text

6-36 
To Expand and Strengthen Distance Learning 
Routes to Ordination 
WHEREAS, The congregations of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod have been blessed with pastors and teachers who 
have been prepared for their service in a variety of ways over its 
history, either more academically or practically oriented; and 
WHEREAS, The seminaries of the Synod are currently offering, 
beyond the now normative residential Master of Divinity (M.Div.) 
program, a variety of routes for pastoral formation that take into 
consideration the needs, desires, and contexts of the students, 
including the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology, Center for 
Hispanic Studies, Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program, SMP to 
General Pastor Certification (typically an eight‑year program), the 
Residential Alternative Route, and the Cross -
Cultural Ministry 
Center at Concordia University, Irvine; the Committee for Colloquy 
to the Pastoral Ministry also recently offered an SMP colloquy route 
to former lay deacons (2016 Res. 13-02A); and 
W
HEREAS, These programs, utilizing both in‑person and online 
instruction, have formed and continue to form faithful and effective 
pastors; and 
W
HEREAS, The need for ordained ministers of the Gospel to 
serve the congregations of the Synod will only grow greater as 
retirements increase; and 
WHEREAS, The need for faithful servants to expand further 
mission and ministry will also continue to grow; and 
WHEREAS, Academic training has taken advantage of technology 
to offer distance education, and it has become a standard means of 
delivering training in many contexts in our culture; and 
W
HEREAS, It has become increasingly difficult and prohibitive 
for prospective seminary students to leave homes, family, 
employment, and ministry context to move cross‑country to enroll 
in a four‑year residential M.Div. program; therefore be it 
Resolved
, That the Synod in convention enhance the ability of 
our alternate routes to ordination to meet the increasing demand for 
pastoral candidates by removing current restrictions on enrollment, 
geographic location, and ministry context, while maintaining the 
Synod’s doctrinal standards and the integrity of pastoral formation; 
and be it further 
Resolved, That the Synod in convention increase the number of 
opportunities to prepare candidates for general ministry via existing 
and new routes (e.g., in person, hybrid, online) through our 
seminaries, so that congregations throughout the Synod may be 
served by faithfully formed pastors in a wide variety of contexts. 
Southeastern District 
Ov.