To Encourage Licensed Counselors Serving Recognized Service Organizations to Complete Director of Family Life Ministry Colloquy Program

Official Workbook overture source text

7-12 
To Encourage Licensed Counselors  
Serving Recognized Service Organizations  
to Complete Director of Family Life Ministry 
Colloquy Program 
Preamble 
This overture encourages Licensed Mental Health Counselors 
(LMHCs) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW s) serving 
in recognized service organizations (RSO s) of the  Synod to 
complete the Director of Family Life Ministry (DFLM) c olloquy 
program, so that they may be called and rostered as distinctly 
Lutheran counselors, uniting professional licensure with ecclesial 
recognition and providing b iblically sound, Christ-centered 
counseling care. 
WHEREAS, RSOs of the Synod are called to extend the mercy of 
Christ through faithful service, and counseling ministries are a vital 
means by which the church bears witness to the Gospel in word and 
deed; and 
WHEREAS, LMHCs and LCSWs serving within RSOs provide 
care to individuals and families who are often burdened by grief, 
trauma, relational conflict, and emotional distress, and are at times 
asked to address doctrinal issues related to faith and life; and 
WHEREAS, The integration of biblical truth with clinical 
excellence ensures that counseling services offered in RSOs are 
both Christ-centered and professionally effective, pointing clients 
to the comfort, peace, and hope found in Jesus Christ; and 
W
HEREAS, The DFLM colloquy program equips candidates with 
theological formation rooted in the Lutheran Confessions, preparing 
them to serve as rostered workers who embody a distinctly Lutheran 
identity in their vocation; and 
WHEREAS, Never before in the history of the Synod has there 
been an opportunity for licensed Lutheran counselors to be formally 
called and rostered to serve within the Synod; and 
W
HEREAS, This unprecedented opportunity is now available, 
opening the way for counselors to serve the church in a distinctly 
Lutheran capacity, uniting professional licensure with ecclesial 
recognition; and 
WHEREAS, Encouraging LMHCs and LCSWs to complete the 
DFLM colloquy program strengthens the church’s witness by 
raising up counselors who are not only clinically licensed but also 
ecclesially recognized, thereby uniting professional practice with 
confessional fidelity; and 
W
HEREAS, Such preparation ensures that counseling ministries 
within RSOs remain accountable to the doctrine and mission of the 
church, while also meeting the highest standards of Christ-centered 
and distinctly Lutheran counseling care; and 
WHEREAS, In September 2025, the Concordia University System 
approved that LMHCs and LCSWs meet the prerequisite 
requirements for admission to the DFLM colloquy program at 
Concordia University Wisconsin and Concordia University 
Nebraska; and 
WHEREAS, RSOs of the Synod are required and expected to align 
in doctrine and practice with the Synod, ensuring that their 
programs and activities are in harmony with the mission and 
ministry of the church; and 
W
HEREAS, RSOs, while structurally independent, must agree to 
respect and not act contrary to the doctrine and practice of the 
Synod, fostering the mission and ministry of the church through 
their service; and 
WHEREAS, The granting of RSO status signifies that an 
organization, though self -governed, extends the mission and 
ministry of the Synod, operates in accordance with Synod Bylaws 
and policies, and remains accountable to the theological and 
missional integrity of the Synod; therefore be it 
Resolved, That LMHCs and LCSWs serving in RSOs be highly 
encouraged to complete the DFLM  colloquy program, so that they 
may be called and rostered to serve as distinctly Lutheran 
counselors, providing b iblically sound and clinically effective 
Christ-centered counseling services to the glory of God and the 
blessing of His people. 
Board of Regents 
Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor 
Ov.