Official Workbook report source text
Official Workbook source-navigation report record. No analysis has been added.
- Report number/id
- R13
- Report title
- R13 Pastoral Formation Committee
- Workbook start page
- 63
- Workbook end page
- 64
- Source pages
- 63, 64
- Source status
- source_checked
- Committee
- Not available
R13 Pastoral Formation Committee The Synod’s Pastoral Formation Committee (PFC), comprised of the Chief Mission Officer (chair, voting), the presidents of the two Synod seminaries (voting), and the executive director of the Office of Pastoral Education (nonvoting advisory), is tasked with the following regular assignments under Bylaws 3.10.4–3.10.4.7: • Ensure that the Synod’s objective of training pastors is filled consistently. • Recommend, following consultation with the seminaries’ boards of regents in their annual joint meeting, any new routes leading to ordination for approval by resolution of the Synod. • Review, assess, coordinate, support, and make suggestions for improvement of all existing noncolloquy routes leading Hillsong, International House of Prayer, Neo-Paganism, and New Apostolic Reformation. A goal of the commission is to continue to provide Spanish-language translations of its evaluations. The entire current listing of topics addressed by CTCR evaluations includes (new documents this triennium are noted in bold below): • Lodge Organizations: o Elks Lodge o Fraternal Order of Eagles o The Lodge o Membership in Certain Fraternal Organizations: A Pastoral Approach (also available in Spanish) o Moose International • Other Religious Organizations and Movements: o Abrahamic Religions o Alpha Course o Baha’i Faith o Beth Moore Ministries (also available in Spanish) o Buddhism (also available in Spanish) o Center for Progressive Christianity o Christian Identity Movement o Christian Reconstructionism o Christian Science (also available in Spanish) o Church of Scientology (also available in Spanish) o Churchless Christianity o Cults—An Overview (also available in Spanish) o Cursillo Movement (also available in Spanish) o Deepak Chopra o Emergent Church o Enneagram o Falun Gong o Fellowship of Christian Athletes o Hillsong o Gideons International o Gnosticism o God’s Learning Channel o Hinduism o Human Potential Movement o The International Churches of Christ (also available in Spanish) o International House of Prayer o Islam (also available in Spanish) o Jehovah’s Witnesses (also available in Spanish) o Joel Osteen o Joyce Meyer Ministries o Judaism o Kabbalah o Latter Day Saints (also available in Spanish) 2026 Convention Workbook 64 OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS theological education and leadership centered in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ for the formation of pastors, missionaries, dea- conesses, scholars, and leaders in the name of the Synod. The mission of Concordia Seminary flows from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God has sent His own Son into the world to redeem sinners by His death and resurrection. The Good News of repen- tance, forgiveness, and eternal life in His name is being preached to the ends of the earth. Concordia Seminary is a part of this beau- tiful, salvation-bringing work of our Triune God. As grateful heirs of the Reformation, we teach, preach, and confess in accord with the scriptural, Christ-centered witness of the Lutheran Confessions. The primary mission of Concordia Seminary, now in its 187th year, is to prepare men for the Holy Ministry of Word and Sacra- ment in the LCMS. The Seminary also prepares women for ser - vice to the church through its Deaconess Studies programs, offers advanced degree programs to qualified students of theology, and serves as a center for theological research, scholarship, and con- tinuing education of the clergy and laity. Since its founding in 1839, Concordia Seminary has provided more than 13,000 workers for the church. Concordia Seminary is aligned with and assists the Synod in achieving key objectives, including to: “conserve and promote the unity of the true faith” (Constitutional Article III, Objective 1); “strengthen congregations and their members in giving bold wit- ness” (Objective 2); “recruit and train pastors, teachers, and other professional church workers and provide opportunity for their con- tinuing growth” (Objective 3); “aid congregations by providing a variety of resources” (Objective 6); and “strive for uniformity in church practice, but also … an appreciation of a variety of respon- sible practices and customs” (Objective 7). The greatest strength of Concordia Seminary is our outstanding faculty—learned, dedicated, experienced, pastoral, faithful men. To our already strong roster, we have been blessed with a number of top-notch new professors over the last triennium: Dr. Sam Eather - ton, the Rev. Dr. James Fickenscher, the Rev. Joel Fritsche, the Rev. Dr. John Genter, the Rev. Dr. Adam Hensley, the Rev. Dr. Jason Lane, the Rev. Dr. Stephen Pietsch, and the Rev. Dr. Ryan Tinetti. We have also been recently blessed with an outstanding new Direc- tor of Deaconess Studies, Dcs. Dr. Jennie Asher. In the spring and fall of 2023, respectively, Concordia Semi- nary received regular accreditation visits from the Higher Learning Commission and the Association of Theological Schools. Both ac- crediting organizations gave Concordia positive reviews and full 10-year reaccreditation. Church worker recruitment remains a key priority, and enroll- ment at Concordia Seminary has increased over the last triennium. As of the Fall 2025 census, Concordia Seminary serves 641 stu- dents across all academic programs, our highest enrollment in 17 years. We give thanks to God and to His Church for three consecu- tive years of growth in our residential pastoral formation programs, a clear sign of renewed momentum and confidence in preparing future pastors. This growth reflects the faithful partnership of pas- tors, congregations, districts, and leaders across the Synod, along with the tireless work of our enrollment team, who continue to re- cruit, encourage, and walk alongside those preparing for service. The Synod’s Set Apart to Serve initiative is bearing fruit, and strong current enrollment in the pre-seminary programs of our Concordia Universities is very encouraging. Concordia Seminary continues to partner with Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, in re- to ordination in the Synod. • Monitor and receive reports from all directors and commit - tees charged with oversight of all routes to ordination and foster coordination and collaboration between such directors and committees. • Consider the long-term strategic direction of the Synod’s pastoral formation, and facilitate discussion of the same with the seminaries’ boards of regents in their annual joint meet- ing. Over the 2023–26 triennium, the PFC convened consistently (and far more frequently than Bylaw 3.10.4.7’s minimum annu- al meeting requirement), via face-to-face and internet conference meetings, in order to carry out its above-listed duties, including consultations and facilitation of discussions with the seminaries’ boards of regents in their annual joint meetings. 2023 Convention Assignments Beyond such regular duties, most notable over the triennium was the PFC’s ongoing work to fulfill assignments given to it under 2023 Resolution 6-03A (Proceedings, 162–63): • Prepare a report that analyzes and assesses ministerial or pastoral formation programs that have emerged within the Synod over the past several years, especially those preparing persons to perform the distinctive functions of the Office of the Holy Ministry, which lack approval of the Synod under its current Constitution and Bylaws and are not included in the current list (i.e., M.Div., RAR/AR, Specific Ministry to General Pastor Certificate, SMP, Specific Ministry Pas- tor-Espanol/English Program, Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology, Center for Hispanic Studies, Cross-Cultural Min- istry Center) of the Synod-approved routes to ordination. • Prepare a report that examines and compares approaches and outcomes of residential (i.e., in-person) and non-residential (i.e., distance learning) routes to ordination as these relate to the Synod’s commitment to a well-formed clergy for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. • Identify and evaluate options and rationales, and prepare a report to the 2026 Synod convention, which proposes a ben- eficial, clear, and concise definition of appropriate contexts for the ministry of SMP pastors. • Develop and present a comprehensive, uniform, synodwide Specific Ministry Supervision Plan. Reports R13.3–6 address the PFC’s assignments from the above-referenced convention resolution. In May 2025, the PFC posted “Frequently Asked Questions: Unauthorized Non-LCMS Pastoral Formation Programs.” This document was released at the same time President Harrison, Dr. Egger (CSL), and Dr. Bruss (CTSFW) issued statements re- garding unauthorized, non-LCMS pastoral formation programs (reporter.lcms.org/2025/lcms-addresses-unauthorized-non-lcms- pastoral-formation-programs/). Daniel M. Galchutt, Interim Chief Mission Officer