Official Workbook PDF page source text

2026 Convention Workbook 29

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

is housing allowance (or parsonage), an excellent pension, and time flexibility for the worker and his family.

A.5. Impact SAS measures impact in several ways. One measurement of impact is the overall awareness of the intentional culture the Synod is developing through SAS. The awareness of SAS has risen from 54 percent in 2021 to 91 percent in 2025. Among commissioned workers, awareness has risen from 39 to 91 percent. Among lay leaders, awareness has risen from 26 to 53 percent.

Through SAS, there is also an increase in the percentage of intentional conversations influential adults are having with youth about considering a full-time church work vocation. The propor - tion of laypeople having intentional church-work conversations with youth increased from 19 to 30 percent from 2023 to 2025.

The proportion of commissioned workers having such conversations increased from 59 to 74 percent in the same period. Among ordained ministers, these conversations increased from 74 to 83 percent.

In the 2025 district conventions, 16 out of the 35 districts adopted specific SAS (church work recruitment) resolutions. In these resolutions, six districts adopted having a specific SAS district focus group (committee), encouraging congregations to do the same.

Eleven districts adopted their schools using the CPH SAS curriculum. Seven districts adopted specific measures to increase worker wellness and compensation across the district. In addition, all 35 districts are partnering with SAS in various ways including district education executive focus groups, circuit visitor focus groups, focus groups with districts developing an SAS committee/focus, and a second-career teacher advertisement pilot. In addition, district personnel provide names and contact information for pilots with school principals, parents, youth, and lay leaders.

The Concordia universities and seminaries are doing excellent recruitment work and making church work programs more affordable. Through their efforts, within a synodwide SAS culture , we are realizing an increase in students enrolled in our church work programs. Enrollment in pre-seminary programs in our Concordia universities increased from 136 in 2022 to 174 in 2025. Lutheran teacher enrollment increased from 354 to 402 in the same period.

With the addition of the new classical education program in three of our Concordia universities, Lutheran education enrollment is 415. DCE enrollment increased from 85 to 93. Director of parish music decreased from 32 to 28, which we are striving to increase.

Deaconess enrollment at CUC and the two seminaries increased from 81 in 2022 to 101 in 2025. Seminary enrollment (in all pastoral routes) increased from 571 to 586 in the same period. With pre-seminary enrollment increasing, and men entering the seminary from other undergraduate institutions, we are expecting seminary enrollments to increase accordingly.

A.6. Resources Resources have impact only if they are used. Through our pilot projects, surveys, and partnerships across the Synod, SAS has developed several excellent, user-friendly resources for pastors, commissioned workers, parents and families, laity, youth, and districts to form and recruit youth and adults for full-time church work. Resources developed over the last year include Forming a Congregation SAS Focus Team (committee), Forming a District SAS Focus Team (committee), Helping Parents Prepare Youth for Church Work V ocations, Next Chapter: New Calling—A Guide for the Wife of a Potential Second-Career Pastor, Second Career A.3. Second Career In the fall of 2024, SAS facilitated journey mapping workshops at both Synod seminaries with second-career seminarians, and then also with their wives. Information was gathered to collect information in the stages of awareness, consideration, decision, enrollment, relocation, and seminary years. For each phase, we explored steps taken, key questions and decisions, with whom they interacted, and barriers. Two resources resulted: (1) Next Chapter, New Calling—A Guide for the Wife of a Potential Second-Career Pastor, and (2)

Talking Points for Encouraging Second-Career Church Work.

In October 2025, SAS partnered with the Colloquy Committee for Commissioned Ministry and Concordia University Education Network (CUEnet) to develop a teacher colloquy webinar and “Colloquy 101” resource. Topics included what teacher colloquy is and what it requires; the personal, spiritual, and classroom benefits of colloquy; the colloquy process, including requirements, coursework, formats, timing, and financial aid; and next steps and resources for those who are ready to begin the process. From Oct. to Dec.

2025, there were 29 new teacher colloquy starts. See resources.

lcms.org/multimedia/teacher-colloquy-webinar.

A.4. Addressing Barriers To address the need for ordained and commissioned church workers, the LCMS must address the barriers to church work for - mation and recruitment. One primary barrier is awareness. Since its inception, SAS is working on helping all constituents of the Synod become more aware of the purpose, need, and action steps of forming and recruiting full-time church workers. Included in this barrier is helping everyone and every entity on every level in Synod know they play a significant role in forming and recruiting youth and adults for full-time church work. These barriers are being addressed through building a synodwide network of collaborative partner - ships, conducting surveys, facilitating pilot and focus groups, and making full use of the LCMS communications channels and periodicals.

A second barrier is the cost of church worker education. This barrier has been aggressively addressed throughout the church. Our Concordia universities and seminaries have made significant progress in making church work programs more affordable. Through the hard work of our institutions and generosity of their donors, this barrier has become much more manageable. In addition, Concordia University System has offered significant church work grants, districts and congregations are granting church work scholarships, and families and students are making choices to make church work education manageable. Concordia university and seminary costs can be viewed at lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve.

A third barrier is around worker wellness. Current ordained and commissioned church workers and parents have consistently shared their reluctance to encourage our youth to consider full-time church work around the worker wellness issue. A significant component to this issue is how we treat one another as the baptized in Christ and how we regard servants of Christ and His Word. SAS is collaborating with LCMS Worker Wellness as it engages a year-long pilot project. This pilot is focused on how we help congregations care for their workers in compensation, health care, time off, boundaries, and more. Next steps include messaging to congregations, collab - orating with district presidents, and more. However, in recruitment conversations, many people do not realize how congregations care for their church workers in addition to salary. Congregations also provide excellent health care through Concordia Plans. Also, there