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LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 401

oversight include circuit visitors and district presidents, as well as 
supervisors of vicars/interns. 
It is important here to distinguish between standards for the pastoral 
office, which are de iure humano (by human right) and de iure 
divino (by divine right). With respect to standards de iure divino , 
ordination is ordination, a divine call is a divine call, and a pastor is 
a pastor. Consideration of limitations on the pastoral office that are 
self-imposed de iure humano is another matter. Here the focus is 
the development of organizational standards for the purpose of 
distinguishing tasks and responsibilities in the ecclesial polity 
within which we live and serve. 
The first and most important standard de iure humano pertaining to 
consideration for the office of ecclesiastical oversight (district 
presidents and circuit visitors) is fidelity to the confessional 
standard of the Synod articulated in Constitution Article II: 
The Synod, and every member of the Synod, accepts without 
reservation: 
1. The Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament as the written 
Word of God and the only rule and norm of faith and of practice; 
2. All the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as 
a true and unadulterated statement and exposition of the Word of 
God, to wit: …  
Indeed, all who are rostered in the Synod subscribe to these 
confessional standards. They are the standards to which ministers 
of religion, both ordained and commissioned, adhere. Since this is 
the introductory standard pertaining to all rostered workers, it is 
natural that those entrusted with theological and ecclesiastical 
oversight possess and demonstrate an exceptional comprehension 
of and facility with the same. 
The Scriptures demonstrate the appropriateness of such exceptional 
grasp: St. Paul points out the exceptional responsibility of being a 
theological overseer ( ἐπισκοπή, 1 Tim. 3:1); Jesus reminds His 
disciples that with greater responsibility comes greater expectation 
and accountability ( περισσότερος, Luke 12:48); St. Peter 
admonishes all believers that “if these qualities are yours and are 
increasing [verb: πλεονάζω], they keep you from being ineffective 
or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 
1:8). If this is true of parishioners, it is certainly true of clergy. 
In order to maintain such levels of competency for its ministerium, 
the Synod has put into place benchmarks to demonstrate theological 
competency. The seminaries utilize an instrument by which initial 
admissive competency can be verified: the Entry Level Competency 
Exams. The Synod also has exit standards in place resulting in 
certification for ordination. Additionally, the Synod adopted 2019 
Resolution 6-04, “To Support, Encourage, and Expect Continuing 
Education for all Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Past ors,” 
which requires ongoing theological education. This is not unique, 
as many secular professions require ongoing professional 
development, especially to hold positions of supervision. 
The intention of this overture involves the de iure humano  reality 
that not all training is equal with respect to depth of theological 
understanding. Ecclesiastical oversight assumes that such overseers 
possess and exercise more extensive theological acumen for the 
purpose of ongoing formation within the ministerium. 
Therefore be it 
Resolved, That the Synod in convention assign the Pastoral 
Formation Committee (PFC) to study a requisite standard of post -
ordination competency for eligibility to exercise theological and 
ecclesiastical oversight of ministers of religion —o rdained in the 
Synod; and be it further 
Resolved, That the PFC, in collaboration with the Council of 
Presidents, bring a report with recommendations to the 2029 Synod 
convention. 
Pastors’ Conference (Oregon) 
Northwest District 
Ov. 6-09 
To Amend Bylaw 2.13.1 to Clarify Terminology for 
Specific Ministry Pastor Mentorship and Oversight 
Rationale 
In 1998 the Synod added to its Bylaws a set of definitions, now 
designated as section 1.2 “Definition of Terms.”  Two important 
definitions are those of supervision  and oversight. In the Synod’s 
Bylaws, outside of “ecclesiastical supervision,” the term 
“supervision” means “to have authority over, to direct actions, to 
control activities” [1.2.1(u)]. “Oversight” means “to monitor; to 
make inquiry and receive a response thereto; to make suggestions; 
to bring concerns to the attention of a higher authority” [1.2.1(p)]. 
In 1998 it proved necessary, for example, to make it clear that the 
Synod’s Board of Directors cannot control the activities of the 
various synodwide corporate entities or issue binding directives to 
their boards. With respect to synodwide corpor ate entities, it has 
oversight.   
When the Synod established its Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) 
program almost a decade later, via 2007 Res. 5 -01B, it adopted 
Bylaws providing that a specific ministry pastor serves under the 
supervision (not specifically termed “ecclesiastical supervision”) of 
his district president and another pastor who is not a specific 
ministry pastor. The next sentence refers again to the specific 
ministry pastor being under supervision  of another pastor, who in 
some instances may be a neighboring Synod pastor who has no call 
to the church served by the specific ministry pastor. The definition 
of supervision (“to have authority over, to direct actions, to control 
activities”) that had been placed into the Bylaws largely to clarify 
the spheres of authority for various governing boards does not apply 
to the relationship between a specific ministry pastor and his district 
president. Nor does it necessarily apply to the specific ministry 
pastor’s relationship with the non- specific ministry pastor who 
oversees him. This inapt  use of defined terms, along with its 
potential for introducing confusion, was noted by the Commission 
on Constitutional Matters (Op. 23 -3017) and referred to the 
Commission on Handbook for improvement. 
The word oversight, as defined in the Bylaws, seems much more 
fitting for the efforts of non-specific ministry pastors who work with 
all specific ministry pastors. In the revision below, this term is 
paired with another, mentorship . Current nomenclature within the 
SMP program speaks of specific ministry pastors and their 
“mentors.” Together, the two words account for both the monitoring 
and the nurturing services that designated non- specific ministry 
pastors render to specific ministry pastors.  
Therefore be it 
Resolved, That Bylaw 2.13.1 be amended as follows: 
2026 Convention Workbook
366 PAST ORAL MINISTRY AND SEMINARIES