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LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 404

(1) certify for placement those applicants who have 
satisfactorily completed the colloquy interview and any other 
requirements as assigned by the colloquy committee; 
(2) report this action to the applicant, the Office of Pastoral 
Education of the Synod, and to the appropriate district 
president; and 
(3) publish a report of its favorable action in an official 
periodical of the Synod. 
(cj) Every applicant whom the committee declares qualified 
shall be assigned his first call by the Council of Presidents acting 
as the Board of Assignments. 
(k) The colloquy committee shall report to the Synod in 
convention. 
3.10.2.3 Applicants for the ordained ministry recommended by the 
respective district president who are eligible for colloquy under the 
Colloquy Committee’s published policies may make application to 
the committee. Other applicants for the ordained ministry, such as 
Ministers of Religion—Commissioned, laymen of a special ethnic 
or linguistic group, and laymen who have fulfilled at least ten years 
of significant service in a congregation, may make application to a 
seminary for the Residential Alternate Route or any other 
appropriate program. 
3.10.2.4 The LCMS laymen and commissioned ministers who 
complete a program of study leading to ordination or its equivalent 
at a non-LCMS seminary are not eligible for colloquy on that basis. 
3.10.2.5 All men desiring the ordained ministry who do not meet 
the eligibility requirements of the foregoing bylaws shall be directed 
to the seminaries for consideration in other programs. 
Colloquy Committee for the Pastoral Ministry 
Ov. 6-12 
To Encourage Transparency and Clarity  
in Pastoral Colloquy Process 
WHEREAS, The Augsburg Confession (AC) teaches “so that we 
may obtain [the  faith that God counts for righteousness] , the 
ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments 
was instituted” ( AC V 1 ), and also “ that no one should publicly 
teach in the Church, or administer the Sacraments, without a rightly 
ordered call” (AC XIV); and 
WHEREAS, Bylaws provide that the Colloquy Committee for the 
Pastoral Ministry (CCPM), in consultation with the President of the 
Synod, shall develop all necessary policies to govern eligibility and 
the process to be followed to determine qualifications and 
suitability for pastoral service in the Synod, and that decisions to 
certify applicants shall be at the sole discretion of the committee 
(Bylaw 3.10.2.2 [a–b]); and 
WHEREAS, Bylaws further specif y eligibility and routes, 
including that applicants recommended by a district president and 
eligible for colloquy under the CCPM’s published policies may 
make application to the committee, while “the LCMS laymen and 
commissioned ministers who complete a program of study leading 
to ordination or its equivalent at a non-LCMS seminary are not 
eligible for colloquy on that basis,” and that men not meeting those 
eligibility requirements shall be directed to the seminaries for 
consideration in other programs  (Bylaws 2.5.2; 3.10.2.3– 3.10.2.5;
 
and 
WHEREAS, Congregations shall call and be served only by those 
who have been admitted to ministry according to the Bylaws of the 
Synod (Bylaw sections 2.6–2.8, 2.10; Bylaw 3.10.2.3) , candidates 
qualified for first call, or ministers from church bodies in fellowship 
when agreements are in place; and 
WHEREAS, The Synod continues to monitor pastoral formation 
and routes to ordination through the Pastoral Formation Committee, 
which reviews, coordinates, and reports on non-colloquy routes and 
considers long term strategy for pastoral formation; and 
W
HEREAS, Transparency and clarity in published policies, 
criteria, interview standards, and benchmarks foster trust, 
strengthen mission partnership, and help congregations walk in 
good order; therefore be it 
Resolved, That the Synod in convention direct the CCPM, in 
consultation with the President of the Synod and its seminaries, to 
publish and maintain on the Synod’s website a concise, plain 
language summary of pastoral colloquy eligibility categories, 
required documentation, interview standards, and theological 
benchmarks, with cross references to Bylaws 3.10.2.2–3.10.2.5 
together with a simple process flow and typical timeline; and be it 
further 
Resolved, That the Synod in c onvention request the Council of 
Presidents to provide an annual summary to the congregations and 
rostered workers of the  Synod regarding pastoral colloquy 
procedures, application volume, certification numbers, and any 
policy updates, by means of regular Synod communications and 
pre-convention publications; and be it further 
Resolved, That the Synod in c onvention encourage district 
presidents, congregations, and rostered workers to support men 
pursuing colloquy by offering mentorship, theological guidance, 
and appropriate congregational endorsement in harmony with the 
Handbook provisions cited above; and be it finally 
Resolved, That the Synod in c onvention give thanks to God for 
the men He is raising up to preach Christ crucified and risen, and 
pray for renewed zeal to identify, encourage, and form such men for 
service in Christ’s Church. 
Christ Greenfield, Gilbert, AZ; Circuit 16 (Faribault),  
Minnesota South District; Circuit 28, Pacific Southwest District 
Ov. 6-13 
To Encourage Transparency and Clarity  
in Pastoral Colloquy Process 
WHEREAS, The Holy Scriptures declare, “Do your best to present 
yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be 
ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15); and 
WHEREAS, The Augsburg Confession (AC) teaches, “t hat we 
may obtain [the  faith that God counts for righteousness] , the 
ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments 
was instituted” (AC V 1), and that “no one should publicly teach in 
the Church, or administer the Sacraments, without a rightly ordered 
call” (AC XIV); and 
WHEREAS, Bylaws provide that the Colloquy Committee for the 
Pastoral Ministry (CCPM), in consultation with the President of the 
Synod, shall develop all necessary policies to govern eligibility and 
the process to be followed to determine qualifications and 
suitability for pastoral service in the Synod, and that decisions to 
certify applicants shall be at the sole discretion of the committee  
(Bylaw 3.10.2.2 [a–b]); and 
WHEREAS, Bylaws further specif y eligibility and routes, 
including that applicants recommended by a district president and 
2026 Convention Workbook
369PASTORAL MINISTRY AND SEMINARIES