Official Workbook PDF page source text

LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 422

example, a student in a nonresidential certificate route might 
be able to engage also in a residential degree program” (2007 
Res. 5-01B, Proc., 136–37); 
and be it further 
Resolved, That this recommendation(s) will be made available to 
the congregations and pastors of the Synod no less than one year 
prior to the 2029 Synod convention in order to receive feedback and 
further suggestions prior to the publishing of the 2029 Convention 
Workbook. 
Board of Directors 
Texas District 
Ov. 6-35 
To Ensure Pastoral Ministry in the Synod  
during Times of Shortage 
WHEREAS, 2023 Synod convention Resolution 6 -02A, “To 
Encourage Proper Pastoral Formation through Our Synod’s 
Seminaries,” “affirm[s] the necessity and fruitfulness of Synod-
approved alternate routes to ministry to be used in appropriate 
ministry settings and for appropriately qualified candidates 
(currently, the Specific Ministry Pastor program, the Ethnic 
Immigrant Institute of Theology, the Center for Hispanic Studies, 
the Specific Ministry Pastor -Español/English Program, the Cross -
cultural Ministry Center, and the Residential Alternate Route 
program; previously, DELTO)”  (Proc. , 161)  and “ ‘strongly 
encourage[s] [district presidents and seminaries] to direct men to 
residential pastoral ministry routes [at our Synod’s seminaries]* as 
the preferred option’ (2019 Res. 6 -02, [“To Promote Residential 
Seminary Education as the Preferred Option for the Preparation of 
Men for Pastoral Ministry,”] Proc., 159, *brackets original)” as the 
way that the church operates during normal circumstances; and 
W
HEREAS, The Synod faces a growing pastoral shortage. The 
number of available pastors is inadequate, and congregations often 
wait an average of 24 months to complete the call process. This 
challenge is expected to intensify in the coming years; and 
W
HEREAS, Within 15 years, the average age of the current 
pastoral workforce will rise to 74, leading to a critical shortage of 
pastors. This will impact not only small congregations that cannot 
afford full -time pastors but also larger, well -resourced churches. 
Without intervention, there will be too few pastors to serve even 
half of existing congregations, let alone to support church planting 
and growth; therefore be it 
Resolved, That the Synod gives thanks to God for the faithfulness 
of our Synod in providing this variety of scripturally and 
confessionally faithful pathways of pastoral formation to fulfill the 
need for laborers for the Lord’s harvest; and be it further 
Resolved, That to ensure the ongoing proclamation of the Gospel 
and administration of the Sacraments, the 2026 Synod convention 
authorize district presidents to utilize all existing Synod -approved 
pastoral formation programs at their discretion, allowing them to 
determine the most suitable training pathway for candidates in their 
district; and be it finally 
Resolved, That the Synod direct its seminaries to provide equal 
financial support for all approved pastoral formation programs, 
removing financial barriers and expanding access to pastoral 
training. By strengthening multiple formation pathways, the Synod 
will be b etter equipped to meet the needs of congregations and to 
continue advancing the mission of the church. 
Florida-Georgia District 
Ov. 6-36 
To Expand and Strengthen Distance Learning 
Routes to Ordination 
WHEREAS, The congregations of The Lutheran Church—
Missouri Synod have been blessed with pastors and teachers who 
have been prepared for their service in a variety of ways over its 
history, either more academically or practically oriented; and 
WHEREAS, The seminaries of the Synod are currently offering, 
beyond the now normative residential Master of Divinity (M.Div.) 
program, a variety of routes for pastoral formation that take into 
consideration the needs, desires, and contexts of the students, 
including the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology, Center for 
Hispanic Studies, Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program, SMP to 
General Pastor Certification (typically an eight‑year program), the 
Residential Alternative Route, and the Cross -
Cultural Ministry 
Center at Concordia University, Irvine; the Committee for Colloquy 
to the Pastoral Ministry also recently offered an SMP colloquy route 
to former lay deacons (2016 Res. 13-02A); and 
W
HEREAS, These programs, utilizing both in‑person and online 
instruction, have formed and continue to form faithful and effective 
pastors; and 
W
HEREAS, The need for ordained ministers of the Gospel to 
serve the congregations of the Synod will only grow greater as 
retirements increase; and 
WHEREAS, The need for faithful servants to expand further 
mission and ministry will also continue to grow; and 
WHEREAS, Academic training has taken advantage of technology 
to offer distance education, and it has become a standard means of 
delivering training in many contexts in our culture; and 
W
HEREAS, It has become increasingly difficult and prohibitive 
for prospective seminary students to leave homes, family, 
employment, and ministry context to move cross‑country to enroll 
in a four‑year residential M.Div. program; therefore be it 
Resolved
, That the Synod in convention enhance the ability of 
our alternate routes to ordination to meet the increasing demand for 
pastoral candidates by removing current restrictions on enrollment, 
geographic location, and ministry context, while maintaining the 
Synod’s doctrinal standards and the integrity of pastoral formation; 
and be it further 
Resolved, That the Synod in convention increase the number of 
opportunities to prepare candidates for general ministry via existing 
and new routes (e.g., in person, hybrid, online) through our 
seminaries, so that congregations throughout the Synod may be 
served by faithfully formed pastors in a wide variety of contexts. 
Southeastern District 
Ov. 6-37 
To Encourage Innovative Training of Pastors 
WHEREAS, “[God] desires all people to be saved and to come to 
a knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4); and 
WHEREAS, Our gracious Lord established the Office of the Holy 
Ministry and calls men to serve as pastors over His dear flock; and 
WHEREAS, Moved by compassion, Jesus declared, “The harvest 
is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the 
2026 Convention Workbook
387PASTORAL MINISTRY AND SEMINARIES