Official Workbook PDF page source text

LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 433

WHEREAS, Subsequent convention actions (2013 Res. 5-03E, 5 -
04B; 2019 Res. 6-02, 6 -04; 2023 Res. 6-02A, 6 -03A, 6-06A) 
directed that the parameters for the SMP program be refined, but 
did not authorize the imposition of overly burdensome restrictions 
that limit acc essibility, such as minimum age requirements or 
mandatory funding pledges, which exceed the original intent and 
hinder the program’s flexibility, and impose administrative 
burdens, deter smaller or resource-limited congregations, and treat 
the SMP program as a secondary or discouraged route rather than a 
valid alternative, contrary to the 2007 vision of urgency and 
adaptability; and 
W
HEREAS, Constitution Article III calls for conserving and 
promoting the unity of the true faith through flexible means of 
pastoral formation, and past conventions have emphasized 
recruitment and support without overly prescriptive limits, making 
it prudent to restore the SMP program’s original scope to better 
serve the harvest field (Matt. 9:37–38) and ensure broader access to 
the Office of the Holy Ministry, lest these restrictions risk 
exacerbating the Synod’s pastor shortage by narrowing the 
applicant pool and discouraging participation; therefore be it 
Resolved, That the Synod in convention declare null and void the 
PFC’s November 2025 policy requirements for the SMP program’s 
admission, administration, and supervision, including policies one 
through eight and associated exceptions, as they exceed the 
directives of prior conventions and impose undue restrictions; and 
be it further 
Resolved, That the Synod direct the PFC, in consultation with the 
seminaries and Council of Presidents, to revert the SMP program to 
its original parameters as established in 2007 Res. 5 -01B, 
emphasizing flexibility in applicant eligibility, voluntary rather than 
mandatory consultations and funding commitments, and 
supervision focused on initial formation without lifelong formalized 
documentation mandates; and be it further 
Resolved, That the seminaries be encouraged to maintain the 
SMP program’s curriculum focus on Lutheran theology and 
pastoral skills, while allowing broader access to ensure the 
program’s vitality in addressing mission needs; and be it finally 
Resolved, That the Synod affirm the value of all routes to 
ordination, including the SMP program, as equal means of fulfilling 
the divine call, and encourage ongoing recruitment efforts like Set 
Apart to Serve  to increase the number of pastors without artificial 
barriers. 
Christ 
Milford, MI 
Ov. 6-56 
To Remove Age Requirement  
from Specific Ministry Pastor Admission, 
Administration, and Supervision Policy 
WHEREAS, The Synod’s Pastoral Formation Committee (PFC) 
issued Policy Requirements for the Specific Ministry Pastor 
Program: Admission, Administration and Supervision  
(files.lcms.org/dl/f/smp-policy-requirements) in November 2025; 
and 
WHEREAS, The policy, as written, contains a prescriptive 
minimum age requirement of 40 years old that is only supported by 
a premise statement (Premise 9) that states “Evidence shows greater 
completion rates … for men over 40,” and the premise statement 
does not provide sufficient details to justify this claim, nor defines 
the completion rates broken down by age of admissions; and 
WHEREAS, The Lutheran Confessions consistently teach that the 
pastoral office depends on the call, the ability to teach the Gospel, 
and having the right doctrine in accordance with the Scriptures; the 
Lutheran Confessions never mention age; and within the Augsburg 
Confession (AC XIV) there are no age requirements; and 
W
HEREAS, Holy Scripture itself mentions no age requirements 
for pastoral ministry. For example, Jesus chose young men to be His 
disciples and the Apostle Paul entrusted ministry responsibilities to 
Timothy, who was perhaps in his late teens or early 20s, saying “let 
no one despise you for your youth” (1 Tim. 4:12); and 
W
HEREAS, The wider history of the Christian Church—including 
the Early Church, the Reformation, and the history of the Synod—
shows no pattern of an age requirement to serve in the pastoral 
office. For example, St. Augustine was ordained around 36 –37 
years old (New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, “St. Augustine of 
Hippo,” newadvent.org/cathen/02084a.htm, accessed March 18, 
2026), Martin Luther was ordained around 23– 24 years old (Hans 
J. Hillerbrand, “Martin Luther,” Britannica , Feb. 14, 2026, 
britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther), and C.F.W. Walther 
was around 25 years old (Molly Lackey,  “Our Great Heritage: 
C.F.W. Walther,” The Lutheran Witness , Aug. 14, 2024, 
witness.lcms.org/2024/CFW-Walther); and 
WHEREAS, As the Synod faces a pastoral shortage, with Synod 
documentation (LCMS Pastoral Vacancy Report, Nov. 1998– Feb. 
2026, lcms.org/how-we-serve/education/pastoral/pre-seminary), 
reporting more than 800 pastoral vacancies, including both calling 
and non- calling congregations and a shrinking membership (Joe 
Isenhower, Jr., “Reversing the LCMS Membership Decline: Not 
Just by Having More Children,” Reporter Online, Feb. 28, 2017, 
reporter.lcms.org/2017/reversing-lcms-membership-decline), we 
should be encouraging men to seek the pastoral office if so led; 
while there should be well- defined requirements for those seeking 
the pastoral office, a prescriptive age should not be one of those 
requirements; therefore be it 
Resolved, That the Synod Board of Directors direct the PFC to 
remove the age requirement from the Policy Requirements for the 
Specific Ministry Pastor Program: Admission, Administration and 
Supervision and amend any related bylaws or other policies of the 
Synod to reflect the above. 
Christ Greenfield, Gilbert, AZ; Faith, Rochester, NY 
Ov. 6-57 
To Support the Specific Ministry Pastor Program 
and Remove Its Age Requirement 
WHEREAS, The Synod continues to face significant pastoral 
shortages, particularly in rural, urban, ethnic, and mission-start 
contexts; and 
WHEREAS, Many congregations of the Synod struggle to secure 
full-time seminary-trained pastors, leading to extended vacancies, 
limited Word and Sacrament ministry, and challenges in 
congregational vitality and growth; and 
WHEREAS, The Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program has 
provided a faithful, rigorous, and supervised path for the formation 
and ordination of pastors to serve in specific ministry contexts under 
the oversight of the seminaries and districts; and 
2026 Convention Workbook
398 PAST ORAL MINISTRY AND SEMINARIES