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LCMS 2026 Convention Workbook: Reports and Overtures, PDF page 113
2026 Convention Workbook 78 OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS 5 | Page 2. Covenant Agreement [a.k.a. “Partnership Covenant for Participation in the SMP Program”]. This document details the commitments of the seminary, district president, sponsoring entity/calling agency, pastor-supervisor, and specific ministry student-vicar and student- pastor, among which is a commitment for the provision of SMP supervision. Both documents— Pastor Supervisor Responsibilities and Covenant Agreement — are included in the COP Manual and the CSL SMP Manual (with various amendments in the CSL SMP Manual). The Covenant Agreement was most recently reviewed by the COP in April 2024. The preface of this document states: Participation in the SMP program requires a relationship of trust among those involved in this unique opportunity to prepare workers for Christian ministry and mission. A candidate for this program does not initiate the admission process himself, but rather is nominated and supported by those who represent and are responsible for the specific ministry/mission into which the candidate will be placed. This document articulates the covenant of trust and responsibility that exists among the seminary, the candidate, the sponsoring ministry/mission, and the district. For sake of consistency and to avoid confusion, both of these “old” documents — Pastor Supervisor Responsibilities and Covenant Agreement — should be replaced as “SMP-Supervising Pastor Position Description Prior to SMP Graduation and Certification (Periods A and B)” and “Partnership Covenant for Participation in the Specific Ministry Pastor Program” in the seminary manuals and the COP Manual with the PFC’s newly developed documents proposed here (Appendix A) in fulfillment of the PFC’s Resolution 6-03A assignment. SUPERVISION OF SPECIFIC MINISTRY PASTORS RATIONALE AND FEEDBACK/COMMENTS (PERIOD C) Rationale for Ongoing Supervision in Period C 2023 LCMS Bylaw 2.13.1 states that upon graduation the specific ministry pastor “shall serve under the supervision of his district president and another pastor who is not a specific ministry pastor.” From the creation of the SMP Program (2007 Resolution 5-01B) to the present, the specific ministry pastor serves under such supervision for the duration of his ministry as a specific ministry pastor. The primary reason for SMP supervision after graduation and certification is stated in the original 2007 Resolution 5-01B: All ministers serve under supervision. In ancient times, the practice of making certain distinctions within the one Office of the Holy Ministry de iure humano (by human authority) was established so that those ministers with broader and deeper theological understanding should be able to provide doctrinal supervision for the less experienced, or less well-prepared, ministers. These distinctions were made to 6 | Page ensure that the Gospel was rightly preached and taught, and to preserve the unity of the church [emphasis added]. 2007 Resolution 5-01B further states: The church should provide the opportunity for a pastor who has been certified and ordained to serve in a specific kind of ministry subsequently to be prepared to serve the church more broadly through a combination of further academic preparation , accumulated pastoral experience, and examination [emphasis added].5 Credits and Contact Minutes: Master of Divinity and SMP Pastoral formation through the attainment of a Master of Divinity degree is the route to pastoral ministry in the LCMS that embodies, using the language of 2007 Resolution 7-01B, “broader and deeper theological understanding.” 2023 LCMS Resolution 6-03A reaffirms what previous conventions also stated, namely that: The residential Master of Divinity (M.Div.) route at our Synod seminaries continues to be positioned and understood as the Synod’s strongly preferred route to ordination, supplying Synod congregations with well-formed, highly educated pastors who as members of the Synod (ministers of religion— ordained, Bylaw 2.6.1) are prepared to preach, teach, and care for souls over a lifetime of faithful ministry in any and every context into which the Lord calls them into service” [emphasis added]. The following table presents a brief comparison of the pastoral formation routes available through CSL. (Note that total credits are listed here as semester credit hours.) CSL Total Semester Credits Classroom Credits Combination of Credit hour Courses* Minimum Contact Minutes MDiv 98 90.5 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 63,350 RAR 74 66.5 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 46,550 GPC 60.5 60.5 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 42,350 CHS 36 10 modules per course each term 2.0 28,800 SMP 32 32 2.0 22,400 EIIT 0 24 courses 4,080 CMC *CSL is on the semester system. 1.0 credit hour course: minimum of 700 contact minutes 1.5 credit hour course: minimum of 1050 contact minutes 2.0 credit hour course: minimum of 1400 contact minutes 2.5 credit hour course: minimum of 1750 contact minutes 3.0 credit hour course: minimum of 2100 contact minutes The following table presents a similar comparison of the routes available through CTSFW. (Note that total credits are listed here as quarter credit hours.) 5 Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, (CSL) and Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, (CTSFW) offer the online General Pastoral Certificate (GPC) for specific ministry pastors to become a general pastor in the LCMS. specific ministry pastors may also complete the M.Div. or R.A.R. programs. Credit is given for prior SMP coursework in all three routes. 7 | Page CTSFW Total Quarter Credits Classroom Credits Combination of Credit hour Courses* Minimum Contact Minutes MDiv 139 136 1, 2, 3, 4 81,600 SMP 51 48 3 28,800 *CTSFW is on the quarter system. 1 credit hour course: minimum of 600 minutes of direct faculty instruction. 2 credit hour course: minimum of 1,200 minutes of direct faculty instruction. 3 credit hour course: minimum of 1,800 minutes of direct faculty instruction. 4 credit hour course: minimum of 2,400 minutes of direct faculty instruction. The following table presents a comparison of the Master of Divinity and SMP Curricula at CSL and CTSFW. CSL MDiv CSL SMP CTSFW MDiv CTSFW SMP Exegetical Bible Exegetical Bible Isagogics Scripture and Faith Isagogics Pastoral/Missional Theology in Luke/Acts Greek Grammar Old Testament Theology Greek Grammar The Books of Moses (Gen-Deut) Hebrew Grammar New Testament Theology Hebrew Grammar The Person of Jesus in John’s Gospel Interpreting and Communicating the Word (Hermeneutics) The Church and Its Life Pentateuch I (Gen-Deut) The Epistles of Paul – Planting the Gentile Mission The Torah (Genesis – Deuteronomy) Pentateuch II (Gen-Deut) The Prophets – Christ and His Mission Foretold The Prophets Major Prophets The Psalms The Psalms Synoptic Gospels (Matt, Mark, Luke) Gospels (Hermeneutics, Textual Criticism, Matthew) Pauline Epistles Gospels II (Luke, Mark) Gospel of John Gospels III (John, 1 John) Biblical Languages Lab Pauline Epistles New Testament Greek Readings Historical Historical Introduction to Historical Theology The Lutheran Reformation Church History I (First Eight Centuries) The Church in Missiological Perspective The Reformation and the Lutheran Church Church History II (Reformation Era) History Elective Church History III (Lutheran Orthodoxy/ Modern Church History) Church History IV (Lutheran Church in America from 17th century) History Area Elective Seminar: Historical Text Seminar: Luther Text Practical Pastoral Ministry and Missions Introduction to Practical Ministry Introduction to Pastoral Ministry Homiletics I Teaching the Faith Introduction to Pastoral Ministry Preaching I Homiletics II Ministry and Mission in T oday’s Pluralistic Context Homiletics Preaching II Pastoral Theology I Worship and Word Introduction to Worship Pastoral Theology II Teaching the Faith Teaching the Faith Theological Ethics Pastoral Care and the Word Pastor as Leader and Theologian Pastoral Counseling Reading and Preaching the Word (co- taught with Exegetical) Liturgics I Introduction to Pastoral Leadership Liturgics II Pastoral Leadership and Theology Bibliography and Technology Electives: Congregational Revitalization, Worship and Culture, Conflict Resolution, Growing the Faith, Classics of the Devotional Life, Spiritual Autobiography, Communicating the Gospel to Contemporary Culture, Christianity and Literature, Special Issues in Pastoral Counseling Field Education Field Education Confessing Christ in Today’s World (Intro to Missions Ministry in a Pluralistic Context Formation Lab Systematics Systematics Introduction to Systematic Theology The Master Narrative Lutheran Confessions I (AC, Apology) Introduction to Systematic Theology Creeds and Confessions Creedal Themes Lutheran Confessions II (Sm/Lg Catechisms, Smalcald Articles, Treatise) Theologia I: Baptism, Life in Christ Systematics I Lutheran Distinctions Lutheran Confessions III (Formula of Concord) Theologia III: The Lord’s Supper: Life in Christ Nourished and Sustained Systematics II Means of Grace Dogmatics I Lutheran Confessions in Today’s World Church and World Lutheran Confession of Faith Dogmatics II The Holy Trinity: The Mission of God in Today’s World Free Electives (12) including: Lutheran Confessions in Today’s World, The Holy Dogmatics III 8 | Page Trinity — The Mission of God in Today’s World Theologia I: Baptism, Life in Christ Theologia II: Preaching Theologia III: Lord’s Supper: Life in Christ Nourished and Sustained The Master of Divinity degree includes on-campus immersion and formation, with in-person classes, real-time interaction with professors and fellow students, in-person daily chapel, socialization and support for seminary families, and more. SMP certification is a mostly online, hybrid program carried out in the context of an SMP cohort. SMP students are required to attend at least one on-campus, one-week intensive course annually. At CSL, many SMP students attend two, and the majority of those attending only one express that they would like to attend two on-campus intensives but are limited by personal circumstances. At the 2013 LCMS Convention, delegates adopted Resolution 5-04B “To Continue and Strengthen Specific Ministry Pastor Program” [emphasis added]. The Rationale states that there are concerns regarding the SMP program. One of the eight concerns listed is “lack of consistent standard for mentoring SMP vicars and pastors” [emphasis added]. District President and Circuit Visitor Feedback/Comments In 2024 and 2025, the PFC interviewed each of the 35 LCMS district presidents. In addition, the Standing Partnership marketing and communications firm interviewed 60 circuit visitors and collected surveys from more than 1,800 LCMS pastors. These interviews were conducted to fulfill convention assignments given to the PFC in 2023. The district presidents, circuit visitors, and pastors were asked to provide comments on and suggestions for improvements to the current state of Period C SMP supervision within the Synod’s 35 districts. One conclusion drawn from these interviews is that the level of Period C SMP supervision varies significantly between districts, between individual SMP supervisors within a district, and across the various ministerial contexts served by SMP pastors. Concerning the general quality and consistency of current SMP supervision (Periods A, B, C), district presidents and circuit visitors noted that: • Consistency of Period C SMP supervision is rated 1 out of 10 (10 being best), while quality of Period C SMP supervision rated 3.5 out of 10. • Once an SMP student-vicar is ordained, SMP supervision in Periods B and C is largely hands-off, with merely occasional direct visits. This general practice (with notable exceptions) sends a signal (unintended or not) to SMP student-pastors (still being formed through seminary SMP courses) and SMP pastors (once graduated from the SMP Program at either seminary) that Period B and C supervisors feel that their supervision work is mostly complete and no longer so critically needed. • Senior pastors serving as SMP-supervising pastors, who are often full-time pastors themselves, find it challenging to provide consistent ongoing SMP supervision. The demands of their congregations often limit the time and attention they can dedicate to