Or we could make seminary education more accessible to men who sense the call to ordered ministry but are not able to relocate to one of the LCMS seminaries. I know that I have discerned a call to pastoral ministry for years but as a husband, father and homeowner, I can't pull up stakes to attend seminary. Not to mention the cost at this point in my life is prohibitive. I think many men who seek and receive the diaconate license are in a similar situation as me.

I don't however belive that either the Deacons office or the SMP program are the right solutions to this. We need our pastors (all of them) to continue to be educated in the centuries old tradition of seminaries. We just need to find ways to make it so more called men can do this in our Synod.