I think the deacon program is no longer a good thing. A Lutheran church needs a seminary pastor.. Otherwise it's not much different then a Baptist church being lead by man with very minimal education and knowledge of the Bible and history. I tried being a member of a LCMS church and its organist for the past 8 yrs. But with a deacon there barely getting their church by why would they ever call a pastor. I'm leaving the LCMS to go to a WELS church because I believe there is a huge difference between a deacon and a pastor. The LCMS church will never grow with a deacon. Its members will never grow spiritually with a deacon. The community will never benefit from a deacon.