Convention affirms current Synod paths for ordination and pastoral training

The Rev. Dr. Mike Gibson, president of the LCMS Pacific Southwest District, confers with the Rev. Dr. Scott Murray, outgoing LCMS third vice-president, as part of Floor Committee 6 on Pastoral Ministry and Seminaries during the 69th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in Phoenix on Monday, July 20. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford)

By Roy S. Askins

PHOENIX — Convention buffs and delegates to the 69th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) expected Floor Committee 6 (FC6, Pastoral Ministry and Seminaries) to be contentious at best. And while some resolutions certainly sparked debate, they also revealed something deeper and perhaps a little surprising: broad agreement and desire to affirm the LCMS’ current paths to ordination and the training of pastors.

“The main concerns of [FC6] were seeing to it that our pastors are formed in a way that maintains our Synod’s quality of ministry, soundness of doctrine and, ultimately, the unity of the Synod,” said the Rev. John Hill, vice-chairman of FC6 and LCMS Wyoming District president. Convention delegates seemingly agreed with those concerns, adopting a number of resolutions with broad agreement by voice vote and the rest by broad voting majorities.

The Rev. Dr. Jon Bruss, president of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, and the Rev. Dr. Thomas Egger, president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, considered the convention’s endorsement of both seminaries’ work a significant blessing.

“The high point [of convention] has been the convention’s strong endorsement, on behalf of the Synod, of serious pastoral preparation, full time, in residence, at our seminaries,” Egger said.

Bruss shared the sentiment: “It’s helpful for both of us to be able to go back to our own respective seminaries [knowing] the church is behind us, and we can operate in confidence that not only are we appreciated, but we’re deeply supported by the church.”

The first three resolutions were adopted, without objection, either by common consent or by unanimous voice vote.

Of Res. 6-01A, “To Uphold a Deep and Broad Study of Holy Scripture and Book of Concord in Synod Seminaries,” Egger said that it “might seem like just a ‘mom and apple pie’ resolution, but it’s very important to affirm the central importance of the teaching of the Holy Scriptures for our seminaries and especially the serious study of the Scriptures in the biblical languages, Greek and Hebrew, as well as the serious study of the Lutheran Confessions.”

Bruss appreciated the affirmation of encouragement offered by Res. 6-02, “To Encourage Seminary Specialized Witness and Outreach Training.” Much of this work, he noted, is already underway. “It was great to have the Synod’s affirmation of that work and that encouragement [to do more],” he said.

Other resolutions that passed by unanimous or nearly unanimous voice vote were:

Res. 6-08, “To Amend Bylaw 2.13.1 to Clarify Terminology for Specific Ministry Pastor [SMP] Mentorship and Oversight.” This resolution recognized that “supervise,” the term previously used for SMP mentorship, has a technical meaning with relation to ecclesiastical supervision and thus changed it to reflect the language of mentorship and oversight instead.

Res. 6-09A, “To Implore Council of Presidents to Fulfill 2019 Resolution 6-03A re Oversight of Specific Ministry Pastors.” It directed the Council of Presidents to complete the 2019 resolution, using a report from the Pastoral Formation Committee as a reference.

Res. 6-11, “To Embed Church Work Formation and Recruitment in the Culture of the LCMS.” This resolution commended Set Apart to Serve at all levels of the Synod.

A new delegate resolution, pulled from Ov. 6-74, “To Direct Seminaries to Publish Annual Enrollment Numbers Every Fall,” was moved from the floor and passed.

Res. 6-12B, “To Amend Bylaws to Reinsert 2007 Pastoral Colloquy Bylaws from Policy Manual.” Speaking on behalf of FC6, LCMS Southern Illinois District President Rev. Heath Curtis noted that the four-member colloquy committee felt that reinserting these bylaws would not only provide clarity to seeking colloquy into the LCMS but make the process public and open so that it can be discussed, debated and decided upon by the broader church.

Res. 6-13, “To Affirm that the Lord has Ordained that Those Who Preach the Gospel Should Make their Living from the Gospel.”

Res. 6-14, “To Respectfully Decline Overtures.”

The resolutions generating the most discussion, however, grew out of FC6’s main priorities: “The main priority was having clarity about the importance of full-time residential seminary education for our pastors,” said the Rev. Dr. Scott Murray, FC6 chairman and LCMS third vice-president. “The formation that goes on there is essential to maintaining the faithful doctrine of our church body, the proclamation of the Word of God, the clear division between Law and Gospel, and the right administration of the Holy Sacraments.”

Res. 6-04A, “To Support Residential Master of Divinity and Residential Alternate Route Pastoral Formation for the Sake of the Flock,” affirmed residential pastoral formation for the aforementioned programs and rejected online education for the same.

Most debate on Res. 6-04A stemmed from confusion over whether not the rejection of online pastoral formation would prevent the seminaries from using some online or internet technologies for residential studies. Egger assured the delegation: “The seminaries would not interpret or read this resolution as it is currently phrased as prohibiting that [use].”

Delegates later asked that Egger’s comments be added to the minutes. Res. 6-04A passed with a 75.45% majority.

Res. 6-05A, “To Reaffirm the Synod’s Process for Training and Certification for Pastors,” passed with an 81.86% majority. The rationale notes that “in recent years some members of the Synod have expressed a desire to change” the process for training pastors, and specifically noted that while the leadership of the Center for Missional and Pastoral Leadership (CMPL) “freely admit that their [M.Div. or M.Min.] program[s] cannot currently lead to pastoral service within the Synod … in public letters and in podcasts, the dean of this program has suggested the Synod change its procedure for training and certification of pastors” in ways that might eventually allow its graduates to be certified for Synod’s roster.

Two of the resolutions addressing the Specific Ministry Pastor program also passed with broad majorities, despite provoking conversation among delegates. During debate on Res. 6-06A, “To Affirm and Support Established Parameters of Specific Ministry Pastor Program,” a delegate moved to remove the 40-year-age restriction from the parameters. The amendment failed, and the main motion itself passed with an 80.59% majority. Res. 6-07A, “To Encourage and Support Specific Ministry Pastors to Pursue General Pastor Certification” passed with an 88.58% majority.

A motion to amend Res. 6-10, “To Amend Bylaws to Address Seminary Adjunct Faculty,” resulted in sending the resolution back to FC6, which brought the resolution back to the floor, unamended. The amendment failed, and the resolution, which removes the requirement that adjunct seminary faculty be called by seminaries in order to teach, passed by voice vote.

When asked what these resolutions changed in the pastoral formation of the LCMS, Murray’s response was telling: “Nothing. … All they’re doing is reaffirming our historical and successful practice at forming clergy in residential educational contexts.”

He continued: “Our church body, both lay and pastors, love the way our clergy are formed. … I believe we’re going to face more and more challenging times within our culture, and [the] best training possible is the way to meet those challenges. … We better be ready with the best trained shock troops we’ve got.”

2026 LCMS Convention

Under the theme “Christ Is Risen Indeed,” the 69th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod met July 18–23, 2026, at the Phoenix Convention Center in downtown Phoenix.

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Posted July 22, 2026