Specific Ministry Pastor Program

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Specific Ministry Pastor Program

• A Brief Description
• for Convention Delegates

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Theological Foundations

• All those who regularly and publicly perform the
  functions of the Office of the Holy Ministry
  should do so as those called to and placed into
  that office (AC XIV).
• The church may recognize certain distinctions
  within the one Office of the Holy Ministry and
  establish degrees of supervision (by human
  authority) without undermining the unity of the
  office.
• The church may establish, by human authority,
  distinctions in jurisdiction and in categories of
  service of its pastors as long as these
  distinctions do not compromise the authority of
  the office, undermine the Gospel, or burden the
  consciences of Christians by confusing human
  regulations with divine commands.

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Theological Foundationscontinued

• Ordination vows may be taken prior to the
  conclusion of a complete course of study provided
  that the ordinand has received a preparation
  sufficient to preach and teach the Gospel
  rightly, administer the sacraments correctly, and
  take his vows with integrity.
• 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.

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OverviewSpecific Ministry Pastor Program

• Districts and congregations identify applicants
  through a comprehensive screening process.
  Students are admitted by the seminary. A
  covenant of commitment is signed by student,
  congregation, and district to complete the entire
  curriculum.
• Students begin as vicars in a specific locality,
  normally not authorized to administer the
  sacraments, working under an assigned supervisor
  while taking pre-ordination courses and seminars
  (with residential, field, and distance education
  components approximately a year and a half to
  two years).

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OverviewSpecific Ministry Pastor Program

• After demonstrating competence in the
  pre-ordination areas, the student may be examined
  in order to be certified for call and ordination.
  Examination includes students portfolio,
  vicarage reports, interview with faculty, and
  recommendations of District President and Circuit
  Counselor. After call and ordination the student
  is placed on the pastoral roster and may preach
  and administer the sacraments under supervision
  in a specific locality.

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OverviewSpecific Ministry Pastor Program

• The student completes the remainder of the
  Specific Ministry Pastor Program with courses and
  seminars (residential, field, and distance
  education components) to continue development of
  the foundational competencies. To refuse to
  complete the program results in the pastors
  removal from the synod roster, at which point he
  is not eligible for a call.
• Upon completion of the program the candidate is
  examined by a committee of faculty, laity, and
  district representatives in order to be
  recognized as eligible for calls elsewhere within
  his rostered status.

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OverviewSpecific Ministry Pastor Program

• Specific Ministry Pastors are pastors certified
  for calls into specific ministry contexts, who
  serve under the supervision not only of the
  District President but also of a designated
  general ministry pastor. As such, they are
  eligible for calls into a similar specific
  ministry context, where they continue under
  supervision. They may not be placed into
  ecclesiastical roles of exercising pastoral
  oversight outside the location of their specific
  call, e.g., district or synod offices, circuit
  counselor, supervising vicars, and voting
  delegate to Synod Convention.

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OverviewSpecific Ministry Pastor Program

• To grow in a path that leads to change in roster
  status to a general ministry pastor, the specific
  ministry pastor may
• Enroll in an M. Div. program, with coursework
  becoming applicable to the degree by way of
  equivalency determination, or
• May continue theological education and pastoral
  formation, reaching a level appropriate to
  general ministry pastor (e.g., the current
  alternate route program), and complete an
  interview with an examining board in order to
  have a change in rostered status to general
  ministry pastor.

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Specific Ministry Pastor Program

• The DELTO Oversight Committee the Board for
  Pastoral Education the seminary faculties the
  Commission on Theology and Church Relations the
  Synod President, Vice-Presidents, and Secretary
  and the Council of Presidents support the
  Specific Ministry Pastor Program because
• It certainly respects our commitment to the
  doctrine of church and ministry, especially in
  light of AC XIV
• It honors our commitment to responsible
  theological education, to the strengths of
  residential pastoral education, to the use of
  alternative models of pastoral education, and to
  the utilization of the advances in education
  technology through distance education

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Specific Ministry Pastor Program

• It offers a more coherent and comprehensive model
  for pastoral education by which various routes
  are coordinated and interrelated and
• It definitely helps to meet the existing and
  expanding needs for pastoral ministry, especially
  in the missional contexts of todays church.

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We ask for your support!

• Vote YES To Establish Specific Ministry Pastor
  Program
• Our seminary faculties support it.
• Our DELTO Oversight Committee supports it.
• Our Board for Pastoral Education supports it.
• Our Commission on Theology and Church Relations
  supports it.
• Our District Presidents support it.
• Our Synod President, Vice-Presidents, and
  Secretary support it.
• And it has been successfully reviewed by both the
  Commission on Structure and the Commission on
  Constitutional Matters.
• S. D. G.

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Specific Ministry Pastor Program

• Thank You
• Presented by L. Dean Hempelmann, S.T.M., Ph.D.
• Executive Director, LCMS Pastoral Education
• Chairman, DELTO Oversight Committee