Pastoral Formation

Floor Committee 6 affirms seminary education and need for pastors

The Synod in convention adopted eight wide-ranging resolutions related to pastoral ministry and formation.

Seminary presidents encourage residential seminary education

The Rev. Dr. Lawrence Rast Jr. and the Rev. Dr. Thomas Egger commended residential seminary education to the Synod as the historical and faithful model for training servants for ministry to the church and world.

LCMS convention adopts eight National Witness resolutions

The resolutions address church planting, mission to U.S. immigrant communities, multi-congregation parish support, church worker wellness and more.

New paper studies pastoral formation before seminary

Written by the Rev. Dr. James Baneck, executive director of the LCMS Office of Pastoral Education, the paper notes the lifelong character of pastoral formation: 

From the mission field – Pastoral formation in Dominican Republic

The challenges of COVID-19 have not slowed the steady stream of new pastoral candidates flowing from Concordia the Reformer Seminary in Palmar Arriba, Dominican Republic.

Pastoral Ed holds church worker recruitment meeting, publishes pastoral formation ‘white paper’

The measures grew out of Resolution 6-01, passed at the 2019 LCMS convention in Tampa, Fla.

Seminary boards meet, look forward to ‘close cooperation’

The boards agreed to establish a formal process for their leaders to meet regularly, in addition to the bylaw-established annual meeting of the joint board.

New PALS resource aids transition from seminary to rural or urban ministry

Created and led by the directors of LCMS Rural & Small Town and Urban & Inner-City Mission, the course uses a combination of videos, prayers, Bible readings and study questions to guide new pastors in their transition from seminary to rural or urban ministry.

‘Reporter’ Supplement: The transition is real: The pastor’s journey from seminary to first call

The September 2018 “Reporter” supplement from LCMS Pastoral Education highlights the pastor’s (and his wife’s) transition from seminary to first call.

‘Reporter’ Supplement: What kind of pastor do you want for your children and grandchildren?

From the font to the classroom and beyond, pastoral formation is a lifelong endeavor. It takes all hands on deck, both on and o the seminary campus, to form a pastor.