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‘Reporter’ Supplement: That the Man of God May be Complete
In a supplement to the March 2019 Reporter, LCMS Pastoral Education highlights how essential both LCMS seminaries are in forming pastors. While at the seminary, the seminarian undergoes an intensive...
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BOD business includes budget, convention prep
By David Strand With one eye on the tasks at hand and the other on things to come this spring and summer, the LCMS Board of Directors met in St. Louis on a snowy Friday, Feb. 15. First up at the...
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BOD approves $81.3 million budget for Fiscal Year ‘20
By David Strand The Synod’s total spending plan of $81.3 million for FY20 — adopted by the LCMS Board of Directors at its May 17 meeting in St. Louis — is a cool $12 million higher than the...
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‘Reporter’ Supplement: The journey begins with PALS
In a supplement to the September 2019 Reporter, LCMS Pastoral Education highlights the path pastors can take to acquire continuing education that promotes and nurtures a desire and energy to learn. In...
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‘Reporter’ Supplement: Faith comes by hearing
In a supplement to the October 2019 Reporter, LCMS Pastoral Education highlights the significance of a pastor preaching and God’s people hearing the Word of God. It is a sacred event and beyond the...
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BOD meeting in Houston includes joint session with COP
Houston skyline. (Pixabay) By David Strand In recent years, a standard feature of the fall meetings of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s (LCMS) Council of Presidents (COP) and Board of Directors...
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Council of Presidents hears about seminary education, pastor shortage
The Rev. Dr. David Scaer teaches a class at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, in 2014. The current presidents of both LCMS seminaries addressed a recent meeting of the LCMS Council of...
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‘Reporter’ supplement: Pastoral Education – The truth of Christ is that...
The March 2020 supplement to the Reporter highlights the importance of pastoral formation in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. The abiding truth of Jesus Christ, embedded in the inspired and inerrant...
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Seminaries hold online-only Call Day services
The Rev. Dr. Glenn A. Nielsen (right), director of placement at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL), chats with candidate-elect Jared Townley and his wife, Emily, on Wednesday, April 29, in CSL’s...
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Pastoral Ed holds church worker recruitment meeting, publishes pastoral...
The Rev. John Zimmerman, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Scranton, Pa., prays with preschool and kindergarten students and staff during school chapel on March 11. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) By...
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Obituary: Rev. Dr. David G. Schmiel, former president of CTSFW
Schmiel The Rev. Dr. David G. Schmiel, who served as the 15th president of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), from 1993 to 1996, died on Nov. 3. He was 88. Schmiel was born on Dec....
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New module addresses preaching in a post-Christian culture
The Rev. Dr. Gregory P. Seltz, executive director of the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty, preaches at the 67th Regular Convention of the LCMS in Tampa, Fla., in 2019. Seltz is featured in the...
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BNM business includes church worker recruitment, COVID-19, race
Pews and baptismal font at Salem Lutheran Church, Black Jack, Mo. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) By Stacey Egger On Oct. 15, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Board for National Mission (BNM) met for...
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COP navigates ongoing impact of COVID-19
Voting Delegate Rex Toepke works with his electronic voting machine at the 67th Regular Convention of the LCMS in Tampa, Fla., in 2019. At its November 2020 meeting, the LCMS Council of Presidents...
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New paper studies pastoral formation before seminary
Pastoral candidates take part in Call Day on April 25, 2018, in Kramer Chapel at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) A new publication of the LCMS Office of Pastoral...
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August ‘Witness’: Church workers needed
“Pastor, I have a question.” Most pastors can honestly say, “If I had a nickel for every time I have heard that phrase, I’d be a wealthy man.” Pastors and other church workers regularly field questions...
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PALS facilitators gather for learning, support
Participants listen during a panel discussion at the PALS Facilitator Training Conference on Wednesday, Aug. 4, in St. Louis. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) By Robyn Armbrust Post-Seminary Applied Learning...
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‘Reporter’ supplement: Pastoral Education – Are Pastors Really Necessary?
In a supplement to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s September 2021 edition of Reporter, the LCMS Office of LCMS Pastoral Education: Answers the question “Are Pastors Really Necessary?”; Introduces...
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Obituary: Rev. Dr. L. Dean Hempelmann, former president of Concordia Lutheran...
The Rev. Dr. L. Dean Hempelmann, former president of Concordia Lutheran Seminary, Lutheran Church—Canada (LCC), died on Aug. 29. Hempelmann also previously served as the executive director of the LCMS...
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Celebrate Church Worker Appreciation Month in October
(LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) October has traditionally been designated as Pastor Appreciation Month — an opportunity for congregations to express, in various ways, their thankfulness to the shepherds who...
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‘Church in a messy world’: BOD looks back on pandemic year
Members worship at Elm Grove Lutheran Church, Elm Grove, Wis., in 2020. The Synod’s response to restrictions and mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic was given considerable attention during the Aug....
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‘Set Apart to Serve’: Church Worker Recruitment Initiative gets new name
Dr. J. Gordon Christensen, head teacher for St. Paul’s Music Conservatory at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Council Bluffs, Iowa, leads the children’s choir on Sept. 4, 2019. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) In...
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New ‘Preach the Word’ module focuses on catechesis
The Rev. Peter Bender preaches at Peace Lutheran Church in Sussex, Wis., in 2016. Bender is the instructor for the newest module of Preach the Word. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) Preach the Word (PTW), a...
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New video series explores ‘Life Together as Synod’
(LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) “What does it mean for you to be part of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod?” So asks the Rev. Dr. James A. Baneck in the introductory video of a new series, “Life Together as...
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Campus leaders discuss church work recruitment
Dr. Russell P. Dawn, president of Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill., speaks during the Set Apart to Serve Church Work Directors Conference, held Jan. 31–Feb. 1 at the LCMS International...
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Seminaries meet for day of baseball, food and fun
Seminarian Joseph Muench bats for Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), during a game between CTSFW and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL), on April 23. The CSL catcher is Ian Heinze,...
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Summer KFUO series highlights ‘Set Apart to Serve’ initiative
The Rev. David Nehrenz, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Norman, Okla., and newly elected president of the LCMS Oklahoma District, prays with students in Trinity’s early childhood center in 2021....
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LCMS Board of Directors approves surplus budget for FY23
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) International Center in St. Louis. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) By Kevin Armbrust At its May 20–21 meeting in St. Louis, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS)...
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‘Reporter’ supplement: Pastoral Education — Let’s talk about church work
The supplement to the September 2022 Reporter talks about church work. The Set Apart to Serve initiative is calling on the whole Synod to foster and encourage future LCMS church workers. Featured...
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New staff installed in St. Louis
The Rev. Jonathan Manor (left), newly installed director of LCMS Post-Seminary Applied Learning and Support, greets the Rev. Dr. James A. Baneck, executive director of LCMS Pastoral Education,...
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Pilot program to test SAS resources
(LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is a Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) effort launched in 2019 to raise up church workers through conversations between influencers and the youth in...
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SAS launches second career focus
From left, Kyle S. Mullins, Aaron A. Schultz and Christopher M. Walters study their call papers following Call Day at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, on April 27, 2022. (LCMS/Erik M....
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‘The harvest is plentiful’: Set Apart to Serve gains Synodwide support
(LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) By James A. Baneck “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved,” wrote the evangelist Luke in the...
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‘Set Apart to Serve’ launches pilot program
The Rev. Dr. James Baneck (left) leads a discussion that includes, from his left, Marli Ockander, teacher at Sioux Falls Lutheran School, Sioux Falls, S.D.; the Rev. James Woelmer, senior pastor of...
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‘Too joyous not to share’: News from ‘Set Apart to Serve’
The Rev. Dr. James Baneck (standing), executive director of the LCMS Office of Pastoral Education, speaks to attendees of the Set Apart to Serve pilot program launch held Feb. 28–March 1 in St. Louis...
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Connect with ‘Set Apart to Serve’ at convention
Sheryl Tietz works with students at Jesus Our Savior Lutheran Preschool in Winnebago, Neb., on Wednesday, Jan. 11. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) Like the rest of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS),...
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Learn about church work programs at LCMS universities
(LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) Are you a high school student wondering if church work is for you? Maybe you are a parent contemplating the cost of having your son or daughter attend one of the Synod’s...
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Floor Committee 6 affirms seminary education and need for pastors
The Rev. John Hill, chairman of Floor Committee 6, leads a discussion on seminary education and pastoral ministry during the 68th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, held July...
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Plan to attend SAS virtual town hall
Britney Vercruysse works with her students on March 15 at Sioux Falls Lutheran School in Sioux Falls, S.D. An upcoming virtual town hall will kick off the next stage of Set Apart to Serve, the LCMS...
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‘Set Apart to Serve’ affirmed by Synod in convention
The Rev. Dr. James Baneck (right), executive director of the LCMS Office of Pastoral Education, speaks on Set Apart to Serve on Aug. 1 at the LCMS convention. Also pictured is the Rev. John Hill,...
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Concordia universities to host church work days
(LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is partnering with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Concordia University System (CUS) schools on a series of SAS days at the Concordias in...
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District presidents hold first meeting of triennium
By Cheryl Magness The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Council of Presidents (COP) gathered in St. Louis Sept. 16–19 for its first meeting of the new triennium. Life under the cross On Sept. 16,...
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‘To the ends of the earth’: Pastors needed in Asia
The Rev. Dr. James A. Baneck, executive director of the LCMS Office of Pastoral Education, teaches a group of Taiwanese church workers who gathered on Nov. 2 at Holy Word Lutheran Church, Taiwan, a...
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Town hall highlights resource hub
By Eleonore Wagner “More youth consider church work when church workers talk about it,” said Glenn Rollins, Set Apart to Serve (SAS) manager, during the SAS virtual town hall held on Sept. 27. SAS is...
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Set Apart to Serve hosts deaconess program leaders
(LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) On Dec. 4–5 at The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) International Center in St. Louis, LCMS Deaconess Ministry (LCMS Office of National Mission, Deaconess Dr. Tiffany...
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‘Set Apart to Serve’ establishes advisory council
Marli Ockander, a teacher at Sioux Falls Lutheran School, Sioux Falls, S.D., is one of the members of the inaugural advisory council for Set Apart to Serve. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) Set Apart to Serve...
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Until the Lord comes: Everyone a church work recruiter
Acolytes prepare for Divine Service during the 2022 Lutherans in Black Ministry Family Convocation on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Mobile, Ala. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) By James...
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LWML mission grants support life, youth, church work recruitment
Karen Morrison (center), LWML vice-president for Gospel outreach, shares with LCMS International Center chapel attendees about the work that will be supported by LWML grants for youth, life and church...
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Districts partner in church work recruitment
The Rev. Eric Carlson, pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church and School, Hannibal, Mo., greets students before chapel service at the school on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) By James...
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Building a culture of church work recruitment
Young choir members sing during the 2024 Institute on Liturgy, Preaching and Church Music at Concordia University, Nebraska, Seward, Neb., on Wednesday, July 10. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford) By James Baneck...
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