LCMS Seminaries Warn Off Unsanctioned MDiv Programs
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, have issued simultaneous statements reaffirming only Synod-approved routes to ordination for LCMS pastors.
We recently wrote (see below) about Synod smoke signals, which imply that plans are afoot to break off from the LCMS since pastoral formation outside official paths and structures is being developed. The Synod’s seminary presidents have now slapped down the renegades in no uncertain terms.
Dr. Thomas J. Egger, President of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is concerned that the Center for Missional and Pastoral Leadership (CMPL), a non-LCMS online theological training initiative, is targeting LCMS students and donors (see press release).
He criticizes CMPL for contradictory claims about addressing the LCMS pastoral shortage while not qualifying students for LCMS ministry. Egger highlights the lack of consultation with LCMS leadership or seminaries and argues that CMPL undermines the Synod’s commitment to unified pastoral formation through its two seminaries.
He also notes that CMPL’s actions violate LCMS resolutions (e.g. 2023 Resolution 6-02A) and could cause confusion and division by producing non-rostered pastors. Egger defends the LCMS seminaries’ existing programs, like the Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) Program (a distance learning option), and their efforts to increase pastoral candidates. He urges LCMS members not to support CMPL, emphasizing the importance of unified, Synod-governed pastoral formation.
Dr. Jon Bruss, President of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, had similar concerns (see press release). He addressed the CMPL and the Luther House of Study (LHOS) online MDiv programs being promoted among LCMS members.
He confirms that prospective graduates of these programs cannot be ordained or installed in LCMS congregations since the LCMS does not govern them. Bruss underscores the LCMS’s commitment to its two seminaries, which are accountable to Synod for doctrinal fidelity and institutional governance.
He criticizes LHOS and CMPL for steering students away from LCMS seminaries, misrepresenting seminary costs (noting LCMS seminaries offer tuition-free MDiv), and overemphasizing online education’s effectiveness. Bruss defends the residential MDiv as the LCMS standard, emphasizing the depth of formation provided by LCMS seminaries. He calls for support of the LCMS seminaries to maintain doctrinal unity and pastoral quality.
☩TW☩
Disclosure: Tim was elected to the Board of Regents of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, with a term commencing on May 1, 2025. He did not have any role in drafting CSL’s statement and has not discussed CMPL and LHOS with the seminary staff or the BoR. CSL does not have any editorial influence over Ad Crucem News nor does it have a business relationship with AdCrucem.com.
Greetings,
Please permit me to speak from the perspective of someone who started training for the pastoral ministry over fifty years ago at Saint Paul’s Lutheran High School (formerly Saint Paul’s College High) in Concordia, MO. During my ministry, I served in the parish and Navy chaplaincy. As a Navy chaplain, I served as an Action Officer for chaplain disciplinary conduct. Without going into detail or violating confidentiality, I am able to support the position of both Concordia Seminary Saint Louis and Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne. At one time, at least 10% of the Navy Chaplain Corps came under disciplinary action. There is something to be said for the experience of sitting at the feet of instructors who have a vested interest in the health of the Church. I observed that each year at the Seminary, a student or students departed. These situations compelled me to focus on two portions of Scripture: Do not lay hands on anyone too quickly and on the basis of two or three let something be established. Ever since Pentecost, Satan has attempted to destroy the Church one pastor at a time and one congregation at a time. It is essential that we take spiritual warfare seriously. It is essential that we train and equip our pastors to don the full armor of God. As Dr. Theodore Laetsch stated in his commentary on the Minor Prophets, many errors have slipped into the Church from the pulpit to the pew. I am grateful to the Lord God for the faculties of Saint Paul’s College High, Saint Paul’s College, Concordia College Ann Arbor and Concordia Seminary. They were fully invested in the long term health and wellbeing of the Church.
The Lord be with you.
Rev. Dr. M. G. Steiner, Emeritus
CAPT, CHC, USN (Ret.)
How does this comport with the AALC's online MDiv program? The AALC is in full altar and pulpit fellowship with us, and though they are tiny, their online Seminary might provide a targeted counter for the ILT arguments about accessibility, without sacrificing a single inch of ground on sound theology and practice.