What would you need to hear if you had not received a call to be a pastor?
Last week something very sad happened on the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana and the campus of Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis, Missouri. Over thirty men who had gladly responded to the Lord’s call, “Who shall go for us?” saying, “Here am I, send me!” did not receive calls into the office of the holy ministry. Thirty men. Thirty men who had heard how much our Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod needs pastors. Thirty men who have been told how many are the vacant congregations in our Synod. Thirty men who heard how great and urgent is the immediate need of the church for laborers for the Lord’s harvest. Thirty men who spent many years being prepared to be the best possible pastors they could possibly be, receiving the finest training they could possibly receive. Thirty men who went through multiple moves, to seminary, out to vicarage, back to seminary, and they are ready to move again. They have known financial want. They have known difficulties and hardships, sacrificing much for the sake of the Ministry, and when the time came, there was not a single call to serve as a pastor, for them.
How would you feel? What would you want to hear? What would you need to hear? You would need to hear this:
http://dizzysound.net/media/RevHarrison_April30_2010.mp3
There is a need! It’s for Army (Air Force, Navy, Marines) Chaplains. But the bar to become a chaplain is high. They must have a graduate degree in theology, at least two years of professional experience (a limiter for the just-graduated), and pass a physical fitness exam and test. Even though the Thirty graduates can’t serve as military chaplains now, it is something they can prayerfully consider for their future and that current pastors can consider now, opening up church slots for the Thirty should they hear the call for military service as well.
The Chaplain at the post where I serve in Korea is a Christian Scientist. I went twice. Since then I have come to rely on the internet (Issues, etc., sermons and articles by LCMS pastors posted online, the LCMS website, etc.) and book orders from CPH. Still, it will be over a year before I am able to take communion. I would dearly appreciate an LCMS pastor on location.
http://www.goarmy.com/chaplain/chaplain_officer_basic.jsp
I was one of fifteen from the CSL class of 2005 who did not receive a call on Call Day, so I can relate to how these gentlemen are feeling. My prayers are with all of them. The Lord Jesus grant that they all soon receive calls as shepherds of His sheep.
They would also need to hear from their brothers in the church “and until you receive a Call, we will make sure you’re taken care of.”
God does use trials to soften a person and make them better pastors – He also uses it to provide other members of the church with opportunities to share what He’s given them with others in the Body of Christ.
What an awesome message of encouragement. Wow. My wife and I will be praying for those faithful men and their families as they await the joy God has for them when, in His time, they receive their calls. Thank you for sharing this.
Chaplaincy is not the answer. See:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/29/retired-chaplains-oppose_n_557456.html
When Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell gets repealed as planned later this year or so, chaplains will be required to be accepting of homosexuality.
Perhaps the sems should reduce the number of reps they’re sending out to secure funding and students and send out an equal number of reps to secure calling congregations for these brothers. The size of graduating classes decreases and still the percentage of graduates without calls increases. Something is drastically wrong and the wrong needs to be addressed by the sems and the synod before the spring of each year. The Church should blush at the shortage of calls!
@Tim Kuehn
No offense to you Tim, I agree that we should do everything we can to help these men. But if I were a candidate who did not recieve a call last week, I’d find it ironic that my brothers are now saying they will take care of me. Most seminarians graduate with a mountain of debt, only a fraction of their tuition and expenses gets covered by grants and aid.
As I was reminded of by a brother on another blog, the men who didn’t recieve calls last week were led by God and given the desire to enter the holy ministry. We could close both Seminarys but that will not stop God from calling men to serve him. We should (and I include myself) take care that we do not make this situation all about what we have done. To be sure we did not have a good understanding of the reality in the Synod in regard to the number of Pastors who are retiring or leaving the minstry versus calling congregations. And that has caused our brothers undue anxiety, that is our responsibilty. When men do enroll at the Seminary they should have the facts about the circumstances in the Synod clearly presented to them.
The situation is that the pastors we thought were going to retire have not, or have retired and continue to serve in vacancies-often for financial reasons. Many congregations choose to be served by a vacancy pastor, or enter into an agreement with another congregation to be served full time by a pastor called to another congregation. And often the reason they choose to do so is because they don’t have the means to support a pastor. Its a tough situation, we don’t want to place candidates that we know will put them into a hardship financially, we need to care for our brothers in that way, yet we also do not want to deny a congregation a pastor simply for the reason of money.
Is the mentoring program a substitute for a call ?
I was also in the same group as Allen who didn’t get a call on Call Day in 2005 from St. Louis. I was blessed in that I didn’t have to wait long–I received my call documents on June 2nd and by July 10th I was installed here in Garrison, MN. Looking back on it, the part I’m saddest about is that I missed out on that excitement of Call Day itself. That’s the culmination of four years of work, and to miss out on that excitement of standing there waiting to hear your name called without much of a clue where in the world you’re going…I wish I could have experienced that.
Here’s a practical concern for these men. At St. Louis, those of us whose wives didn’t have full-time jobs that provided insurance had to buy a policy through the seminary. The policy was renewed each quarter. Once the term ends later this month, these men and their families will be without health insurance. When I finally received my call, I was in the process of looking for a job.
To these fine men and their families- You are in our prayers, as we commit you into the hands of our capable and loving Lord and God. Remember His promises that you have studied in your fine and rather expensive seminary training. Here is yet another chance to practice the Theology of the Cross that you have studied so well.
Matthew 6:33-34 (ESV)
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Do not worry about anything- but pray about EVERYTHING… and the Lord of the Church will hear and answer.
For the rest of us… I believe it is time to hold some synodical leaders responsible who have created situations like this. They have told us for YEARS that there is a “pastoral shortage” and have pressed upon us educational reforms to fast-track programs such as SMP- where we have men serving as “candidates” and pastors who have not yet been fully prepared like these traditionally trained and tested men. Is the SMP placement of men into the office of the holy ministry partly responsible for this situation?! If so… where is the crisis and “shortage” that has made us “rethink” seminary education. I propose that these men are placed in “creative and appropriate” ways before any more SMP candidates are selected and “trained”. Or that the SMP program be discontinued- due to lack of need and also due to theological shortcomings within the program.