Teamwork in Tampa

“We Are Your Seminaries – For the Gospel” was the theme of the exhibit area shared by Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL) and Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., (CTSFW) at the 67th Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) held July 20–25 in Tampa, Fla. The two seminaries also co-hosted an alumni reception one evening. Convention-goers were impressed by the cooperation between the two schools.

Kudos to Rev. Kou Seying, the Lutheran Foundation Professor of Urban and Cross-Cultural Ministry, and Dr. Thomas Egger, assistant professor of Exegetical Theology, both of who served as convention essayists or preachers.

July 21 was the first day of full convention business. Friday and Saturday were given over to floor committee meetings and Saturday evening was the opening service with Holy Communion. Six vice presidents were elected — one of whom will be appointed by newly reelected President Dr. Matthew C. Harrison as his representative to the Seminary’s Board of Regents.

Seminary-related resolutions presented, passed

Floor Committee Six, Seminaries, presented three resolutions July 21 that passed. CTSFW President Dr. Lawrence R. Rast and CSL President Dr. Dale A. Meyer served as advisory committee members.

Resolution 6-01: To Support and Participate in the Comprehensive Church Worker Recruitment Initiative.

Resolution 6-05: To Thank Those Involved in Rostering Licensed Lay Deacons.

Resolution 6-02: To Promote Residential Seminary Education as the Preferred Option for the Preparation of Men for Pastoral Ministry.

Joint Seminary Fund

Both Boards of Regents submitted an overture for the administration of the Joint Seminary Fund to be passed from the LCMS International Center to the seminaries. Floor Committee Eight decided and the convention ratified that matter going for discussion and any action to the Board of Regents of both Seminaries and the Synod’s Board of Directors.

Board of Regents election results

On Tuesday of the convention, Rev. Todd Peperkorn was elected to a six-year term on the Seminary’s Board of Regents (BOR). Elected to a second position for ordained minister and also for a six-year term was Rev. Bruce E. Keseman. Both men had been selected for the Seminary BOR by the Synod’s Board of Directors when two convention-elected regents resigned, Rev. Ulmer Marshall and Rev. Shawn Kumm. Their terms, filled by Peperkorn and Keseman, were up for reelection. Michael S. Staub was elected to the Seminary’s BOR as a commissioned minister and Mark O. Stern was elected as a lay member representative. In another election result, Assistant Professor Egger was elected to the board of Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill.

Additional resolutions to note

Resolution 6-04: “To Support, Encourage, and Expect Continuing Education for all Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Pastors” was passed.

Resolution 6-03A: “To Enhance the Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) Program” also was passed.

In conclusion

By Wednesday, July 24, all Seminary matters that were slated to come before the convention had been acted upon. Reflecting on the outcomes, Meyer noted that his top-of-the-mind thought was “a sense of pride about the positive presence of Concordia Seminary’s people at this convention, our beneficial collaboration with Concordia Theological Seminary, and deep satisfaction at the many graduates of our Seminary and the quality they demonstrated in pursuit of the mission of our Seminary and Savior.” Thanks to everyone who contributed to our presence at the convention!