Guidelines for the Shepherd’s Pathway.
1. CALC’s Mandate
CALC’s mandate includes assisting member congregations to train and discipline an ordained ministry for the administration of the Means of Grace. CALC’s Shepherd’s Pathway to Pastoral Ministry (“Shepherd’s Pathway”) is the program approved by our congregations by which CALC’s future pastors are trained. The Shepherd’s Pathway is a congregationally driven program. Candidates for the pastoral ministry hear their call to ministry and take their training while a member of a CALC congregation. The program is summarized below.
2. Program Qualifications & Goals
The Shepherd’s Pathway establishes qualifications for Ministers of Word and Sacrament and states goals and targets that the candidate for ministry must achieve in order for the candidate to be ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament. The goal of the Shepherd’s Pathway is to assist candidates who possess the scriptural qualifications for a shepherd, will accept CALC’s expectations for the pastoral ministry and desire to serve a CALC congregation according to the Lutheran tradition to train for the pastoral ministry. The goal of the program is to encourage, nurture, hone and develop a candidate’s aptitude and proficiency in the following critically essential areas of pastoral ministry: preaching, worship leadership, teaching, pastoral care, evangelism and outreach. The scriptural qualifications, expectations, essential of pastoral ministry and other pertinent information may be accessed here.
3. Our Seminary
The Institute of Lutheran Theology (ILT) of Brookings, South Dakota, USA, is CALC’s seminary. Embedded within ILT are an undergraduate and a graduate school.
Christ College (CC) is ILT’s undergraduate school. CC is accredited by the ABHE. CC students earn various certificates and associate and baccalaureate degrees. Click here to CC’s website.
Christ School of Theology (CST) is ILT’s seminary and graduate school. CST students earn graduate degrees which include various Masters degrees, a Master of Divinity (M.Div) degree, a Doctor of Divinity (D.Min) degree and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. CST is accredited by the ABHE and ATS. Click here to access the CST website.
ILT and its embedded schools utilize online video conferencing to create a virtual classroom. ILT’s virtual campus allows a candidate to train for ministry without leaving home. All theological training for the Shepherd’s Pathway can be completed at ILT.
4. God’s Call & the Candidate’s Awareness of the Call
The office of ordained ministry, defined by our Lutheran Confessions as “the ministry of teaching the gospel and administering the sacraments” (Augsburg Confession, Article V), has been instituted by God. Men and women are ordained to the ministry of word and sacrament because they have been called by God and God’s call has been affirmed by the call of a congregation.
The Inner Call: CALC affirms that an individual’s call from God to the pastoral ministry has an internal dimension. Candidates for the pastoral ministry become aware of their gifts and God’s call in various ways. Some become aware in a critical moment in life. Some are urged by others in the church to consider their call. Some struggle for years with their call and their circumstances. When this internal call is sensed, the candidate, his/her spouse, pastor, home congregation and CALC engage in a cooperative process aimed at discerning whether the Candidate is receiving a call from God to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament.
The Divine Call: We believe, trust and confess that the act of choosing, electing or appointing a man or a woman to the office of the Ministry of Word and Sacrament is referred to as “the divine call.” The divine call is much more than an inner conviction or belief held by a man or woman that God wants him or her to be a pastor. The inner conviction does not make that man or woman a pastor; rather, it is the external election or call of the church that makes any man or woman a pastor. Without the mediation of a call by a congregation, a man or woman serving as a pastor would be engaged in self-appointed service to God and that can be a form of idolatry. Only the Apostles and the Prophets received an immediate call from God Himself. Pastors are neither Apostles nor Prophets; their call is mediated through the congregation. It is a congregation, acting in obedience to the will of God, who has the command from God to call qualified men and women to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament. A call to a public ministry of Word and Sacrament cannot be accepted by the candidate out of a spirit of voluntarism, a sense of familial duty or obligation, a desire to achieve social justice, a desire for self-fulfillment, and/or a desire for intellectual attainment. The call of God binds the pastor to obedience to God’s will. help in the process of discernment of the candidate’s call.
5. Discernment of the Pastor’s Heart
When this internal call is expressed, the candidate, his/her spouse, pastor and home congregation engage in a cooperative process which occurs over a 40 day period using a resource entitled: “40 Days of Discernment – Wrestling With God’s Call to Become a Shepherd.” The devotional readings help the candidate to discern the qualities of, or the ‘heart of,” a pastor. An electronic copy of the 40 Days of Discernment.
If, upon completion of the 40 Day Discernment process, the candidate demonstrates the qualities of, or the “heart” of, a pastor, the next step involves the discernment of the candidate’s readiness for formal theological training. Candidate’s for seminary training ideally should demonstrate a strong Lutheran identity and have a deep desire to serve as a pastor according to the Lutheran Tradition.
6. Assessing Readiness for Training
The congregation must carefully consider the following factors in assessing the aptness of a candidate for ministry in a Lutheran congregation: the candidate’s faith journey, familial background, work experience, church membership, experience in church leadership, and educational training. Attention must be given to the development and formation of the candidate’s Lutheran identity through a combination of theological training and mentorship by a seasoned Lutheran pastor.
The ideal candidate for the pastoral ministry is a member of a CALC congregation who has formed a strong Lutheran identity. A candidate with a strong Lutheran identity has typically been raised in the Lutheran Church, that is, baptized as a child or infant, attended Sunday School, successfully completed a Confirmation program and thereafter has been an active member of a Lutheran congregation and has served as a congregational leader. A candidate is considered an active member if he/she regularly and consistently: attends worship; participates in Bible study and other opportunities for Christian education; regularly participates in activities which promote maintenance of the congregation’s property and/or fellowship among congregants; and participates in the mission and outreach activities of the congregation. Leadership in the congregation includes: taking an active role in worship (as liturgist, lector, Communion assistant, sacristan, preacher, and/or leadership role in the congregation’s music ministry); serving on congregational council or a committee thereof; serving as a Sunday School teacher/superintendent or youth group leader; Bible study leader, serving as a volunteer coordinator; and/or taking a leadership role in the mission and outreach activities of a congregation.
A candidate who was raised in another Christian denomination who has been an active member of a Lutheran congregation for at least five (5) years and has taken a leadership role in said congregation, as those terms are defined above may be considered for this program. Our congregations are free to consider a candidate who does not come from a Lutheran background and has not been a member of a Lutheran congregation for five years.
7. Application for Entry Into the Program
The candidate completes an application for entry into the Shepherd’s Pathway to Pastoral Ministry. The application is designed to elicit detailed information relating to the candidate’s faith journey, church membership and participation, leadership experience, academic background and employment history. The application, plus all supporting documents, are submitted to CALC’s Managing Director. Access the application by clicking here.
8. Educational Pathway
Following the processing of the application by CALC, the candidate, mentoring pastor and CALC’s Pastoral Review Panel (PRP) will work together to discern the educational pathway to ministry to be followed on the Shepherd’s Pathway. Information on the PRP is found in Schedule 4. The candidate will embark on one of two educational pathways: (1) the traditional Master of Divinity track or the Pastoral Ministry Certificate track.
Pathway 1: Master of Divinity Degree (M-Div). The Master of Divinity program prepares persons for the office of public ministry of Word and Sacrament in the church of Jesus Christ. It requires 90 course credits, equivalent to three years of full-time coursework. In addition, students in the M. Div. must complete the equivalent of a one-year full-time internship. A more detailed description of Christ School of Theology’s Master of Divinity program, including, descriptions for the courses offered may be found on their Programs page. Click on the “M.Div.” tab to access the information. Click here to access the Programs page.
A candidate on the MDiv track who has taken courses on the MDiv tack which are the equivalent of the twelve courses for the PMC described below may apply to ILT to receive a PMC and be considered for call and ordination to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament. The candidate continues taking courses toward the attainment of an MDiv while serving in the parish. Please contact the Office of the Registrar of ILT for a list of these equivalent courses.
Pathway 2: Pastoral Ministry Certificate (PMC). This twelve-course program is designed to prepare leaders with no prior theological training to successfully provide pastoral leadership for a congregation. Coursework in the Pastoral Ministry Certificate Program provides a solid introduction to Biblical interpretation, Lutheran theology, church history, and ministerial practice. The courses are described below.
BT 221: Principles of Biblical Interpretation
BT 311: Old Testament Theology and History
BT 321: New Testament Theology and History
PTE 241: Christian Apologetics
HST 201: Systematic Theology I
HST 321: Luther and His Catechisms
HST 331: Lutheran Reformers and the Book of Concord
PT 401: Pastoral Theology and Care
PT 411: Lutheran Worship
PT 421: Proclaiming God’s Word
PT: One Credit Elective 1 Credit
A Total of Two (2) Courses from the Following Courses:
HST 301: History of the Early Christian Church
HST 302: History of the Medieval and Reformation Christian Church
HST 303: History of the Post-Reformation Christian Church
Course titles, including their alpha-numeric identifiers may change. Please consult ILT’s website for the latest designation for a course. A more detailed description of Christ College’s Pastoral Ministry Certificate program, including, descriptions for the courses offered click here.
9. Participation in Congregational Life
The candidate, under the direction and supervision of his her/pastor, is encouraged to participate in congregational life, which may include occasionally preaching, teaching, leading a congregational program and/or visitation. In this way the candidate applies what he or she has learned in class directly in the parish setting. The candidate will meet periodically with the PRP to discuss the candidate’s educational progress.
10. Call & Ordination
Upon completion of the M-Div or PMC, and a congregation’s determination that the candidate possesses the skill, aptitudes and abilities of a candidate for Pastoral Ministry as outline above, the candidate may be called to fulltime parish ministry and upon the acceptance of the congregation’s call may be ordained.
A call issued by a CALC congregation to a candidate authorizes his/her ordination to the office of the Minister of Word and Sacrament. According to The Book of Concord (Kolb & Wengert Edition, page 341), “it is necessary for the church to retain the right to call, choose and ordain ministers. This is a gift bestowed exclusively on the church, and no human authority can take it away from the church.”
An ordination is nothing more than a rite or ceremony confirming a pastor’s call by a CALC congregation. The ceremony includes a public declaration by the called pastor to approve and subscribe to CALC’s constitution and Confession of Faith. The ordination normally takes place in the congregation issuing the call. The elders and other members of the congregation have the right and freedom to ordain their pastor in a rite led entirely by the congregational members. Pastors and other laypersons (including the council members of the calling congregation) may be invited to participate in the service, which should include the laying on of hands (Acts 6:6). The laying on of hands is not restricted to clergy.
Following a candidate’s ordination, the candidate’s name will be entered on CALC’s roster of pastors. The candidate may thereafter represent the calling congregation as the congregation’s pastor delegate and be nominated for election as a member of CALC’s National Council.
CALC’s Participation. The ordination of a candidate by laying on of hands authorizes the candidate to take on the office of ministry in the calling congregation, however, the candidate may thereafter take a call to another congregation. The rite of ordination is therefore into the church universal. The ordination of a candidate into the church universal may be embodied by CALC’s participation in the ordination through the participation of our President or other member of National Council in the service of ordination.