Territorial Bloggings

Much has been made in the LCMS over the past, well, about as far back as I can remember, that we’re on the cusp of an impending crisis. Namely, a shortage of pastors. It’s driven the recruiting efforts of our fine Seminaries. It’s driven fundraising efforts. It’s driven theologically suspect things as far back as the 1989 Wichita Convention’s lay ministry efforts right up through the passage of SMPP at last summer’s Convention.

Here’s the thing: for a great many reasons, there’s not really a shortage. We’re churning out Sem grads who aren’t getting Calls & have seminarians who can’t get Vicarage placements. We’ve got over 800 pastors working as district and synodical bureaucrats. Pastor Beisel has a nice post on this over at One Lutheran… Ablog! (take note of the link that he has to a posting over at Priestmanship — it’s worth clicking on, too…).

Now for the absurd, ‘right-hand/left-hand’ part of all this…

Today, I just received an email from Synod, touting May as “Pastoral Education Month”. This, in and of itself, is a good thing, and not at all absurd. Let me pull out one quote, though…

With about 100 fewer seminarians than three years ago, and a growing number of retirement-age pastors, “now is the time” for the Synod to get serious about recruitment of pastors, according to Rev. Glen Thomas, executive director of the Synod’s Board for Pastoral Education.

If you haven’t read Pr. Beisel’s post yet, please go do so now & then come back & read that quote again. There’s a disconnect somewhere, don’tcha think? Why, when they can’t place all of the men they have right now, would they continue to perpetuate the fallacy that there’s an impending shortage? That’s just not right.

-ghp