Are we ready to lead the change or will we get blown away in the storm?
My brother Pastor, Lincoln Winter, again hits it out of the ball park. Read his sombering post here. It is time for our synod to get serious. Four Concordias can work. Let's be Lutheran. Have you seen the numbers? Our Concordias have forgotten their purpose: To teach Lutherans, to prepare teachers, and send men off to the seminary. Just a fast break down of last years numbers according to the Lutheran Witness from November 2019 (feels like forever ago right?) Fall Head count: 34,691 of that how many of them are Lutheran? And how many were preparing for Church work? More specifically how many of them are going to the seminary? The Concordia system bragged of 200+ majors
Why would we brag about 200+ majors? Because we forgot what we should really be boasting in. It is not in over all numbers. Students are not coming to our colleges to become Lutheran.
Oh those numbers from before. And all these numbers are down from the previous year. Last year, 3409 LCMS students, 10% of our colleges are LCMS? That is not very inspiring. Of that 1047 are going into church work professions: Most as teachers, but that includes everything: Our Pre Sem students, DCE, DCO, DFL, Deaconess, Music, Lay Minisitry. And of this 1047 how many are headed off to the seminary? 42 (It was 43 in 2018) So if you take those consistent numbers: of those approximately 1050, 130ish are studying to go to seminary. In case you are wondering: last year 158 Master of Divinity with 10 alternate route at Fort Wayne and 193 MDiv with 14 alternate route at St. Louis. so approximately I/3 come from our colleges.
Those numbers are ugly. Let's point out something else equally problematic. Why are those numbers dropping? Why are fewer and fewer of our children pursuing work as teachers and Pastors? Let's start with cost: every school except one has a cost of over $40,000. And let's be honest, LCMS pastors and teachers don't get paid top dollar. The loans that they incur to go to these schools is crushing. It incapacitates a newlywed couple, because most likely they are going to meet their spouse here too! So now they have double the loan, on a church worker's salary. I couldn't tell you what the average teacher makes, but here in the Wyoming District are the guidelines for the congregation of what a pastor should receive at a minimum: 1-3 years $43,173, 4-6 years $47,668, 7-9 years 52,167 and this continues to 30+ years at $63,773. This does not include a 4% above and beyond for pastors who live in the parsonage so that they may build up home equity.
Now some congregations strive to make sure their pastor is paid above this minimum, but most pastors never see this. So revisit part of the problem of what has happened at these Concordias. These young men and women do not go to the Concordias because why would they? The Church isn't going to take care of her church workers, in fact, yeah they will take care of them, kick them right out on their hind ends when the Pastor calls someone to repent or the budget just won't handle having those teachers, so let's cut their benefits (make them pay more of it) or salary. Our young men aren't stupid, they see how so many of the adults treat their pastor and they have no desire to be hated so much despite the soundness of what the Pastor teaches. This is a blog post all unto itself!
So if we want Lutherans to attend Lutheran universities and to encourage more Lutheran Church work, our Adults, Millenials, GenXers, baby boomers, need to learn how to support this work without demanding your way. It is time to support our Concordia's and create an endowment fund now. You want to see your churches survive after you die? Don't give your children your inheritance, Keep your churches, seminaries, and universities in your will. Teach your children.
