06/19/2026
"I have spoken in the COP that I'm done approving SMP guys. Personally, I'm done voting for SMP guys to go to churches where they don't use the order and they practice open communion." - President Matthew Harrison - On the Line
In a recent interview on On the Line, LCMS President Matthew Harrison cast a vision for the Synod centered on confessional identity, liturgical renewal, church planting, and reaching young men.
Yet when the conversation turned to pastoral formation, a familiar tension emerged. Harrison warned that current Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) trends threaten the long-term theological integrity of the Synod, expressed concern about "SMP farms" in larger congregations, and argued for stronger adherence to traditional formation models.
No one disputes the need for faithful, well-formed pastors.
But the interview left an important question unanswered: If the LCMS faces a growing pastoral shortage, expanding mission fields, and renewed interest from young men, where will the pastors come from?
The conversation focused heavily on guarding standards and far less on removing barriers.
Missing almost entirely were discussions about seminary affordability, bi-vocational ministry, alternative pathways, and how the Synod can maintain theological rigor while making pastoral formation more accessible.
Confessional integrity and accessibility are not opposing values.
The challenge before the LCMS is not choosing one or the other. It is finding the courage to pursue both.
