# Placement

- Link: https://www.ctsfw.edu/academics/placement/
- Published: 2025-09-02T13:57:11-04:00
- Author: Stephen Bornheimer

#  Placement

 ⌊academics dept banner⌉ ⌊academics dept banner⌉

## Ready to Serve

The announcement of first calls is a highlight of the academic year at CTSFW. Most
pastoral ministry placements are announced at the annual Candidate Call Service 
every April. Deaconess placements are announced during commencement week and at 
other times of the year, typically in conjunction with deaconess intensives.

![admin](https://www.ctsfw.edu/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=wpmf-download-file&
local_id=18768&id=1-aMc_asg1iT3I-K04-oP34lhCpAfe87H&link=true&dl=0&sz=w1000)

### Call Day

The annual **Candidate Placement Service** was held on April 29, 2026, in Kramer
Chapel. The 2027 Candidate Placement Service will take place Tuesday, April 27, 
2027, in Kramer Chapel. 

#### About Certification and Placement

All students preparing to become ordained pastors or commissioned deaconesses in
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod must be certified, or declared qualified, for
their first call and recommended by the faculty of an authorized LCMS educational
institution for their specific types of service to the church. This certification
is based on ongoing review and endorsement procedures throughout a student’s program,
which allows faculty to assess qualifications properly. Once certified, candidates
are eligible for placement in LCMS congregations and other ministry settings by 
the LCMS Council of Presidents, acting as the Board of Assignments.

#### Key Participants and Their Roles

All students enrolled in formation programs at CTSFW are certified and placed into
a first call. These calls come through the LCMS Council of Presidents, guided by
the Holy Spirit, rather than from congregations directly. Students in the Master
of Divinity, Alternate Route, and Deaconess Studies programs complete their coursework
and vicarage before receiving a call.

Students in the Specific Ministry Pastor or Specific Ministry Pastor–Español/English
programs, who are preparing to serve in a specific context, are certified and ordained
after completing a two-year vicarage. They then continue taking classes for another
two years.

CTSFW’s Certification and Placement Committee meets regularly to discuss student
progress throughout their formation. The committee consists of the Director of Placement
and Certification, the Director of Vicarage, the Director of Field Education, the
Director of Deaconess Formation, the Vice President of Spiritual Formation, the 
Dean of Students (advisory member), four members of the faculty appointed by the
President for a term of one year, the Registrar (advisory member), and President,
_ex officio_. The committee reviews the qualifications of students for ministry 
in their final year or after deaconess internship and makes recommendations to the
faculty for certification for placement.

CTSFW’s Director of Certification and Placement guides students through the placement
process and works collaboratively with the faculty, districts, the Synod, and our
sister seminary to find suitable placements for each candidate. The Director holds
placement meetings with all students in their final year and interviews each student(
and spouse or fiancée, if married or engaged) to discuss the student’s placement
application, Self-Evaluation Tool, and the type of setting in which the student 
might best serve the Lord.

Congregations interested in calling a pastor from one of the LCMS seminaries should
start by contacting their district president, who will guide them through the process
of calling a seminary candidate. The district president serves as the authorized
representative of the calling congregation. Congregations pursuing a call from the
seminary provide detailed information about their congregation and its needs to 
the district president and the seminary to assist with placement decisions. The 
district and the placement director are the key points of contact for congregations.

If congregations are calling an associate pastor, they have the option to interview
seminary students, which typically happens in January. Interviews are generally 
not part of the process for sole pastor calls. Exceptions are occasionally made,
but only with the advance approval of the district president.

The thirty-five LCMS district presidents work not only with congregations but with
seminary placement directors and each other to match candidates and calls. The district
presidents, along with other Synod officials, constitute the COP, which places students
in congregations. The COP meets with the placement directors to finalize assignments
in April, prior to the annual Candidate Call Service. After the service, district
presidents meet with students (and their wives) who have been called to their district
to welcome them to the district and discuss next steps. 

#### Placement Timeline

**Fall**

 * Congregations interested in calling from the seminary contact their district 
   president and start gathering information for their application.
 * The seminary Placement Office conducts placement meetings with students to provide
   an overview of the process. 
 * Students complete the Candidate Placement Application and a Self-Evaluation Tool(
   SET). 
 * The placement director interviews students after reviewing their application 
   and draft SET.

**Winter**

 * Students complete required theological interviews.
 * Seminary placement directors meet with the Council of Presidents about upcoming
   placements. 
 * If congregations are calling an assistant or associate pastor, they may interview
   candidates. Interviews are normally not part of the process for sole pastor calls.
 * In February, placement directors meet with the LCMS Council of Presidents to 
   provide an initial overview of available candidates and calls. 
 * Congregations submit call documents to their district office by March 1.

**Spring**

 * Seminary placement directors meet with members of the LCMS Ministerial Placement
   Committee to make preliminary placements in April. 
 * District presidents gather on the seminary campus the weekend prior to Call Day
   and meet with placement directors, where decisions are finalized. 
 * Calls are announced at the Candidate Call Service in late April for pastoral 
   ministry students and during commencement week for deaconess students.

**Summer**

 * Pastors-elect are ordained and installed. 
 * Deaconesses-elect are commissioned and installed.

#### Placement Lists

Search files

 * [2026 Placements and Assignments by District - Spring.pdf](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vGhSLGvrdgmNS9znZw9yAWx8WtdR-_Tj/view?usp=drivesdk)
 * [View](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vGhSLGvrdgmNS9znZw9yAWx8WtdR-_Tj/view?usp=drivesdk)
   [Download](https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1vGhSLGvrdgmNS9znZw9yAWx8WtdR-_Tj&export=download)
 * [2026 Deaconess Candidate Placements - Spring.pdf](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UCblcE5t-ky_B-M9h4WRYfDAVGKuVBwI/view?usp=drivesdk)
 * [View](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UCblcE5t-ky_B-M9h4WRYfDAVGKuVBwI/view?usp=drivesdk)
   [Download](https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1UCblcE5t-ky_B-M9h4WRYfDAVGKuVBwI&export=download)
 * [2026 Pastor Candidate Placements - Spring.pdf](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jJgAFEQXfIYl-WR7Rx2koD9gLxWsw120/view?usp=drivesdk)
 * [View](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jJgAFEQXfIYl-WR7Rx2koD9gLxWsw120/view?usp=drivesdk)
   [Download](https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1jJgAFEQXfIYl-WR7Rx2koD9gLxWsw120&export=download)
 * [2025 Deaconess Candidate Placements - Spring.pdf](https://drive.google.com/file/d/112XqWmh28fK8bKbdbc6XxNMztI3BWLPr/view?usp=drivesdk)
 * [View](https://drive.google.com/file/d/112XqWmh28fK8bKbdbc6XxNMztI3BWLPr/view?usp=drivesdk)
   [Download](https://drive.google.com/uc?id=112XqWmh28fK8bKbdbc6XxNMztI3BWLPr&export=download)
 * [2025 Placements and Assignments by District - Spring.pdf](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hXyIkwKsWLjexRb_c55V-GV5uo5uLXb3/view?usp=drivesdk)
 * [View](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hXyIkwKsWLjexRb_c55V-GV5uo5uLXb3/view?usp=drivesdk)
   [Download](https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1hXyIkwKsWLjexRb_c55V-GV5uo5uLXb3&export=download)
 * [2025 Pastor Candidate Placements - Spring.pdf](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UlrlZ_XTRRVKFTeRsUS0rGlEACF3x5so/view?usp=drivesdk)
 * [View](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UlrlZ_XTRRVKFTeRsUS0rGlEACF3x5so/view?usp=drivesdk)
   [Download](https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1UlrlZ_XTRRVKFTeRsUS0rGlEACF3x5so&export=download)

#### Contact Us

![Mrs. Nancy Raber](https://www.ctsfw.edu/facstaff-photos/Raber_Nancy.jpg)

## 󠀁[Mrs. Nancy Raber](https://www.ctsfw.edu/about/directory/p/raber-nancy/)󠁿

 * Administrative Assistant—Placement and SMP

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  [(260) 452-2162](https://www.ctsfw.edu/academics/placement/2604522162)    [Nancy.Raber@ctsfw.edu](https://www.ctsfw.edu/academics/placement/Nancy.Raber@ctsfw.edu)

![Dr. Todd A. Peperkorn](https://www.ctsfw.edu/facstaff-photos/Peperkorn_Todd.jpg)

## 󠀁[Dr. Todd A. Peperkorn](https://www.ctsfw.edu/about/directory/p/peperkorn-todd/)󠁿

 * Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions
 * Vice President of Spiritual Formation
 * Director of Residential Pastoral Formation Programs
 * Director of Certification and Placement

---

  [(260) 452-2133](https://www.ctsfw.edu/academics/placement/2604522133)    [Todd.Peperkorn@ctsfw.edu](https://www.ctsfw.edu/academics/placement/Todd.Peperkorn@ctsfw.edu)