Placement

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.