Church Planting Leadership Development
Church Planter Assessment Centers
The LCMS Church Planter Assessment Centers (CPAC), a service from the Center of U.S. Missions formed in consultation with LCMS district mission staff known as the North American Mission Executives, helps a potential church planter clarify—and church planting sponsors verify—whether or not he or she has the specific calling, necessary gifts, skills and character to be a lead church planter.
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Planting the Missional Church—Online Distance-Learning Course for Church Planters
Church planters now have the opportunity to participate in high quality, online and economical church- planter training through this new distance-learning course. Developed through partnership of the Center for U.S. Missions and Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Mo., the authors of the course are successful (grace-enabled) church planters, district mission executives and missional leaders.
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Specialized Ministry Pastor
Available through Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo., and Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., the Specific Ministry Pastor Program (SMP) is a distance-education program designed to meet the need of pastors for ministry and mission opportunities in the church.
The Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology—at Concordia Seminary
The distance-education program trains immigrants as missionaries in less than four years.
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The Center for Hispanic Studies—at Concordia Seminary
The distance-education program offers missionaries and lay leaders theological education and leadership in the Lutheran tradition from and for U.S. Hispanic/Latino communities.
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Deaf Institute of Theology—at Concordia Seminary
Provides an alternative route to ordination for deaf and hard of hearing members of the LCMS. The curriculum provides the necessary broad foundation for missionary pastoral students. The DIT seminary-level program uses online classes with sign language video clips and mentoring by a local pastor.
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