We ought to be thankful to God for the quality of our church body's two wonderful seminaries. God has granted to us the daily bread of His Word through the ministry of the men who have graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis and Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne for over 170 years. What a challenge it is to go through seminary, especially in these days where the costs include not only intellectual suffering, but also financial burdens! I am deeply grateful for the courage of the men who have taken up the cross of Christ by attending seminary.

We certainly have done nothing to deserve our faithful seminaries and the great faculties that serve God's people in those places. Instead, we have taken them for granted. We seldom pray for them. As a church body, we have continually reduced the funding given to them. Only a small fraction of their operating costs are covered out of the budget of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Of course, fabulous people have continued to contribute directly to the seminaries;  in many cases people who will never  directly benefit from the education being given to seminary students have supported our seminaries; often in estate planning. Such people have a long-term view of the life of the church and the necessity of her ministry. A well-trained clergy that know the Word of God and can preach it and teach it effectively among God's people and to those who do not yet know Christ as their Savior is pivotal to the church's future. If we face persecution so aggressive that we must close our seminaries on account of it, we can still depend on God to see to it that faithful men are trained, even if that training must be underground. However, while it is still daylight and we are free to train our clergy let us do so properly. Dumbing down requirements will leave us with religious functionaries rather than true shepherds of the flock. Reducing course loads and making seminary easier will give us a cadre of blind and stumbling leaders.

The seminaries are not teaching just any learning. They are teaching the eternal Word of God. When I teach catechism to children in my congregation I emphasize to them the importance of what they are learning by heart and studying in my catechism class. I remind them that they are learning the most important thing; the one thing needful ( Lk 10:42). If our seminary students do not look at what they are learning at seminary in that same way, how will they be able to catechize the next generation of sheep that the Lord places under their care?

The pastoral formation that goes on at the seminaries will enable our pastors to confess faithfully in a culture increasingly hostile to our faith. We may not stint on their faithful education. Unfortunately, ordination does not give the indelible mark of faithfulness or education to those who are placed before the church as shepherds. Ignorant ordinands remain ignorant pastors. The church of Christ deserves better. The sheep that were bought by the precious blood of the chief Shepherd must be cared for by only the best shepherds. Because of Christ they deserve it. Because of Christ we must give it to them. Let us pray for the daily bread of the Word of God.