We give you all the credit in the world for having completed a ministry training program in your previous denomination.  However, we believe that whatever training you have already received bears no resemblance to our program.  Those of us who make up the BTRA Board and faculty were formerly pastors and members of  the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  Through some miracle of God’s providence we managed to graduate from seminary with our respect for the reliability of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions intact.  Throughout our years in parish ministry we discovered that most of what our liberal professors had taught us was utterly useless in the real life practical world of the parish. In fact, in a discussion with a colleague over liberal Biblical scholarship I said, “I reject this stuff because it kills faith!”

You see, it’s not that we don’t think you probably learned some valuable things in your previous training.  It’s just that we have discovered that the parish ministry training programs of our previous denomination were inconsistent from synod to synod.  We have already had some students who were graduates of these programs. We discovered there were some gaping holes in their training. In one case a recent S.A.M. graduate did not even know how many sacraments there were. (Seriously!)

We believe there are some non-negotiable skills and reading that make a good parish pastor.  When we extend the right hand of fellowship and offer to stand shoulder to shoulder with you and defend your right to be a parish pastor we need to know a few things about your training.

  For example:

Did your previous training teach you the historic and scientific reliability of scripture?

Did your previous training include a study of the Lutheran Reformation and the Book of Concord?

Have you ever read Walther’s “The proper distinction between Law and Gospel” with regard to preparing your sermons each week.

Did they teach you how to do a wedding, funeral, baptism, or other special services?

Do you feel absolutely ready to take on the ministry of an entire small town parish on your own?

If the answer to any of these questions is NO!  Then, we believe that you should enroll in our entire course of study.

Please understand that those of us who make up LCMC have seen the devastation caused by pastors and ministers who really don’t believe in the Scriptures or understand the Lutheran Confessions. What BTRA is, in a way, is a 2 year colloquy.  It is a way for us to truly get to know the hearts of our students so that we can unreservedly recommend them for call to a parish.

Now, If you  truly feel you are already adequately prepared to conduct parish ministry we recommend that you contact the LCMC Ministry Board or the Colloquy Committee of one of the Districts listed on the LCMC website and schedule an interview for yourself.  If they certify you then you may be placed on the available for call list.  But they may not help you to find a call.

What we offer you is more than just a basic education in the essentials of parish ministry.  We are inviting you to become a part of collegial fellowship of parish pastors that challenge and support one another in the quest for better ministry. 

When you study with one of us you not only gain the knowledge of that subject from our ministry perspective, but you also gain an advocate in the world of ministry.  Not only that, you also become a member of the growing national fellowship of our students.    This network will provide you with the awareness of congregations that may be in need of someone just like you!