CSL Numbers

Well, they did have a couple of "calls pending" after all - but seem confident that those will be filled next month. Here's the breakdown at CSL:

Associate/Assistant: 41%

Missionary/Campus Pastor: 5.5%

Dual Parish: 3%

Call Pending: 2%

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The problem

Ugh. Once again the Call Service at CSL is full of childish, irreverent behavior from the candidates and childish, irreverent comments from the presenter of the calls.

Gentlemen: it's a church service. Repent. But, of course, that's their point as our own Fr. Petersen has already pointed out: it's not the Gospel unless you can say "Hey, Jesus, pull my finger."

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Call Day II

Thanks to Nathan (in the comments on the previous post) for noting that CSL has already released a statement that says that all 93 certified men at CSL will receive calls this evening.

Thus, of the class of 2011, 5% did not receive calls by Call Day. So my first prediction was right on. (Though I did also include part-time calls in my numbers. If any readers have inside information on how many calls at either seminary turn out to be part-time calls, that would help us get a fuller picture of the situation.)

Alas, when I predicted that the burden would be shared between the two seminaries, I was mistaken. Last year was worse than this year only by the force of the numbers - the imbalance between the two seminaries actually grew worse.

Why? I looked at calls to various districts over the past few years, and the problem does not seem to be with certain districts black balling CTS grads. I found only one district which could not be exonerated of that charge based on the numbers from 2008-2011. As I mentioned earlier, I think the imbalance is largely due to the discrepancy between the two seminaries when it come to the sort of calls they seem to specialize in: CTS in first calls as sole pastor to small parish(es) and CTS in first calls to larger parishes as assistant/associate pastor. At CTS this year, about 16% of the placements were as assistant/associate pastors. Last year at CSL, they placed 43% of their men in assistant/associate positions, and another 12.5% were placed as missionaries, chaplains, worker priests, or part-time positions. The downturn in LCMS membership is hitting small, rural parishes hardest (as well as small urban parishes). This is leading to greater shortages in the sort of calls CTS specializes in. Another interesting thing to look at tonight will be calls to dual parishes - at CTS those make up 13% of the calls. The number will usually be much, much smaller at CSL.

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Call Day I

CORRECTED - I miscounted earlier and have corrected some math below. Thanks to a correspondent from the CTS class of 2010 for some additional information now included below in brackets.

Last night at the call service in Fort Wayne, 62 men [2 of whom were actually from the class of 2010] were put forward for placement and 54 [2 of whom were actually from the class of 2010] were given assignments (six others chose to do graduate studies and I am leaving them out of the math). Our prayers ascend for the eight who must continue to wait. I don't know whether any, and if so how many, of the calls were to part-time positions.

We'll offer a full analysis, Lord willing, after the service in St. Louis, but so far it looks that I have been too optimistic in my predictions, to wit:

1. Setting aside those who elect to do graduate studies, 5-10% of candidates will not be placed on Call Day. For CTS the number is just over 12% (or 13% if you remove the two men from the class of 2010 from the math). That number could easily come down into the range I predicted after CSL's placement tonight, but then that would prove me wrong in my second prediction. . .

2. The COP would bend over backwards to make sure that the shortage of calls was borne by both seminaries in proportion to their number of graduates and thus we would not see a repeat of last year where the burden was disproportionately borne by CTS.

Now those two predictions cannot both hold in any way that spells good news.

I wish God's richest blessings to those now preparing for ordination and service in Christ's Church. And I hope that the leadership of our Synod and seminaries can find a way to tackle this problem head on - and quickly.

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Gottesdienst Chicago on Tuesday

Ready for a nice post-Easter break, some good conversation about the things of God, and some fraternal consolation from the brethren? Join several of the Gottesdienst editors on Tuesday at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Brookfield, IL.

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