Overture Overview: LCMS Convention 2026

An overview of the overtures submitted to this summer’s Synod convention.

During the Synod convention this July in Phoenix, delegates will discuss and vote on resolutions in 10 key areas. These resolutions will be determined by ﬂoor committees in late May.

Over the past year and several months, 374 overtures have been submitted from across the Synod recommending a host of proposed actions to the convention. The ﬂoor committees will use these overtures, as well as many pages of reports from the Synod’s various districts, boards and other entities, to craft the resolutions — a well-considered and reﬁned list of proposed actions.

As they work through these overtures, the ﬂoor committees will refer some to various Synod entities to which they apply; dismiss some that have been settled by previous conventions if there is insuﬃcient rationale to reconsider; and bring many of them forward, reworked, in the form of resolutions.

Below, read a summary of some of the questions which the 374 overtures seek to address. Find the full text of the overtures, as well as the reports, in the Convention Workbook at lcms.org/convention.

1. National Witness

Where should the LCMS and its Oﬃce of National Mission (ONM) prioritize their limited time and resources? Should the LCMS…

Work to develop more resources to train Lutherans in apologetics and witness? (Ovs. 1-11, 1-12)

Increase church planting efforts at the parish level and support the establishment of new schools? (Ovs. 1-06, 1-19)

Pursue further opportunities for ethnic ministry in the U.S.? (Ovs. 1-01–03)

Develop resources that support and encourage parents as the primary teachers of the faith to their children? (Ovs. 1-23, 1-26)

How can the LCMS best support our current congregations and schools in the face of declining membership? (Ovs. 1-07–10)

How can the LCMS continue to teach and connect with our people, including those on college campuses (Ovs. 1-04, 1-05); young men and women, particularly those who have recently come back to church (Ovs. 1-13, 1-27); older adults (Ov. 1-28); and youth (Ov. 1-21)?

2. International Witness

How can the LCMS best provide support, pastoral care and supervision to its international missionaries? Should independent Lutheran congregations in foreign areas be able to be received as LCMS member congregations? (Ov. 2-03)

How can the districts and individual congregations of the Synod best support the work of our Synod’s international missionaries? (Ovs. 2-01, 2-02)

3. Mercy

How can the LCMS continue to defend God’s gift of life, including by encouraging adoption and foster care? (Ovs. 3-01, 3-02)

Through LCMS Disaster Response and Training, Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) volunteers respond to natural disasters across the country in the name of Christ. Can more of our districts appoint district disaster response coordinators to work with LCMS Disaster Response and oﬀer LERT training in their districts? (Ov. 3-03)

How can the LCMS best care for the wellness of its church workers? (Ovs. 3-06–08)

4. Life Together

Should we together as a Synod respond to current topics such as artiﬁcial intelligence (Ovs. 4-51, 4-52); Christian nationalism (Ovs. 4-13, 4-14); discussions of race, racism and racial justice (Ovs. 4-15, 4-17–22); cohabitation (Ov. 4-37); and Christian persecution (Ovs. 4-45, 4-53–55)? If so, how?

How should the Synod respond to strife and troubling ideologies raised in our circles on online platforms, and can we help our people separate the truth from the lies and engage with one another in love? (Ovs. 4-20, 4-49)

Should the LCMS continue its current process for selecting mission and ministry emphases? Should our seven mission priorities be upheld, amended or retired? Should the current mission and ministry emphasis, Making Disciples for Life, be maintained, or should a new one be selected? (Ovs. 4-01–12)

5. Theology and Church Relations

Should fellowship be recognized between the LCMS and two other church bodies: the Evangelical Lutheran Christian Church of Bolivia and Lutheran Mission—Australia? (Ovs. 5-01, 5-02) How should we address concerns with current partner churches? (Ovs. 5-03–09)

Should the Synod state or reiterate its stance on various points of doctrine, such as six-day creation (Ov. 5-10), eschatology (Ov. 5-15), the Divine Call (Ovs. 5-12–14), the inspiration of Mark 19:9–20 (Ov. 5-36), and Christ’s descent into hell (Ov. 5-11)?

What should the Synod’s stance be on in vitro fertilization? (Ovs. 5-19–21) How should we respond to our culture’s false teachings about gender and human sexuality? (Ov. 5-41)

What is the proper role of women in the church? Should they serve as lectors in the Divine Service? (Ovs. 5-27–29)

6. Pastoral Ministry and Seminaries

Should we aﬃrm our Synod’s two seminaries as the exclusive institutions to prepare pastors for ministry in the LCMS? (Ovs. 6-14–24)

Should our Synod uphold residential seminary education as the preferred route to ministry; should current alternate routes be expanded and used more broadly; and/or should new routes — particularly online routes — be developed? (Ovs. 6-14, 6-27–44)

Should the LCMS take further steps to ensure that our pastors receive a robust education in Scripture and our Lutheran Confessions? (Ovs. 6-01–07)

Should changes be made to the Speciﬁc Ministry Pastor (SMP) process? Should supervision of and restrictions on SMP pastors be reduced or increased? (Ovs. 6-49–55, 6-59–63) Should the minimum age for SMP enrollment be removed? (Ovs. 6-56–58)

Should the composition of the Pastoral Formation Committee be expanded to include additional representatives? (Ovs. 6-65–71)

How can the Synod and its congregations support their pastors, including bi-vocational pastors? (Ovs. 6-79, 6-82, 6-83)

7. University Education

How can we best meet the challenges facing higher education and support our universities? (Ov. 7-08) What can we learn from the recent downsizing of Concordia University Ann Arbor, as well as other closures of Concordia universities in recent years? (Ovs. 7-11, 7-28, 7-29)

Appointment of Concordia seminary faculty members, as well as of presidents of our Synod’s universities and seminaries, is subject to a prior approval process. According to what standards should that approval be given or denied? Should the composition of the prior approval panel be changed? (Ovs. 7-14–24)

Should the Synod amend its Bylaws to create a process for establishing formal relationships with micro-colleges sponsored by LCMS congregations, such as Luther Classical College in Wyoming? (Ov. 7-25)

The language of “Lutheran identity” has been used extensively in recent years in discussions around our Lutheran educational institutions, such as in the Lutheran Identity and Mission Outcome Standards (LIMOS) for accreditation adopted by the Concordia University System in 2024. Does “Lutheran identity” need further deﬁnition or clariﬁcation? (Ovs. 7-04–07)

8. Finance

Should the Synod publish more information about the costs associated with concluded and current litigation, including HotChalk, Concordia University Texas, and Hong Kong International School Association Limited litigations? (Ovs. 8-16–18)

Should the text of The Book of Concord: Reader’s Edition (Concordia Publishing House, 2006) be released into the public domain? (Ovs. 8-09–12) Are there ways to make the translation and distribution of key Lutheran texts simpler and more aﬀordable? (Ovs. 8-13, 8-14)

9. Structure and Administration

Should our Bylaws and Constitution be amended to include commissioned minister representation at district and Synod conventions? (Ovs. 9-32-35)

Should the LCMS Boards for National and International Mission be given more authority to guide and supervise the work of the LCMS Oﬃces of National and International Mission? (Ovs. 9-11, 9-12)

Should the Bylaw-stipulated positions of LCMS chief ﬁnancial oﬃcer and chief administrative oﬃcer be combined into a single position? (Ovs. 9-09, 9-10)

Should the Synod and its entities (such as Lutheran Church Extension Fund and Concordia Plans) be authorized to form new business entities in support, for example, of real estate development that fosters mission? (Ovs. 9-06, 9-07)

Electoral circuits determine who represents congregations at the Synod convention. Should the LCMS re-evaluate its requirements for electoral circuits? (Ovs. 9-19, 9-20) (The task force created by 2023 Res. 9-06A also has a report and suggested approach in the Workbook.)

10. Ecclesiastical Supervision and Dispute Resolution

Should changes be made to the Synod’s current dispute resolution process? Should it be replaced entirely? (Ovs. 10-12–23)

How should the Synod handle investigations into accusations of sexual misconduct or abuse by rostered church workers? (Ovs. 10-27–30)

Should changes be made to the Synod’s current process of ecclesiastical supervision of pastors? (Ovs. 10-06–11) How should cases be handled where accusations were made against pastors online, especially anonymously? (Ov. 10-02) How can we work to uphold the Eighth Commandment in the internet age, and pursue opportunities for in-person conversation and correction? (Ovs. 10-03–05)

Note: Again, this is a summary of the overtures submitted to the convention floor committees for consideration. The proposed resolutions to be deliberated by the convention will be published in the first edition of Today’s Business in early June at lcms.org/convention.

The Big Topics

Based upon the submitted overtures and reports, here are some of the major topics of conversation and debate we anticipate hearing this summer in Phoenix:

1. Pastoral Formation/Routes to Ordination

How should our Synod form, train, certify and supervise its pastors? Should we reaﬃrm our Synod’s two seminaries as the exclusive institutions for training LCMS pastors? Should we consider additional formation options through the seminaries, such as an online M.Div. program, or should we continue to uphold residential formation as the ideal? See Overtures 6-09 to 6-63.

2. Dispute Resolution/Ecclesiastical Supervision

One eﬀect of the internet has been enabling matters of local controversy to blow up nationally, often with little context, to an unprecedented degree. Do our processes of dispute resolution and ecclesiastical supervision of pastors need updates to handle this new reality? See Overtures 10-02 to 10-26.

3. Lutheran Identity

Our culture continues to shift rapidly away from Christianity. Amid these shifts, what does it look like for Lutheran congregations, schools and other institutions to remain faithful? Does our approach to ministry need to change in any areas? How can we continue to uphold biblical and confessional teaching, maintain faithful worship practices, and encourage our people in godly lives in a culture that is so hostile to the truth? To what standards should we hold our educational institutions? See Overtures 1-15, 1-24, 1-25, 4-26 to 4-29, 4-34 to 4-37, 6-01 to 6-07, and 7-04 to 7-07.

4. Demographic Shifts

As with all major Christian denominations in the U.S., the LCMS is facing a declining and aging membership. How should we adjust to a context of smaller congregations and schools, some of which face serious ﬁnancial pressures and may be unable to call a full-time pastor or workers? How can we reach out to those outside of the church who are without the hope of Christ? See Overtures 1-06 to 1-12, 4-50, 6-75 to 6-80, 6-86 to 6-88, 7-08, and 7-11.

5. Structural Questions

Are there ways that we can better order our life together by making structural changes to our boards, committees, oﬃces, electoral circuits, processes and the like? See Overtures 4-01 to 4-12, 6-64 to 6-73, 7-01 to 7-03, 7-13 to 7-24, 8-01 to 8-05, and 9-01 to 9-52.

Read the complete overtures and reports submitted to the 2026 LCMS convention in the Convention Workbook.