I recently had a conversation with a fellow LCMS pastor about the Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program. His view was that it needs to be shut down. I was surprised at this and asked him if he understood the shortage of pastors with roughly 1000 vacancies and 100 seminary graduates this year. He said he was aware, but the solution is to “close the 500 congregations that aren’t viable.” He went on to say that the SMP program is addressing the symptoms and not the disease itself. The disease...