As of August 1, 2022, Rev. Mark Siegert no longer serves as the director of Mission Training Center. Here is a note from him:

Brothers and Sisters, Greetings in Jesus Christ who sends us on His mission. I want to say a big, heart-felt THANK YOU for supporting me and especially the Mission Training Center instructor over the years. Your work in that regard is very helpful and most appreciated. In fact, I remain convinced that training the lay people to actively and confidently participate in God’s mission—equipping them to be unifying mission leaders—will bless the church beyond our imagination. To me, that is why MTC exists. Since the beginning of 2021, I have worked to guide MTC toward that purpose, but at the end of July of this year, I stepped away from my role as Director of the MTC. I arrived at this decision through much prayer and contemplation. God has opened doors that will give me the opportunity to serve in congregational and school settings. This will also give the MTC a chance to move even further forward. The MTC stakeholders - The Northwest District, The California Nevada Hawaii District, The Pacific Southwest District, and Concordia University Irvine—remain supportive of MTC. Like me, they are convinced of its value, and they are committed to do what needs to be done to continue the good work it does. Sonja Baumeister, the MTC Program Coordinator, is still serving at the MTC. As you can imagine, she has a great deal of insight and will continue to provide guidance to students, instructors, and our other MTC stakeholders. Again, please be assured that I thank God for you all and for the opportunity to serve alongside you. I will hold you and MTC in my prayers. In Him, Rev. Mark Siegert MAEd, MA Theology

MTC Myths vs. Reality

There are several misnomers floating around about MTC and the part it plays in training lay people. Myth:  MTC is only for people who are training to be licensed as Lay Deacons. Reality:  MTC courses are available to anyone looking to more actively and confidently engage in God's mission in their local congregation and community. A person does not need to be in a formal training program to take an MTC course. Our students have included elders, teachers, youth directors, worship assistants, and church, school, or RSO employees who were not trained in a synodical school, etc. Myth:  I can’t take a class with MTC if my District doesn’t have a training program. Reality:  People from all around the world take MTC classes for all sorts of reasons. Current and former students have joined us from places like China, Turkey, Guatemala, and others. Some take just one class. Some complete a full training program as designed by their congregation, district, or RSO. Myth:  The Licensed Lay Deacon Program was discontinued per the 2016 Synodical Convention. Reality:  It was just tweaked a bit. The demise of the LCMS Licensed Lay Deacon Program is a misnomer that came out of the 2016 Synodical Convention. The actual wording of Resolution 13-02A from that convention contains the following: … be it Resolved, That nothing in this resolution shall be construed as impeding the training, recognition, credentialing or service of deacons who do not publicly preach or administer the sacraments, namely, those who serve in ministries of mercy, education, or visitation, and so forth, or in an outreach role, assisting in evangelism and church planting (but not in public preaching and administration of the sacraments); and be it further Resolved, That district presidents may continue to recruit, train, and credential new deacons for general varieties of service in the church that do not include public preaching and administration of the sacraments… Due to the current and growing shortage of ordained pastors, many pastors are being asked to help the vacant congregations in their areas. This draws ministry away from their own congregations. Many districts are recognizing the value of having well-trained lay people in congregations who are available to assist their pastors for general varieties of service in the church that do not include public preaching and administration of the sacraments. MTC is proud to continue assisting these districts as they train their laity to better assist their pastors. So, as you can see, several myths are alive and well regarding MTC. We hope this information has helped you learn the truth about Mission Training Center and its role in training lay deacons. If you have questions that were not answered here, please feel free to reach out to us at mtc@missiontrainingcenter.com

Following the closure of Concordia University in Portland, Oregon in 2020, and a short stay in the Northwest District, Mission Training Center is now "home"! Our new physical address is: Mission Training Center c/o Pacific Southwest District-LCMS 1540 Concordia Drive East Irvine, CA 92612-3203 Our phone number remains: 971-302-7595