Fake MTC News vs. MTC Reality

There are several misnomers floating around about MTC and the part it plays in training lay people. Fake News:  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. Fake News:  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. Fake News:  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, Fake News is alive and well – even within the church. But we hope this information has helped you learn the truth about MTC 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

On January 1, 2021, Rev. Mark Siegert began serving Mission Training Center as its new director. He took over this position from Rev. Dr. Paul Mueller who will retire at the end of February, 2021 after almost nine years at the post. We are grateful for the leadership and vision for ministry MTC received from Dr. Mueller and look forward to seeing all that God will do through MTC with Rev. Siegert's talents and experience.

• Letter from Rev. Mark Siegert  (Siegert CV)