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