Dad was a pastor, his dad, my Uncle, my great great grandfather...looks like I have a library to give to a young buck pastor down the line. Barring unforeseen circumstances the Klinkenberg line will die w me in LCMS. On another note our congregation in Orange has raised up a a fist full of guys both from St. Louis and CMC Irvine guys. So grateful to raise them up. We had a graduate this year who is in Des Peres, MO and one who will enter sem after this year having done Pre-sem at Irvine. Students can be raised up not on the basis of a political proclivity of the congregation, but raised up by congregations that treat their pastors well. Students can be raised up by congregations that reinforce respect for the office, argue in healthy ways and follow after Jesus.
Enrollment, we have had roughly 20 years to study it social logically and theologically we have all the answers, but we lack something to get after it with any real passion or zeal. Certainly we struggle with creativity in the fact they the students need to get in a pipeline that seems to plop them into the sem’s lap. Harvest is plentiful...