What Types of LCMS Church Work Careers Are There?

Concordia University, Nebraska is a school associated with The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, meaning that it has the unique capability to prepare its students for church work-related vocations within the LCMS church. Students who choose to participate in one of Concordia’s church work programs will graduate with a firm foundation both in academics and their Christian faith, preparing them to go out and serve both the church and world.  

Concordia’s five core church work programs include majors in education, church music and Christian Education Leadership, as well as its pre-seminary and pre-deaconess programs. These studies prepare students for a career in professional church work, from being a called Lutheran educator to the deaconess of a congregation. These programs, however, are just a starting point for a multitude of church work careers that can stem from them.  

The vocation that is perhaps the most recognizable as that of a called professional church worker is that of a pastor. Pastors who will serve in the LCMS can best begin their preparation at a university like Concordia. There, prospective pastors will choose an academic major while also taking part in the university’s pre-seminary program. Included in this program are courses in Biblical languages like Greek and Hebrew as well as philosophy and public speaking. These selected courses will prepare students to enter one of two LCMS seminaries in the United States; Concordia Seminary St. Louis or Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne.  

In many church bodies, deaconesses serve under their pastors as female church workers in charge of spiritual care, teaching and other responsibilities. The process to become a deaconess is very similar to that of becoming a pastor. Concordia’s pre-deaconess program allows students to attend seminary and gain an M.A. with a deaconess certification at one of the two seminaries.  

However, never fear! Not all called church workers are required to attend seminary. Most church workers can enter their field of choice with only a bachelor’s degree and attend graduate school if they desire. These careers include those in education (with a Lutheran Teacher Diploma), Christian Education Leadership and church music.  

A bachelor’s degree in Christian Education Leadership at Concordia will allow you to receive the education you need to work as a Director of Christian Education (DCE). Receiving a DCE certification from Concordia will enable you to complete a one-year DCE internship in a congregation in the United States, as well as work toward a career as a professional Christian educator in the parish setting. Since the DCE career includes such a broad spectrum of talents, specialties and responsibilities, Concordia offers DCE/CEL students several opportunities for specialization in fields like youth ministry, parish music, family life or Biblical languages.  

Concordia also offers a wide variety of education-related degrees. Students can choose to take part in the education program and specialize in early childhood, elementary, middle level, secondary or special education. Art education, music education and TESOL are further options. Students in any of these programs who wish to become commissioned and called Lutheran educators are required to complete a select set of further theology courses to obtain a Lutheran Teacher Diploma (LTD). Teachers who hold an LTD will be eligible to receive a call from a Lutheran school, just like pastors and DCEs.  

A final option for those who wish to enter the field of professional church work is to earn a degree in church music and, if they desire, eligibility for placement on the LCMS roster as a Director of Parish Music. Students in the church music program will take courses in music theory, aural skills, arranging, music history and various aspects of the church music administration process. They can also take private lessons in organ, voice, and other instruments. A set of three selected theology courses beyond the student’s base coursework in church music will, along with the discretion of professors, allow them to be placed on the LCMS roster of parish music directors.  

LCMS church workers are uniquely “set apart to serve.” Christians recognize that all work is church work as it is done to the glory of God, but commissioned and called church workers’ unique vocation allows them to serve their church in some professional capacity.  

This article provided an overview of the five main church work programs at Concordia, but there are many more that can result in a career in direct service to the church (for example, LCMS missionaries have declared majors in many different fields!). No matter your skill set, LCMS church work could be the place where you serve the Lord in your future vocation.  

Interested in church work preparation at Concordia? Learn more here.