On May 4, calls to serve as pastors in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) were issued to 86 students at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, during a worship service in The Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus. These students join more than 12,000 who have been prepared to serve as pastors, missionaries and chaplains during the 172 years of Concordia Seminary’s existence.

In a separate service held earlier that day, 81 students received assignments to serve as vicars. Vicarage is a one-year internship that M.Div. and Alternate Route students preparing to serve in the pastoral ministry must complete.

Concordia Seminary also celebrated four deaconess students who were assigned calls and 10 deaconess students who were assigned internships.

The Missouri District received the most vicars from Concordia Seminary, with 17 vicars assigned, followed by the Florida-Georgia District with six. The Northwest District issued the most calls with 10, followed by the Pacific Southwest District with eight.

The Office of Vespers and Assignment of Vicarages took place at 3:00 p.m. in the Seminary’s Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus. Rev. Russell Sommerfeld, president of the Nebraska District of the LCMS, served as preacher.

The Service of Praise and Assignment of Calls, also held in The Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus, took place at 7:00 p.m. Rev. Matthew Harrison, president of the LCMS, served as preacher. Officiants for the services included Dr. Dale A. Meyer and Rev. Robert P. Hoehner, the Seminary’s director of placement. The calls were presented to the students by Dr. Larry A. Stoterau, chairman of the Council of Presidents of the LCMS and president of the Pacific Southwest District.

More than 6,000 people from all 50 states and 27 foreign countries – spread over six continents – participated in one or both of the services via the video feeds provided on callday.csl.edu. Several calling congregations were able to celebrate and participate in the services with Concordia Seminary by connecting a projector and speakers in their church so the services were able to be seen and heard. Many also browsed the call lists and explored the interactive maps, contributing to a day with more than seven times the typical web traffic for the evening.

A complete listing of the calls and vicarages issued is available on the Seminary’s special Call Day website at callday.csl.edu.