NOTE that an asterisk (*) indicates an incumbent candidate:

District President: The Rev. Dr. Roger Paavola*

First Vice-President: The Rev. Joshua Willadsen* (Region 1)

Second Vice-President: The Rev. Kevin Conger* (Region 2)

Third Vice-President: Rev. Philip Young (Region 3)

Fourth Vice-President: The Rev. David Graves (Region 4)

District Secretary: The Rev. Larry Peters*

Mid-South District Board of Directors – Commissioned Minister: Regions 1 & 2 —
Mr. Aaron Jackson

Mid-South District Board of Directors – Commissioned Minister: Regions 3 & 4 —
Mr. David Topp

Mid-South District Board of Directors – Lay: Region 1 —
Mr. Jeffrey Pittman*

Mid-South District Board of Directors – Lay: Region 2 —
Ms. Karilyn Brown*

Mid-South District Board of Directors – Lay: Region 3 —
Mr. Tim Hanusa

Mid-South District Board of Directors – Lay: Region 4 —
Ms. Heidi Davidson (nomination from floor)

Mid-South District Nominations Committee – Ordained: Regions 1 & 2 —
The Rev. David Vandercook*

Mid-South District Nominations Committee – Ordained: Regions 3 & 4 —
The Rev. Derek Roberts*

Mid-South District Nominations Committee – Commissioned: Regions 1 & 2 —
Ms. Jacquelyn Magnuson

Mid-South District Nominations Committee – Commissioned: Regions 3 & 4  —
Ms. Amy Kurtz

Mid-South District Nominations Committee – Lay: Regions 1 & 2 —
Mr. Jeff Roper*

Mid-South District Nominations Committee – Lay: Regions 3 & 4 —
Ms. Heidi Davidson*

Synod Nominations Committee – Ordained/Commissioned —
The Rev. David McMinn

* Denotes Incumbent

Floor Committee 1: CHURCH AND MISSIONS —

• ADOPTED – Resolution 01-01-25: To Reaffirm Church Planting
• ADOPTED – Resolution 01-02-25: To Continue a Relationship with the Southeast of Lake Victoria Diocese (SELVD) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania
• ADOPTED – Resolution 01-03-25: To Continue a Relationship with the Confessional Malagasy Lutheran Church in Madagascar
• ADOPTED – Omnibus Resolution 01-04-25: To Commend Trinity Hope

Floor Committee 2: CHURCH AND MINISTRY —

• ADOPTED – Resolution 02-01-25: To Maintain Accountability and Transparency for Financial Gifts from God’s Stewards
• ADOPTED – Resolution 02-02-25: To Encourage Financial Support for Professional Church Workers
• ADOPTED – Resolution 02-03-25: To Propose LCMS Men’s Ministry
• ADOPTED – Resolution 02-04-25: To Establish Locum Tenens Ministry for the Mid-South District
• DECLINED – Resolution 02-05A-25: To Hold a Day of Fasting, Prayer, and Repentance for the Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
• ADOPTED AS AMENDED – Omnibus Resolution 02-06A-25: Ten Commandments

Floor Committee 3: CHURCH AND FAMILY MINISTRY —

• ADOPTED – Resolution 03-01-25: To Shape the Faith Formation Paradigm from Generation to Generation Ministry
• ADOPTED – Resolution 03-02-25: To Encourage Generational Ministry
• ADOPTED – Resolution 03-03-25: To Evaluate, Study, and Use Biblically-based Stewardship Resources
• ADOPTED – Resolution 03-04-25: To Encourage Personal Evangelism

Floor Committee 4: CHURCH AND SYNOD —

• ADOPTED – Resolution 04-01-25: To Encourage Further Consideration of Successful Completion of SMP Coursework Before Ordination and Placement on Ordained Roster
• ADOPTED – Resolution 04-02-25: Regularizing Specific Ministry Pastoral Classification
• ADOPTED – Resolution 04-03-25: Extend an Overture to the 2026 LCMS Convention Concerning Specific Ministry Pastoral (SMP) Training
• DECLINED – Resolution 04-04A-25: To Establish a Task Force to Consider Consolidation of Southern and Mid-South Districts
• DECLINED – Resolution 04-05-25: To Request that Concordia Plans Explore Cost-of-Living Increase Options for the Concordia Retirement Plan
• ADOPTED – Resolution 04-06-25: To Amend the District Bylaws so that the District President may Accept a Call to a Congregation as Assistant Pastor
• ADOPTED AS AMENDED – Resolution 04-07A-25: To Direct The Office of the National and International Mission to Decline Applications for Recognized Service Organization Status from Organizations Currently Supporting, Advocating, or Otherwise Promoting the LGBTQIA+ Agenda and Lifestyle and to direct The Office of National Missions and The Office of International Mission to Revoke RSO Status of the Same
• ADOPTED – Resolution 04-08-25: Participating in Building a Culture of Church Work Formation and Recruitment

The Circuit & Advisory Forums presented a slate of mission and ministry initiatives to the delegation for ranking, with the top three to be presented to Synod as directives during the 2026-2029 triennium. The delegation selected the following initiatives as priority “areas of focus” for Synod in the next triennium:

1. To encourage young families and encourage the health of marriage and the vitality of the devotional life in the home.
2. Work to resolve human trafficking and raise awareness to address the challenges of a world that does not respect the value God has given to male and female.
3. Formation and spiritual strengthening of Elders and other Lay Leaders in the congregation.

Circuit Visitors for the 2025-2028 triennium were determined by Circuit Forums prior to the Mid-South District convention, then ratified by the delegation of the convention on Saturday, June 14, 2025:

• CHATTANOOGA CIRCUIT — The Rev. Donald Welmer
• FAYETTEVILLE CIRCUIT — The Rev. Brandon Martin
• FORT SMITH CIRCUIT — The Rev. Thomas Bartzsch
• JOHNSON CITY CIRCUIT — The Rev. Charles Shemwell
• JONESBORO CIRCUIT — The Rev. Robert Herring
• KNOXVILLE CIRCUIT — The Rev. Chase LeFort
• LITTLE ROCK NORTH CIRCUIT — The Rev. David Vandercook
• LITTLE ROCK SOUTH CIRCUIT — The Rev. Emil Woerner
• MEMPHIS CIRCUIT — The Rev. Clayton Sellers
• NASHVILLE CIRCUIT — The Rev. Kenneth Shaw
• MIDDLE TENNESSEE CIRCUIT — The Rev. David McMinn
• PADUCAH CIRCUIT — The Rev. David Appold
• STUTTGART CIRCUIT — The Rev. Stewart Marshall

The Workbook for the 2025 Mid-South District Convention is available to view, download and print. After opening the PDF file, you may use the bookmarks/document outline feature to easily navigate the document.

NOTE: The Convention Workbook was revised/updated on 5.22.2025 to include the following new overtures –

• Overture 02-07-25, “To Propose LCMS Men’s Ministry”
• Overture 04-11-25, “Participating in Building a Culture of Church Work Formation and Recruitment”