It seems odd to me...

that LCMS schools are training folks to be deaconesses and pastors with a tremendous shortage of places for them to serve.

Well, that's partially true. In fact there are plenty of places for them to serve - these places though, often are unable to pay the living expenses of a deaconess or pastor.

It seems even odder to me that we prepare people to be teenagersitters but not prepare them to catechize those in their charge. Not only are we not properly training our DCE's - they have less theology training than our Lutheran teachers - we don't even teach them how and why we worship the way we do. So they don't know what to lead our youth into or why! And we place our kids in their ill-equipped hands, then are surprised that these kids aren't Lutheran when they grow up!

Of course among American Lutheran church members, many aint Lutheran. Perhaps another post...

With regard to young Pastors, the answer for their placement is simple - but we are neither prepared or willing to pay for someone else's Pastor. We need to help parishes pay for Pastors if we intend to place all our candidates.

Deaconesses are a different matter. A congregation that cannot afford a Pastor is in no position to call a deaconess. A circuit or a district however can call and assign a deaconess to serve as needs require. For example in my district, which covers the real estate of several States, there are four deaconesses serving (pitiful). Should the SED care to provide for the needs of the people in its congregations the district could call deaconesses and assign circuits or smaller groups of congregations according to their needs.

It's a nice problem to have - too many church workers to place - it will turn on us though. Too many trained professional church workers without a call and students will elect to do something else. That of course will cause a shortage - round and round we go!