Anticipation is building for Call Day 2026, set for April 28, when concluding Concordia Seminary, St. Louis students will receive their first pastoral or diaconal ministry placements, and second-year students will receive their vicarage or internship assignments in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus. All calls and assignments for service are to churches or ministries within The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS).

Students who will serve a year as vicars or deaconess interns will receive their assignments at a worship service starting at 3 p.m. (CDT). Rev. Joel Shaltanis, father of second-year student Ambrose Shaltanis and pastor at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, Texas, will preach.

“Congregations play a vital role in forming future pastors and deaconesses,” said Rev. Joel P. Fritsche, director of Vicarage and Deaconess Internships. “By welcoming vicars and interns into their ministries, they help shape the next generation of servants of the Gospel of Christ.”

At 7 p.m. (CDT), candidates for the pastoral and diaconal ministry will receive their first calls to serve as pastors, deaconesses, chaplains or missionaries in the LCMS. Rev. Brady Finnern, president of the LCMS Minnesota North District, will preach.

“Call Day represents a service of transition for these men and women. They are entering church work as they receive their individual calls to various parts of the Lord’s kingdom. It is a day of celebration and rejoicing as the Lord sends out laborers into His harvest field,” said Rev. Timothy Scharr, director of Placement. “Excitement and anticipation, along with many questions, overflow in their hearts and minds. What will their ministry, community and new home be like? How will their family grow in this new place? The Lord who has brought them to this point will continue to love, mold, shape and guide them as they serve His people.”

A livestream of the Call Day services will be available on Facebook and YouTube and at csl.edu/live. Calls and assignments will be shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, in real time during both services. Everyone is encouraged to share their celebratory comments and photos on social media with the hashtag #CallDay2026.

For more information, visit csl.edu/call-day.

About Concordia Seminary

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). To learn more, visit csl.edu.