Book of Candidate Categories

The categories of MLC candidates included in the Book of Candidates are as follows:

Available for Assignment

These are candidates who have been presented to the church by MLC and are available for assignment anywhere.

Declining Assignment

These are candidates who have been presented to the church by MLC, but are declining to be assigned at this time. This means that the graduate does not wish to and therefore will not

• be considered or approved for call lists presented to calling bodies by the District Presidents.
• be considered for assignment until the graduate has informed the Assignment Committee otherwise.

Deferring Assignment

These are candidates who have been presented to the church by MLC but have asked that their assignment be deferred to a later date. (Examples: those who wish to serve through "Friends of China" for one or more years, those who wish to pursue an advanced degree with a view of still teaching in our WELS educational system.) This means

• that a graduate is asking not to be considered for assignment to a call for the upcoming school year.
• that the time of deferment is understood to be one year but may be extended at the request of a graduate made to the Assignment Committee.
• that the graduate plans to return to the Assignment Committee the following year.
• that the graduate is not eligible to be called during the time of deferment.
• that if the graduate wants to withdraw his/her request, that desire is to be expressed to the president of the district in which the graduate currently resides.
• that the maximum period of deferment for a graduate is two years with approval from the Assignment Committee. After two years the graduate becomes eligible for calls directly from the field. It is the responsibility of the graduate to notify the Commission on Lutheran Schools (CLS) of his/her intentions and availability. Upon receiving notification, the CLS will ask the graduate to complete an Inactive Teacher Inventory to help them understand the graduate’s abilities and preferences. The contact person at the CLS is Mr. Jeff Inniger, Associate Director.

Unavailable for Assignment

These are candidates (male or female) who have been presented to the church by MLC but:

• have not yet fulfilled all of the requirements necessary for assignment.

OR

• have legitimate and compelling reasons that limit his/her availability for assignment (e.g. study, marriage);
• will not be considered for assignment to a call; and
• may be considered for call lists presented to calling bodies in the limited area specified by the graduate.