As part of the process of ordination in the Missouri Synod, a prospective pastor must be certified for ministry, and per the LCMS constitution, only an official seminary of the Synod could issue those certifications. By 1974, there were two institutions in Saint Louis claiming to be the official seminary, with both of them issuing certifications for the ministry. The expectation of Seminex backers was that if they could place enough of their graduates into pastoral positions, the overall synod would be forced to recognize Seminex as an official seminary of the LCMS. Privately, more than half of the district presidents gave their support to the Seminex faction and indicated that they would place graduates of Seminex as vicars and pastors, giving Seminex good reason for hope that they would eventually prevail.