# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S678
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

94 MISSIONS

power to the best advantage and look not only to the best inte
of a given congregation but also to the needs of the church at 1

Be it therefore suggested that the College of Presiden .
requested to appoint a committee from its midst to give this ma
serious consideration; and that the College of Presidents be urg
to adopt such measures as will be in keeping with the doctrin
the divine call, preserve the rights of the congregation, and ye
helpful to place the available manpower to the best advan

Nationalism and the Training of a Native Ministry. — Nation
ism — we have it in our country; we have it in Mexico, in Soy
America; we have it the world over. Mexico for Mexicans, Afri
for Africans, and America for Americans. Foreign thought, forei
ideas, foreign rule, is shied at everywhere. Self-government,
rule, is the one great topic of the press; it is the talk of the
nations. Nationalism, with all of its implications, confronts also
Church.

Brazil has already enacted laws which forbid the entrance:
pastors coming from foreign countries except they be natives:;
Brazil. In Mexico none but natives are permitted to preach an

_ perform ministerial acts among Mexicans. And this trend
spreading the world over. And facing that issue, it must no
more than ever be our policy to build for a national Chur
This must, therefore, be our definite aim in countries in which :
have already begun missions, i. é., in South America,.in Europ
in China, in India, in Africa. And it must be our goal as we loo
to the future and begin missions in other countries.

The training of a native ministry and the laying of a foundd
tion of a native self-governing Church in foreign countries is eg
sential. To meet present-day trends a change of mission polit
is imperative. After nearly fifty years we have 14 ordained past
and 13 evangelists in India. After thirty years we have in Chir
7 pastors and 9 evangelists. With the ever increasing spirit of na‘
tionalism, with that handwriting. on the wall, we must redoubl
our efforts to train a native ministry in foreign lands. We kno
not how long we as a foreign people will be permitted to preach
the Gospel on foreign soil. To preserve the Gospel in foreign lan
we must train a native ministry.

In Brazil and in Argentina we have colleges and seminari
In Brazil at the Seminario Concordia, Porto Alegre, the enro
ment is above 80 students. At Crespo and at Buenos Aires, Ar
gentina, a fine beginning is made; but looking to the future of oO
Church, to the preservation of the Gospel both in Argentina and..in#
Brazil, we cannot be satisfied to train a native ministry of German:
descent only, but our goal must be to train a ministry also of thes