# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S854
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

PUBLICATION MATTERS 271

“to study the needs of the Lutheran Church, particularly the Mis-
souri Synod, with a view of determining what kind of literature
may be required and also, if necessary, to select authors to under-
take certain literary tasks.” In keeping with these instructions,
your Board at the beginning of the triennium made.a careful survey
of Synod’s literature requirements. On the basis of this survey,
a comprehensive plan was adopted for guidance in attempting to
provide the literature which we believe should be made available
to the clergy and laity of our Church in order that the heritage of
divine truth which is ours by the grace of God might be continued
and propagated also by the ministry of the printed word.

Among the projects initiated by your Board, in keeping with
its plan, are an annual volume of Lenten sermons by prominent
clergymen, a volume of Easter sermons, a volume. of occasional
sermons, an exegetical-homiletical study of the seven letters of
Revelation, two courses of instruction for adults, a revision of the
Concordia Cyclopedia (including a plan of keeping it up to date),
autobiographies of prominent men of our Church for their his-
torical value, a series of popular-priced books on urgent problems
of our times, including marriage, children, capital and labor, com-
munism, etc. Some of these items have already been published,
while others are in various stages of production.

Many unsolicited manuscripts, covering a large variety of sub~
jects, were received and carefully reviewed. A number of these
manuscripts fitted well into the program outlined or supplied a
definite need and, upon the Board’s recommendation, were pub-
lished by Concordia Publishing House or are in the process of
publication. Others the Board was obliged regretfully to decline,
not always because they lacked merit, but because past experience
proved that there would be little or no market for the book. While
the Board gladly reads all manuscripts which are submitted and
would encourage those who are gifted in our circles to present their
manuscripts to the General Literature Board for review, it is cer~
tain all will understand that not everything submitted can be
recommended for publication.

Much time and study were spent upon the projected scholarly
Lutheran Commentary (Proceedings, 1941, Fort Wayne, p. 321).
A comprehensive plan of publication has been adopted, sample
pages of a proposed make-up have been sent to our clergy, and
several authors are doing preliminary work on certain books of the
Bible assigned to them for treatment. Progress in producing a
commentary of this type is necessarily slow; undue haste would
be at the expense of thoroughness and accuracy.

After prolonged thought the plan for a scientific history of the
Missouri Synod (Proceedings, 1941, Fort Wayne, p.320), which