# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1947_S280
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

280 PARISH EDUCATION

adult, young married people’s groups, family life, Christian parent
education, and other phases of adult education.

To carry out the wishes of Synod that co-ordination of the
adult organizations within our Church be achieved, six meetings
of representatives of these groups have been held within the last
eighteen months. These have been helpful in many ways. Sub-
jects discussed were: Uniform Topics, Personal Evangelism and
Missionary Education, Group Work and Group Discussion, Bible
Study and Bible Classes. The leaders of these organizations have
formed a “Co-ordinating Council” which has selected monthly
emphases to facilitate further co-ordination. Resource materials
for planning the parish program will be issued in connection with
Lutheran Education Week.

The largest project undertaken in the field of adult education
has been the outlining and development of a Church-wide Bible
study program, which is being launched at this Centennial Synod
as a fitting thankoffering to God for one hundred years of Biblical
teaching and preaching.

A Council on Bible Study was created by the Board for Parish
Education to assist in planning and carrying forward over a period
of years the Bible study project. The twenty-six members of the
council include five professors, seven pastors, four teachers, five
laymen and representatives from the Board for Young People’s
Work, the Student Service Commission, the Walther League, the
Lutheran Laymen’s League, the Lutheran Women’s Missionary
League, and Concordia Publishing House.

There are now more than 3,000 Bible classes in Synod. For
this growth from insignificant beginnings we owe a debt of gratitude
to the founding fathers who set forth the importance of a well-
indoctrinated laity, to the Walther League for ‘the initial impetus
given to Bible study classes, and to the men who through the
years have prepared materials for Bible study. We are grateful,
too, for the leadership of the present Bible class teachers, of which
there were 3,074 in 1945.

Yet, the record is far from satisfying. Of the 1,056,240 con-
firmed members of our Church, approximately 87,000, a mere 8.2%
were in Bible classes in 1945, However, when the young people’s
classes are excluded from this total, it is apparent that less than
5% of our adult members study the Bible in Bible classes. A study
of Sunday school enrollments reveals this same fact. The ratio
of young people and adults in Sunday school to children in Sunday
school is disproportionately small. Assuredly we need a decided
improvement in the Bible class situation. For this improvement
we need to implore God incessantly, and we must have the full
co-operation of the whole Church. \