# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1947_S831
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

YOUNG PEOPLE'S WORK 829

tion with the Walther League district presidents. This conference
gave the District Youth Committee a clear picture of the Walther
League program and the Walther League presidents a good insight
into the activities of the Board for Young People’s Work as such
and its sphere of influence on youth work in the various Districts.
A third Youth Conference was held in St. Louis, January 29 and 30,
1947. The program was divided into two parts, the first one dealing
with youth work in the local congregation, while the second one
stressed interparish youth work.

Among the interesting discussions were those centering around
the topics: “Mobilizing Youth Talents for the Kingdom”; “The
Educational Use of Recreation in the Congregation and Its Place
in the Youth Program”; “Instructional Program for Youth in
Courtship and Marriage”; “The Roll of Personality in Pastor-~
Youth Relation”; “Pastoral Self-Training for Youth Leadership.”
Regular joint meetings of District Young People’s Committee and
Walther League district presidents are planned for the future,
alternating annually with youth conferences of District Youth Com-
mittees.

It has been the opinion of the Board for Young People’s work
for some time that our day school teachers could and should take
a more active part in youth work in the local church and also in
the Districts. The intimate acquaintance gained through contact
with the children attending school is too valuable to be disregarded.
Our teachers are to be commended most highly for their splendid
response in returning the two-page questionnaire on youth work
mailed to them for information sought by your Board. A total
of 485 questionnaires were returned, far more than could be ex-
pected normally. This indicates the interest that our teachers
must have in the welfare of youth.

The survey definitely indicated the following: (1) That the
demands made on our teachers relative to youth work are no
greater today than formerly; (2) That they are not more active
because others do the work; (3) That the work they mostly do
is of minor importance; (4) That in far too many cases their duties
and responsibilities in youth work are not clear to them, churches
having failed to outline clearly the teachers’ obligations concerning
the congregation’s youth; (5) That the pre-confirmation youth
work is not extensive in our Synod; (6) That almost half of the
replies express the reasonable wish that Synod place youth work
and preparation for it into the curricula of our colleges and sem-
inaries in the form of college credit courses.

As early as 1926 the recommendation of the Board “that a
course in young people’s work be given both at our theological

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