# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1947_S541
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

INTERSYNODICAL AND DOCTRINAL MATTERS 541

visited the Finnish pastoral conference at New York Mills, Minn.,
zerin, the fall of 1945, and was edified by the strong confessional stand
eof all our brethren. In fact, already in 1923 complete doctrinal unity

. been reported to us by the former Pfotenhauer-Daib-Dau

ommittee.-— Upon special invitation, Pastor Herrmann also min-
S.dstered to some Finnish Lutherans in Wyoming in the spring of
945. and in the fall of 1946. ;

A long-planned intersynodical meeting was held April 23 of
this year at Springfield, Ill. The National Church was represented
-by Prof. A. Monto of Springfield and Pastor J. E. Nopola of Iron-

ood, Mich., secretary of the National Church and editor of Auttaja,
the official church organ. President G. A. Aho of Painesville, Ohio,
could not be present. Our Synod’s representatives were the mem-
bers of your Committee, except that Pastor R. Herrmann was
unable to attend.

Various matters were discussed at this meeting. The arrange-
_ment by which Prof. A. Monto conducts the Finnish Department
at our Springfield Seminary with six to eight students and also
teaches classes in psychology, sociology, and biology, is working
out excellently. His salary is therefore paid jointly by the
two church bodies. — The meeting also gave due consideration to
proposals of mergers of Missouri Synod and National Church con-
gregations in Finnish communities. It also discussed the question
of woman suffrage, which was reported to be moving in the right
direction. — Of the 24 pastors of the National Church, 15 have been
trained at our Springfield Concordia. — Although your Committee
is concerned only with the relations between our Synod and the
National Church, yet since both have more or less contact with the
Free Church of Finland, this matter also received some con-
sideration. It was agreed that all help and co-operation should
be extended to said Church.

An urgent request had come to your Committee from our
brethren in Australia to send, if at all possible, a bilingual pastor’
for Finnish settlements in northern Queensland. Since these Lu-
therans, although practically neglected, are at least loosely con-

- nected with the established Church of Finland, it was thought
. expedient to obtain the consent of Archbishop Lehtonen. It was
agreed that this request be turned over to the National Church,
that these brethren obtain additional information, endeavor to
secure a suitable missionary, and that, if necessary, they ask our
Synod to support this mission.

THe ComMMITTEE
Pau. ScHULZ E. C. WEGEHAUPT
R. HERRMANN, Secretary