# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S242
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

274 PARISH EDUCATION

is aware of the tremendous responsibility of providing for so large
a constituency of pupils and teachers study materials that are
doctrinally sound and pedagogically effective. A Sunday Schoo]
Curriculum Conference was held in February, 1949, for the p

of canvassing the best thinking relative to the course of study for
the Sunday school. While Pastors and teachers are generally
appreciative of the present materials, the editors believe that
a greater variety of materials is desirable and that efforts shoulg
be made constantly to provide materials that are more closely
suited to the needs of the Church as these needs emerge.

A 500,000 Enrollment Anticipated. — Our Sunday school has
experienced a normal growth, as comparative data reveal. Never.
theless, a much larger enrollment is possible. We have, therefore,
proposed to our Sunday schools an immediate goal of 500,000, as
an incentive to the local Sunday school to take advantage of the
opportunities it has for increasing its enrollment. We can, under
God, attain the goal within two years if we proceed as follows.
(1) Through child accounting reach all children past three years
of age that ought to be in Sunday school and induce the parents
to enroll them; (2) build up the enrollment of existing Bible
classes and organize new Bible classes; (3) intensify the program
of evangelism and thus reach and win some of America’s un.
churched millions for Christ. If every Sunday school availed itself
of only one of these possibilities, our enrollment would increase
materially.

A Unified Program of Christian Education. — Building up
a large enrollment is not an end in itself. Simultaneously with the
expansion of the Sunday school there must be inner spiritual
growth. The Lutheran Church properly lays much emphasis on
confirmation instruction, but unfortunately confirmation has come
to be regarded as terminal. Parents think of it as graduation from
the formal instructional agencies of the Church. This erroneous
view must be corrected. Confirmation instruction is but the
foundation on which the newly confirmed and all communicant
members of the Church are to build. Most congregations con-
centrate on one age level, usually the elementary level, and
neglect other levels. If we are to have intelligent and well-indoc-
trinated members, we shall have to provide an_ instructional
program for children, for adolescents, for young people, and for
adults. Since Sunday is the day that can be best utilized to this
end, we should make the most of it. The ideal to strive for should
be: “The whole Church at school; the whole Church at worship.”
The 1949 Educational Conference resolved: “That we make Synod
aware of the huge losses of youth to Bible study in the critical

: sent period and call for an integrated youth program cen-
feved--around Bible study and church attendance on Sunday
«ming; and that more attention be given to high school youth
ihe Sunday school and church program through more graded
materials, more leadership training, and more promotion.”

Goals. —In order to insure outward expansion and inward
spititual growth, it will be necessary for the local congregation
to: keep a number of goals in mind. Some of these goals are:
(1) Systematic instruction of teachers; (2) Extension of the
Nursery Department; (3) Expansion of the Bible class department;
(4) Regular missionary education combined with a strong program
of evangelism.

Teacher training is the prerequisite of a good Sunday school.
Our teachers should be given the opportunity to study God’s Word
and prepare for teaching in weekly or at least biweekly teachers’
meetings. Thousands of teachers are being prepared for effective
teaching through our synodical teacher-training program, which
aims to make “Every Teacher a Trained Teacher.” A combination
of regular teachers’ meetings and the study of the training courses
will improve the quality of teaching in our Sunday schools. The
Board for Parish Education is also advocating that circuit Sunday
school associations be organized in every District of Synod for
the benefit of Sunday school teachers. Sunday school: teachers, as
well as other members of the congregations, will derive information
and inspiration also from Bible institutes.

In order to make the Sunday school the missionary agency
it can be, the congregation will endeavor to reach the maximum
number of children, young people, and adults in its fold and in its
community. At the lower end of the scale are the children of
nursery age. The majority of our congregations have not yet
enrolled children under four years of age in the Cradle, or Nursery,
Roll, although many may have come to realize that child accounting
begins with the babies and that a large Nursery Department means
a growing Beginners’ Department. At the other end of the scale
are the adolescents, young people and adults, who ought to belong
to the Bible class department of the Sunday school. Every person
gained for the Bible class department increases the enrollment of
the Sunday school. As we gain the confirmed members of our
congregations for Bible study, we shall build stronger .Christian
homes and have a more active church membership.

More attention should be given in future to missionary educa-
tion. A wide use of the mission-story talks, mission photos, and
weekly envelopes furnished by Synod’s Department of Missionary
Education and Publicity will contribute toward the development of

PARISH EDUCATION 275

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