# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S259
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

308 PARISH EDUCATION

Endorsement

Resolved, To endorse that part of the report of the Board fo;
Parish Education which suggests that “Concordia Publishing House
be designated by Synod as its producing agency for audio-visya]
aids” and that in the production of such aids Concordia Publishing
House work in close harmony with an advisory council on which
Synod’s various mission and educational departments will be
represented.

Te Boarp For Missions In Nort AND SouTH America

[202] .
Sunday School Teacher Training

Progress

The venerable President of Synod appointed the Sunday School
Teacher Training Committee in the fall of 1935 to provide materials
for the training of Sunday school teachers. The first textbook was
published in 1937, and since that time the following courses have
appeared: First Series — Working Together, Fundamental Chris-
tian Beliefs, Old Testament History, New Testament History,
Directing the Learner, Learning to Know the Child. Second Series
— The Story of the Church, The Life of St. Paul, American Churches,
Home Life in Bible Times.

The distribution of study materials has been most gratifying.
254,000 textbooks, 175,000 sets of test sheets, and 16,500 Instructor's
Guides have been purchased. The Teacher Training Office has
issued a total of 42,900 credits to 21,500 individuals. These credits
represent hundreds of thousands of hours devoted to study, and
a corresponding growth in knowledge, efficiency, and consecration
on the part of Sunday school teachers.

Our tabulation is restricted to persons working for credit.
If we were to include those who are taking courses or have taken
courses but are not working for credit, the picture would be a great
deal brighter, for the distribution of textbooks would seem to
indicate that the number of those not applying for credit is con-
siderable. We cannot be specific, but without exaggerating we can
say that more teachers have received systematic training during
the past ten years than during any other corresponding period
in the history of our Sunday school. We thank God for the progress
that has been made, and we pray that the goal “Every Teacher
a Trained Teacher” will be approximated more and more.

The training courses are being used by workers of the Church
other than Sunday school teachers. They are used by students
enrolled in Bible institutes, Lutheran high schools, and adult Bible

PARISH EDUCATION 309

=ces, The Committee once more urges that church workers
generally be enlisted for the study of the training courses, and that
entire congregations be invited to study at least one course
annually. A Request

: Gince its appointment in 1935, the Teacher Training Com-
mittee has remained in contact with the Board for Parish Education
put has functioned independently. The Committee considered the
independent status desirable because of the situation that pre-
yailed at the time. Working independently, the Committee was
able to prepare and edit a series of manuscripts for much-needed
study materials without the loss of valuable time.

_ Meanwhile the situation has changed. The Committee has com-
pleted a large portion of its assignment; the program has met with
a cordial reception and is functioning well. Moreover, Synod, in
the interest of co-ordination, has at successive conventions enlarged
the sphere of activity of the Board for Parish Education. It has
made this Board responsible for adult education and other areas
which fall within the area of parish education.

The Teacher Training Committee, recognizing the value: of
closer co-ordination, considers it desirable that it function hence-
forth as a committee of the Board for Parish Education. Hitherto
the Committee has worked in harmony with the goals of this
Board, and it would continue to do so even if its independent status
were to continue. Nevertheless, it believes that in the interest of
co-ordination its status as an independent committee should be
terminated.

The Committee, therefore, requests Synod to repeal Section 7.55
of the Handbook, which constitutes the Committee a committee to
be appointed by the President of Synod in conjunction with. the
Vice-Presidents. The words: “Provide adequate’ material for the
training of Sunday school teachers,” will then be transferred to
Section 7.25, which lists the functions of the Board for Parish
Education. Since our courses are adopted for workers other than
Sunday school teachers, the sentence might be expanded to read:
“Provide adequate material for the training of Sunday school
teachers and other parish workers.”

The Teacher Training Committee has operated on a budget
of a few hundred dollars. We therefore make the additional request
that the budget appropriation for the Teacher Training Committee
be incorporated in that of the Board for Parish Education to
enable the Committee to continue its work as heretofore.

ConcorpIA TEACHER TRAINING COMMITTEE

Pau. Koentc, Chairman
ARNoLD C. MuEtter, Secretary

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