# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S290
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

370 MISSIONS

[415] .,
“For Such a Day as This— More Men for Christ»
A Call for Greater Lay Enlistment

The World Today

The state of the world today presents a darkening Picture of
deepening gloom and dark despair. Mankind has loosed Upon
itself forces which threaten its very existence. The. rumble of
warfare, the clashing of ideologies, the heat of strife —all are rock.
ing the foundations of what men had come to regard as certain
and enduring.

The morals of our so-called Christian world are a matter of
deep concern to every Christian. Modern education has Proved
inadequate to change the heart of man which God Himself de-
scribes as “desperately wicked.”

“As a result, the world today is groping in disillusionment.
Men’s hearts are failing them for fear of what the future holds.
Such is ‘the appalling picture of the world today as it Staggers
across the midpoint of the twentieth century. .

The Church Today ;

The “religious” world presents a picture which is scarcely any
brighter. The “great” religions of heathenism have been aroused
from their lethargy ‘and are fighting either for survival or to en-
large their spheres of influence. A new religion of crass materialism
-has arisen which threatens to sweep mankind into its fold by force.
Romanism, suffering from its severest losses since the days of the
Reformation, has become increasingly militant and audacious. .

Large sections of Protestantism, ‘while displaying an external
activity, have surrendered to the forces of Modernism anid are
preaching a “gospel” which knows no Savior. ‘The Lutheran’ Church
of Europe was Casualty No. 1 of World War Il. Even now the rem-
nant of European Lutheranism is struggling for survival.

Our Church Today

‘Surely a church body such as ours, preserved by God in its
loyalty to His saving Word, must play an heroic role as: an _instru-
ment of God in this hour of mankind’s greatest need. God has
already done much through our Synod to, bring His message of
hope to men in despair. The growth of our Church during the first
half of this century is a miracle in modern ¢hurch: history. And
yet none of us can boast that we have done all that- we could. In
4 sense our potential has barely been tapped. The‘exigencies of the
moment call for an all-out effort on the part of every. one of us.

MISSIONS : 871

Much, ergater things must be accomplished if we are to fulfill
ure God-given mission at this critical juncture in mankind’s
istory-. . :
..Let-us consider our weaknesses. To our shame we must admit
that ‘some symptoms of our lives as individuals betray a lack of
that “first love” which should mark all those lives which are “hid
with Christ in God.” Only 40 per cent of our people are at God’s
house on an average Sunday. Our people attend the Lord’s Supper
only.a little over three times a year, on the average. Only one in
ten communicants belongs to a Bible class. In some instances the
formal religious training of our children is being limited to the
barest minimum. Only one third of our children receive the ben-
efits of religious training in our Christian day schools, Family
devotions are far from the rule in the average home. In short,
in many instances there is a shocking lack of appreciation of the
spiritual treasures which God has provided for us in His precious
means of grace.

And the result? The growing list of delinquents is becoming
disturbingly large. The cancer of materialism is making serious
inroads into our membership. Church work has become the respon-
sibility of a few. In many instances voters’ meetings find it difficult
to secure a quorum. Nominating committees are having increasing
difficulty in securing slates of candidates. With many, church mem-
bership has become more of a session than an obsession. The doc-
trine of the universal priesthood is frequently paid lip service but
is not translated into corresponding action. The stewardship per-
formance of a large segment of our membership is far below what
God has a right to expect of them. The Spirit of missions has
not gripped many of our members with the urgency which the
state of the world and the love of Christ would require.

Surely the above facts should shake any spirit of complacency
that may be evident among us. A blundering and burdened world,
trembling on the very precipice of an awful eternity, calls for
a Church that is deep in its Spirituality and intense in its desire
to share its spiritual treasures with men in desperate need.

Our Opportunities

hands of our people will become ever more willing as they are
acquainted with the glorious opportunities which God is giving
us at this momentous hour. Let us look first, however, at what
God has already accomplished through our humble efforts,

During the past decade no fewer than 155,000 adults have been

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