# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S887
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

188 SEMINARIES AND COLLEGES

candidates commensurate with the statistically indicated
future needs of the Church and the possibility of more .;
effective control over the volume of candidates produced ,

___ by the system.
2, An opportunity to evaluate the results of any necessary ad-
justments and to appraise evidence of desirable or undesir-
able otiteomes within our own system of education without

risking irretrievable loss of essential features of our present J

program.

3. The creation of conditions favorable to the introduction of -

a senior college.

4. The development of a program which is sufficiently flexible
to be applied in whole or in part without extensive disrup-
tion or loss of existing educational services.

5. A more efficient use of existing facilities for all types of pro-
fessional training (including teacher training and graduate
levels of instruction) through recognition of the principle.

. that there need not necessarily be uniformity of program
and services offered in every synodical institution of sim-
ilar classification.

Theological Seminaries

The growth studies which have been prepared by the Board
show that Synod will need approximately 200 seminary graduates
annually after the next decade. Graduations expected from the
two seminaries in June, 1950, total 125. (For an analysis of sem-
inary enrollments and graduates expected, see Exhibit 5, next
page.) It is true that the graduating classes (mainly because of
a sharply increased supply from the Springfield seminary) of 1951,
1952, 1953, and 1954 will be considerably larger (average of 157
annually for the period mentioned). If these graduations material-
ize, it will give Synod an opportunity to close the present gap
between supply and demand (213 vacancies at the end of 1947;
' 267 vacancies at the end of 1948). There will also be some allevia-
tion for the temporary shortage which will automatically be created
by the introduction of the senior college into the system. It must
be remembered that the establishment of a senior college will
automatically mean that no new applicants. will be available for
admission to St.Louis for a period of two years unless Synod
adopts a device which would enable some students to by-pass the
senior college and to enroll in the St. Louis seminary during those
years,*

* The introduction of a senior college in 1954 or 1955 would reduce
candidate production over the period 1951—1956 to an annual average
of approximately 130.