# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S890
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

SEMINARIES AND COLLEGES 198

E < problem, the Board gave consideration to many immediate and

© long-range factors which would vitally affect any solution offered.

;.- Among the long-range factors the following seem to be relevant:

_ 1. The principle that the Missouri Synod intends to train its
ministers and teachers in its own institutions (Article 3 of
Synod’s Constitution).

2. The expanding system of Lutheran schools.

3. An increasing demand for women teachers and a relatively
stable demand for male teachers (cf. the graph on our past
ten years’ experience).— (See Exhibit 8, page 182.)

4, Rising certification standards.

5. The effects which will be created by a full use of all of
Synod’s available facilities (including ministerial prepara-
tory institutions).

6. The effect of a continuing high national birth rate.

7. The degree of success which may be expected in an effort
to achieve enrollment of 50% of our children (as resolved
in the Centennial Convention).

8. The duration of the current economic prosperity.

A study of Section III of this report, “The Demand for Paro-
chial School Teachers to 1980,” will indicate that the Board has
». recognized the difficulty of basing mathematical computations on

the variable long-range factors listed. It was necessary therefore
to confine the projections to available experience and statistics.
Extensive compilations and studies were made available by the
School Office of Synod’s Board for Parish Education, the teachers’
colleges, and the synodical Committee on Trends. While the statis-
tical evidence developed by the mentioned groups left some points
of disagreement because of the uncertain factors involved, the
Board was nevertheless compelled to attempt some reasonable
estimate of the number of teachers which would be required in
the immediate future. This study appears in Section III.

The present problem is to find means of alleviating the obvious
current shortage, but to arrange any additional teacher training
facilities in such a way that they will remain flexible enough to
allow for rapid increase or decrease of production as the circum-
stances may require. It is obvious that such an ideal solution will
be difficult to achieve.

The data made available to the Board demonstrate that at this
time there is still a serious shortage of male teachers. Much
stronger emphasis will therefore need to be placed on the recruit-
ment of properly qualified boys to prepare for the teaching pro-
fession. At the same time the need for women teachers is also
mounting. While Synod may not be able to train all of the women