# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S1025
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

SEMINARIES AND COLLEGES 827

that of the home. What, then, could be more desirable than to have
boys from Christian homes come to our colleges as high school
freshmen and thus enjoy during these critical years invaluable
= Christian companionship and the guidance of Christian teachers,
E-alert to their duty? Furthermore, circumstances today are such
that many of our students make frequent trips home and thus
remain under parental influence. —

a 9. A. We fear greatly that if our pre-ministerial students will
F have to be recruited largely from the graduates of public high
schools, the number available will not be adequate to meet the in-
creasing need of our Church. The decision to study for the ministry
is often made at the time of confirmation, and this-is the ideal time
to begin pre-ministerial work. The desire is easily lost in a non-
spiritual environment.

E. 3B. The situation would be different if we had three or four
3 Lutheran high schools in every major city. However, we cannot,
5 for at least many years, hope to approximate the extensive Roman
F Catholic system of high schools. Yet without such an extensive
F'system the curtailment or dropping of the high school department
t our colleges would, in our opinion, seriously reduce the number
of workers in the Church. And even if we did have an extensive
high school system for general education, it would be necessary
to introduce in these schools a course definitely preparatory for
pre-ministerial work.

C. Obviously boys who after confirmation attend a public high
school will be influenced by the secular goals of their schoolmates
(‘I'm going to be a lawyer” — “I’m going to be a doctor”), and the
ministry or teaching profession in the Church will receive scant,
;. if any, consideration. None of the teachers and counselors in public
high schools will, as is done in our synodical high school depart-
tment, hold up as a goal to their boys the profession of a minister
, or Christian day school teacher. Furthermore, boys at a public high
F school will in many cases want to continue their studies with class-
mates at secular colleges and universities. Thus many workers will
be lost to the Church.

D. Another highly important consideration involved, if we must
recruit our pre-ministerial students largely from public high school
graduates, is the matter of preparation. Our recruits will come
om all types of schools— good and bad, will have varied and
tley backgrounds, and will often have gaps—particularly in
age and history. Thus we shall be under the necessity of
g in college much of what we now do in the high school.

. In view of the foregoing considerations we have adopted the
ollowing resolutions: