# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S443
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

MISSIONS 448

lay be considered ripe for expansion. While the immediate needs
fof the Belgian field have been met, the long-range program must
clude the training of further missionaries to take care of expan-
esion possibilities. An adequate supply, both in quantity and variety,
f missionary, catechetical, doctrinal, and devotional material in
omatic French and Flemish must be made available. As new
: ion stations are opened, there will be need of suitable quarters
rior worship and for housing.

B. Denmark

In Denmark we have five congregations served by two pastors.

‘otal membership consists of 130 souls, 92 communicants. The
ituation in this country, where State and Church are so closely
tegrated and where 97 per cent of the population belongs, nomi-
ally, to the State Church, makes it very difficult to carry out
effectively a comprehensive mission program.
Denmark seems to be a mission field which will remain dormant
for some time, and it seems that all we can hope to do, for the
resent, is hold the line. We do not recommend a withdrawal from
is field, but intend to make only such limited advances as can
be made by the present congregations and pastors without any
‘increase in expenditures of men and money. We expect to con-
centrate our forces in those localities where our main strength is.
We look for a missionary and stewardship education of the laity
‘with the hope of making this field self-supporting as soon as
ossible. We shall continue the contacts by our local pastors with
confessional groups within the Lutheran State Church for the
purpose of keeping informed of the doctrinal development within
these churches and for the purpose of carrying on the testimony
of our own doctrinal position.

C. Finland

Three pastors serve four congregations with a total of forty-
seven preaching stations. Total membership consists of 346 souls,
252 communicants. Faithful and conscientious efforts on the part
of the three pastors in Finland have failed to bring in much fruit,
mainly because of the local situation (Lutheran State Church),
which is similar to that of Denmark. This makes prospects for
f growth extremely slim and the hope for any large-scale. expansion
‘of mission work very doubtful. For that reason we have planned
our future program along the same lines as proposed for Denmark,

D. France
i 1. Alsace.—In this area, with its German-speaking popula-
tion, we have seven congregations with a total of 440 souls, 325 com-
municants. The past two years show a slight loss in the total