# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S472 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) wre wn ee ae Ary oye 2 eee A ie Ree Sc ee 482 MISSIONS other States in which the unchurched population presents a Picture almost equally appalling. But the Savior’s marching orders are: “Go, preach, teach.” , There are millions of children in our country who are not under the influence of the Gospel. Our Church through its te achin, agencies is reaching scarcely more than 90,000 of this vast sirmy of unchurched children. But the Savior’s marching orders are: “Go, preach, teach.” Our Resources Surely we cannot say that we do not have the resources to meet these opportunities. God has wondrously blessed our Synod. Today our membership numbers approximately 1,700,000 baptized souls. We have approximately 5,000 congregations and preaching stations. When we compare our potential strength for Kingdom work today with that of our fathers who organized our Church in 1847, we cannot escape the inevitable conviction that God expects great things of us. Let us look at these resources: 1, Our spiritual heritage. By God’s grace we have clung fast to the three great principles of Martin Luther: Grace alone, faith alone, and Scripture alone. God has preserved us in the faithful adherence to His Word, and therein lies our greatest strength. 2. Our educational system. Our concern for Christian educa- tion has developed a program of parish education which is unique in Protestantism. In our program of day schools, Sunday schools, part-time agencies, high schools, and Bible classes we have a pro- gram of parish education which seeks to meet God’s high standards for Christian education. 3. Our institutions for training pastors and teachers. Our ten preparatory schools, two seminaries, and two teachers’ colleges stand ready to supply the needs of our Church for manpower for our work at home and abroad. 4. Our pastors and teachers. Our 5,000 pastors and teachers bring to their work a deep devotion to duty and personal conse- cration. God has graciously blessed our Church by supplying it with a competent ministry. 5. Our laity. In our well-indoctrinated laity we have a potential strength that is waiting to be used in Kingdom service. In many instances our laity is showing an increasing concern for Kingdom purposes and eagerness to be used more fully in the spiritual program of the Church. 6. Our material blessings. Our Christians have shared in the bounty of material blessings that God has showered upon our country. We have the money that is needed for the extension of MISSIONS 483 Christ’s kingdom. We have the confidence that our people will respond to the challenge of the present hour, if they are fully acquainted with the facts. What, then, do we need to meet these opportunities and to discharge our obligations as the universal priesthood of believers? The Need The crying need of our Church is not only a greater financial income to carry on the blessed work of the Kingdom among men. Surely that dare not be ignored. Our people, blessed with material possessions beyond any other period in the history of our Church, must grow in the grace of giving and bring far greater offerings to the war treasury of our Lord Jesus Christ. But above all, our critical need is the need of manpower, of more and better-trained laymen and women to carry out the divine commission of our Lord. Thousands upon thousands are needed to perform the vital tasks which confront the Church today. To give only an indication of the vast requirements of manpower and womanpower which are called for, if our Church is to carry on a progressive program of expansion during the coming years, we mention the following: We shall need at least 15,000 additional Sunday school teachers if the enrollment of our Sunday schools is to reach the set goal — of 500,000 pupils in the near future. We shall need at least 8,000 more Bible class teachers if a third of our communicant membership is to be won for our increasing number of Bible classes. We shall need at least 25,000 more laymen who will identify themselves with the spiritual program of our congregations if we are to make an effective and sustained effort to reclaim our de- linquent and almost-delinquent members. We shall need the active co-operation of our more than one million one hundred thousand communicant members if our Church is to live up to its highest potential in the field of personal evangelism —a field which con- tinues to cry for immediate development. As the program of our Church continues to develop, we shall be able to make more and more use of full-time lay assistants. The largely unexploited fields of parish workers, deaconesses, and other areas of church activity by lay people call for intensive study on the part of our pastors and people. How to Meet the Need A program of church work to meet the expanding opportunities for Kingdom work which confront us at this time will require that the individual Christian widens his horizons of interest and responsibility for Kingdom work.