# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1953_S1104
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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416 MISSIONS

“2. That the main and advertised services of the E :
Lutheran Free Church of France in Paris and Rouen be Cone cal
in French. If services in German are still needed, they chet
be held completely separated from the main services.” ould

CommeENT: Recommendation No. 2 has been carri
are at the present time no German services conductes a There
in Rouen the few German services which are being conducted.
held as devotions in the homes of the German-speaking m, bone
or in the few instances where German services are stil] conde ii
in the church they are conducted at hours totally separated front

the main service.

“3. That the congregation in Paris consider the advisability of
selling what is left of their equity in the present Property and ar
relocating in a community where some large new housing project
finds thousands of people without a near-by church to serv.
thus gaining not only a more promising but also a more

trated mission field and obviating the scattered and time-co i
-consuming
efforts of the pastor.” ,

; CoMMENT: The third recommendation of the Survey Commis
sion is in process of being carried out. However, it was thought
wise for the first not to sell the equity in the apartment buildin
until we have actually become established in some other locality
Negotiations are in progress in order to acquire property in the
outer suburbs of Paris for the new mission station. °

“4, That before any systematic work be opened in any other

e them,
concen.

city, the question of engaging a traveling missionary be given -

serious consideration to follow up Lutheran Hour and other con-
tacts. Also here in France the Lutheran Hour (over Station
Luxembourg) letters and contacts are quite numerous.”

Comment: Recommendation No. 4 has the endorsement of our
Board because our Board considers France the pre-eminent
mission field in Europe. It needs intensive development. The plan
of the Board is to assign this duty to its executive secretary, which
office it hopes to establish with the approval of the Board of Direc-
tors. If we cannot implement this recommendation soon, together
with the next recommendation, we will lose our opportunities both
for men and congregation.

“9. That since native workers are essential to a successful
maintenance and promotion of the work of the Evangelical Lutheran
Free Church in France, a coaching system of theological students
at the university of Paris be studied and, if possible, be introduced

. to provide additional theologically trained workers.”

Comment: Recommendation No. 5 is in process of being carried
out. Plans are under way to combine such a theological training
school or “house of studies” with the new mission station which
is to be established in. the suburbs of Paris.

It is the opinion of our Board that the matter of establishing
a theological training school or “house of studies” is essential to

“any
school

MISSIONS 417

er progress in France. Without this school, and until this
begins to produce additional workers, all the plans for an
ive mission program in France are in vain. If we don’t
we shall lose the prospective students who are waiting
an trained. We cannot establish this school unless we have
a man on the spot such as an executive secretary would be.

“g, That a program of aggressive mission activity among the
‘on-theological students at the university of Paris be carried on.
the Executive Secretary of Synod’s Student Service Commission

ssht be called upon to offer helpful suggestions.”

muent: Nothing has been done up to the present time to
carry Sut this recommendation, mainly for lack of suitable per-

son That we urge our fellow Christians in France to continue

their support of the mission they have established in Rouen; that
we commend them for their interest in the mission work in France;
and that we urge them to pursue this work with ever-deepening
interest as a work of their own responsibility.”

Comment: This recommendation has been carried out to a
large extent. The Synodalrat of the Lutheran Free Church in
France has been very active, and its recommendations to our Board
have guided us in the implementation of policies and principles
recommended by the Survey Commission and adopted by our
Board. :

“g That we continue the present financial support to the con-

gregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church in France to
enable them to make the most of the work which they have begun
or will undertake, the meanwhile also urge our brethren to grow
in the financial support of the Church’s work.”

Comment: The financial support of the congregations of the
Ev. Lutheran Free Church has been increasing by leaps and bounds.
The complete report for the year 1951 shows a 36 per cent increase
in receipts over the previous year. The average contribution per
communicant member of the congregations of the Lutheran Free
Church in France for home and outside purposes is almost $20 per
annum. When we remember that the income and standard of
living of these people is very much lower than that of our Amer-
ican congregations, we can rejoice greatly over the progress in
Christian giving which has been made by our brethren.

“9 That we encourage our brethren in France to continue
their contact with, and witness to, the pastors and theological
professors of the other Lutheran Synods through so-called Free
Conferences and that we offer our continued assistance in them.”

Comment: This recommendation has been carried out by our.
brethren in France. The contact has been particularly close, and
the witness particularly effective, with the Lutheran Synod of Paris,
where Pastor Kreiss has made some very fine progress. The free
conferences have been continued under the direction of the
Praesidium, and it is not for us to report on the success which
has been achieved.