# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1956_S312
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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PARISH EDUCATION

2. Advance in Classes and Enrollments

Bible class enrollment gains continued with an increase of
27,000 in the year 1953. Since 1946 our enrollment has increased
from 65,000 to more than 200,000. If we add the 60,000 Sunday
school teachers, this means that we have 260,000 youth and adults
in our Sunday schools. The chief gains came as a result of the
Synod-directed Bible Study Advance. Take the Sword of the
Spirit, a general manual, Enlisting People in the Bible Class, and
special tracts were produced to help churches. Every District
reported substantial increases during 1953. The percentage of
Bible class enrollment as compared with communicant member-
ship is as follows: 1952—12.1 per cent; 1953—13.8 per cent;
1954 — 13.8 per cent.

For the year 1953, 750 new Bible classes were reported. We
now have about 7,500 classes. A minimum of three classes per
church would make 15,000 classes. This is a minimum goal in
terms of classes.

We now have about 14 per cent of our communicants enrolled.
While the gain from 1952 to 1953 was 27,000, the gain from 1953
to 1954 was less than 6,000 and there was no actual gain in per-
centage as compared with communicant membership. This called
for special measures to put the Bible Study Advance on a con-
tinuing basis (as per the Houston resolution).

Every Sunday school has been asked to select a Bible class
department leader to set up new classes, direct student enlistment,
promote attendance, conduct department meetings, evaluate and
help improve the teaching, and work for better facilities and equip-
ment. A folder was produced to give guidance to such youth and
adult Bible class department leaders. The Bible Class Builder,
a quarterly bulletin made available through the Advertising De-
partment of Concordia Publishing House, provides additional
guidance for advancing the cause of Bible study. To meet one of
our greatest needs, more competent lay Bible class teachers,
a pamphlet on Training Bible Class Teachers was produced. Almost
every District now has a Bible study director, and a manual has
been prepared for his guidance. These directors are beginning to
give individual attention to congregations to help them meet their
Bible study needs. In advancing the cause of Bible study we
have had notable assistance from the Lutheran Laymen’s League,
the Walther League, and the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League.

ACTION
Concerning “Bible Study,” Committee 4 recommended and
Synod resolved: