# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1956_S376
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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376 MISSIONS
Home Mission Projection ;
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EXPANSION

Pos Stations to Be Opened
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Year a7 22 af vo Bus ag
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1956 ____. $ 812,000 115 65 $ 192,000 $ 1,950,000
66

1957 ______. 853,000 120 198,000 1,980,000
1958 895,000 130 71 213,000 2,130,000
1959 940,000 135 74 222,000 2,220,000

1960 _.__. 987,000 135
1961 _.___ 1,036,000 140
1962 1,088,000 =: 140

74 222,000 2,220,000
231,000 2,310,000
77 231,000 2,310,000

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ZERRERESS

1963 -1'143'000 145 80 240,000 —-2'400,000
1964 1'200'000 145 80 240,000 —-2'400,000

1965 1260000 145 80 240,000 2.400000 130
Total a

for Decade . $10,214,000 1,850 606 1744 $2,229,000 $22,320,000 1,215

Evangelism

Evangelism is the activity of the church which has as its pur-
pose and results in, (1) the deepening of the spiritual life of
believers and (2) the leading of nonbelievers to a consciousness
of their sins and to an acceptance of Jesus Christ within the
fellowship of the church, through the power of the Holy Spirit,
active in the means of grace. It has a twofold aspect: training
the laity in order to harness their talents and abilities for Chris-
tian witnessing, and sending them forth to witness of their faith
among the indifferent, the unchurched, and the unreached.

Evangelism today has become a very respectable word in our
religious vocabulary. It no longer smacks of emotional excesses
and spectacular extravagances. In place of the old revivalism there
has emerged lay visitation evangelism, which is the rediscovery
of Christ’s original method (Luke 10) rather than the invention
of a new technique. Those churches are the fastest-growing today
which are making use of their members in systematic lay visita-
tion evangelism.

Developments Since the Last Synodical Convention

Realizing that evangelism is a very essential phase of the
church’s work, Synod’s Home Mission Board has taken definite
steps to rekindle interest in this basic work. In compliance with
the resolution of the Houston Synodical Convention, the Home
Mission Staff was reorganized, and a Secretary of Evangelism was
appointed to make the promotion of evangelism his chief area of
responsibility.

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