# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1956_S658
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

658 FINANCIAL MATTERS

32 North American Districts of Synod. This program is reviewed
periodically. Two Synod-wide stewardship workshops were con-
ducted for District stewardship leaders at Lake Okoboji, Iowa, in
1952 and in 1954. Annual stewardship conferences are conducted
in those years when no Synod-wide workshops are conducted.
The department is directly responsible to the Board of Directors
and submits any changes or expansion of its program to that
Board for approval.

The “democratic” development of the full program of the
department through periodic meetings with District leaders keeps
the program fresh, adaptable, and in step with changing conditions.

Regional Representatives

Your department was fortunate in securing, with the approval
of the Board of Directors of Synod, seven Regional Representatives
to assist the department in keeping regular and personal contact
with the District (and often circuit) stewardship leaders. Each is
assigned to a specific area and, on invitation of the department
or the Districts, helps the Districts in his area promote the full
stewardship program of Synod. These representatives draw no
salary from Synod, only their expenses. When they are gone for
longer periods from their Districts (all are full-time District men
except one layman), the Department stands ready to reimburse
their Districts for time spent in the service of Synod. The Regional
Representatives are appointed for a term of three years after each
synodical convention. These men have been of great help to the
department and to many of the Districts of Synod. The names of
our Regional Representatives are: Dr. W. C. Birkner, Pastors
W. Hinck, Arnold Meyer, E. H. Bohrer, R. C. Rein, Amos Schmidt
(new), and Mr. Fred Schurmann. They serve also as personal
advisers to the members of the staff.

Training Stewardship Leaders

The District stewardship leaders receive training at the Synod-
wide workshops and stewardship conferences. These leaders in
turn train their circuit leaders at District workshops. The District
and circuit stewardship leaders train local congregational steward-
ship leaders at circuit workshops and conferences. While in many
areas circuit leaders have done a good job in training congrega-
tional stewardship committees, circuit leaders in other areas have
barely begun to function. Considerable work still remains to be
done in persuading congregations and pastors to appoint such com-
mittees or their equivalent. Generally speaking, however, tre-
mendous progress has been made in this direction during the last
few years. Helps for congregational stewardship committees
through a manual especially designed for them and through our

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