# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1956_S660
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

660 FINANCIAL MATTERS

The Department, the LLL, LWML, and the Walther League

These organizations within our church are anxious to consult
and work with our department in areas of mutual interest — and
we are happy to consult and work with them. The next few years,
we are sure, will give ample evidence of mutual and practical en-
deavors undertaken to the glory of God and the furtherance of His
cause throughout Synod.

“Our Venture of Faith” Program
(The Stewardship Department’s Part of That Larger Program)

While the Department of Stewardship, Missionary Education,
and Promotion is concerned with the total life of the Christian in
Jesus Christ, the meeting of church Visitors and the fiscal officers
of Synod, in joint meeting in St. Paul, Minn., in July of 1955, en-
tered into a specific study of the finances of Synod. It was resolved
at St. Paul, Minn., last summer that the time had come to heed
the sentiment of so many of our congregations and members,
namely, that special offerings as a pattern of synodical operation
were no longer desirable stewardshipwise and that, beginning in
fiscal 1956, the budget of the church should permit expansion and
also allow for the addition of capital items in missions and on our
campuses.

To that end the 1955 goal of $9,100,000 was increased to
$12,900,000 for 1956. Of this sum, $2,120,000 is to be used to provide
for capital items already voted at our Houston Convention. The
1955 fiscal conferences of our thirty-two Districts not only initiated
an intensive program to reach our church’s 1955 objective of
$9,100,000 but also adopted our department’s suggestions to bring
“Our Venture of Faith” into the homes of our people through
every-member visitations or cottage meetings last fall. The over-
tures of the St. Paul meeting, through the 430 Visitors and the
District officials, were taken “to the grass roots” of our congrega-
tions in North America.

The St. Paul meeting in 1955 also placed before the church the.
suggestion that special meetings be held early in 1956 (District
summit conferences) for the purpose of evaluating the 1955 per-
formance of congregations and circuits and discussing the “how”
to take “Our 1956 Venture of Faith” directly to our people in the
weeks preceding Pentecost through home calls or cottage meetings.
All Districts met in January or early February. The attendance
was good. Many laymen were present. The District Presidents
and stewardship leaders gave strong leadership. A program for
the first six months of the year was outlined and adopted. Meet-
ings were then conducted in almost all circuits of North America,
after which pastors briefed their teams for home calls or group

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