# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1849_S85
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 85 —

Home Mission.

Visitors, provision for vacant congregations, examination
of candidates for the ministry.

However much the search for and care of our scattered and
abandoned fellow believers here in this country has lain close to the
synod's heart since its founding, it has thus far on the whole been able
to do only little for this important purpose. It is true that last year it
had charged pastors Bünger and Ernst — the former with visiting
Cincinnati, the latter the settlements in the states of Illinois, Missouri,
and Iowa — but both were prevented by particular circumstances from
carrying out this assignment.

Pastor Lochner, however, on behalf of the St. Louis conference,
undertook such a visitation journey to Iowa last autumn with the most
praiseworthy zeal and not without blessed success, as is known to the
readers of the "Lutheraner."

The synod has now, for this year, appointed pastors Fricke and
Johannes to the same purpose — the former for the city of Cincinnati,
the latter for the settlements in the western states — provided that their
congregations consent, which consent has been requested of them in
writing in the synod's name.

In order also to do something for the abandoned Lutherans in New
Orleans, the synod authorized the vice-president to send the first
capable candidate arriving from Germany there, to gather and take
charge of a congregation as circumstances allow.

Several vacant congregations had also turned to the synod with the
request to be supplied with capable and faithful pastors. Since the
synod had no other candidates available, it resolved to examine the
students of the Fort Wayne seminary who had progressed far enough.
This examination was later held with the students Eirich, Stubnatzy,
and Volkert, who were examined by Professor Wolter in church history,
by the president in dogmatics, and by the vice-president in knowledge of
the Bible; their written work was, for lack of time, to be submitted
later. The synod expressed its complete satisfaction with the outcome of
this examination, and resolved to recommend these young candidates for
the holy preaching office to the congregations concerned.

Mission to the Heathen.

The plan, submitted by the mission commission at last year's
synodical convention, for founding a mission colony in the Oregon
Territory could not yet be carried out; the synod has, however, made an
important acquisition closer at hand, in that the mission stations of
Frankenmuth and Bethany in Michigan have been handed over to it for
oversight and direction by the Reverend Pastor Löhe and the board of
the Evangelical Lutheran Mission at Leipzig, as may be seen in more
detail from the following report of the mission commission and the
enclosed document.

Report of the Mission Commission.

The mission commission had, on the synod's instructions, addressed a
request to the Reverend Pastor Löhe and to the Lutheran Mission
Society in Dresden that the Evangelical Lutheran mission to the heathen
in Michigan be placed under the