# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1852_S218
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 218 —

...to do mission work among the heathen from there. Since people from our
congregations do also emigrate to California here and there, it would
certainly be good if the pastors concerned would keep an eye on these,
and especially on young people, in order to win them for that purpose
and thereby keep them for the Church; yet it shall by no means be
approved on our part when people go there for the sake of earthly gain,
and still less do we wish our pastors to in any way stir up among our
congregations a craze for emigrating to California. Regarding Mr.
Fleischmann etc., by resolution of the Synod a committee was appointed
in St. Louis, with which the new arrivals could get in touch and confer,
in order to work, in and from St. Louis, toward the ecclesiastical
colonization of California. As to the funds needed for this purpose,
Pastor Löhe has promised assistance.

The Colporteur and His Instructions.

It has already been discussed several times at the Synod how necessary
it is to have Christian Lutheran writings distributed among our fellow
believers by a colporteur [traveling book peddler/distributor of
religious literature], and resolutions have already been passed on this
matter, but not carried out.

After this matter was again discussed from every side at this year's
convention, and the difficulties involved, including the question of
cost, were not forgotten, the earlier plan of placing a colporteur in
New York was abandoned, and it was resolved instead to look all the more
to the West and to call a colporteur for that region. — Mr. Gustav Pfau
of New York was proposed as a suitable man for this, warmly recommended,
and invited to the present sessions by telegraph. He appeared, took on
the office offered to him, and the committee, which had been charged
with drawing up the instructions for the colporteur and a list of the
books to be sold, presented its work. The instructions, as well as the
list of books, were discussed before the whole assembly and, after some
points had been improved, were adopted as follows:

Instructions for the Colporteur of the German Evangelical
Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States.

§ 1. The colporteur employed by the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of
Missouri, Ohio, and other states has the task of seeking out, above all,
German Lutheran settlements and households without a pastor, and of
offering them for sale Bibles, hymnals, catechisms, and all such
devotional and prayer books as have received the Synod's approval for
this purpose.

§ 2. Besides this, it is his duty to urge the people, earnestly and
lovingly, to establish the holy preaching office among themselves. If he
finds individual larger settlements, or small neighboring settlements,
that are willing to call a Lutheran preacher, he is to give them
guidance as to what suitable steps they should take to achieve this
goal. — If, on the other hand, the number of Lutheran families visited
within a larger radius is too small to call a permanent preacher right
away, he is to admonish the people to attach themselves to the nearest
Lutheran...