# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1878_S37
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 37 —

...must soon act on the seminary question. If it cannot join the German synods in establishing a joint seminary, it must build its own preachers' seminary. We must therefore take the work in hand now, or let it lie forever. Let us not miss the favorable moment. Let us not be intimidated by talk suggesting that we mean to swallow up everything. If "swallowing up" is understood to mean that we have so much love that we wish to help all men to a knowledge of the truth and unite them with us in the right faith, then indeed it is rightly said — for in that sense we certainly do go about swallowing up the whole world, and think nothing of the fact that our own persons are swallowed up in the process; whereas, on the other hand, those who have put the specter of "swallowing up" into circulation, out of love for their own persons, are really the ones doing the swallowing.

In our deliberations about a joint seminary, the place for its establishment must also be taken into consideration. In all likelihood we will have to give up on St. Louis entirely. To be sure, whoever gives his heartfelt assent to the establishment of a joint seminary is also content with whatever place is judged by all to be best suited for such a seminary; but attention must be drawn to this from the outset, so that no one may say afterward: had I known that establishing a joint seminary would require a place other than St. Louis, I would not have voted for it. Only those affirmative votes are of use to us that come from men ready to go wherever God directs us, regardless of place. The place, moreover, is the lesser matter. We are here for the service of immortal souls. Love for them must lift us above all external scruples.

Resolved, that the Delegate Synod of the General Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other states joyfully welcome the founding of a joint seminary as projected by the Synodical Conference, and declare itself ready to take this so important work in hand with all earnestness and zeal and without delay — and indeed, in the first instance, together with all those synods of the Synodical Conference that lend their hand to carrying out this work.

Through the representative of the Norwegian Synod, word was given that it would meet within the next few days and would, without doubt, resolve to give its assent to the establishment of a joint seminary, though as to the place it would most likely declare that the seminary to be established might not be placed east or south of Chicago. When asked what the reverend Ohio Synod might say to this, it was answered by a competent source that this synod would scarcely raise any objection to Chicago and its vicinity. It was also pointed out that Chicago would likewise be agreeable to our own synod, since, compared with other cities, it has the most congregations in Chicago. Also the...