# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1902_S80
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

80 Proceedings of the 25th General, or

...already the case in many places, where German pastors serve English
speakers in their own language. And so, once again, one would be
forced into a waste of manpower and money, having to place and
maintain two workers where one could and should do the work. — For
another, such preachers would not be able to make use of the rich
theological literature of the German Lutheran Church. Under such
circumstances, Chapter I, § 2 of the constitution, concerning the fitting
use of the gifts, would again fail to come into its own. Here too, then,
the advantage of a bilingual synod is evident.

"d. Chapter II, § 6 of the constitution names, among other things, as a
condition of membership in the Synod: 'providing the children in the
congregation with Christian school instruction.' — In a synodical
separation of those becoming English from the Germans lies a danger
for the institution of the parochial school, as well as for other good
arrangements (catechism classes, church hymn tunes, etc.) that have
long since gained full standing in the German synod. The inclination
toward innovation present in our age can, once congregations are
detached from the old mother synod, quite easily lead to the old good
traditions being set aside.

"Even now we already have in our German congregations an element
that does not recognize the necessity and great benefit of Christian
parochial schools. It consists in part of those who themselves attended
the parochial school only briefly or not at all. But it is precisely these
who are the first to incline toward becoming English. They would
therefore be relatively numerous in the English congregations and could
quite easily hinder the establishment and maintenance of a parochial
school there. This would soon endanger the survival of the parochial
school in the neighboring German congregation as well. Since
maintaining a school requires sacrifice, people would soon say: If the
English can be good Lutherans without a Christian school, why can't
we be too? Why must we bear this burden? But once our congregations
come to feel the upkeep of their school as a yoke imposed on them, they
will also think of shaking it off. How incalculably great, then, is the
advantage if this danger can be forestalled!

"e. With a close synodical union, etc., this danger too would be
avoided: that in jealous pursuit of separate interests on the part of both
the Germans and the English, the main thing — namely the furthering
of the Kingdom of God — would be lost sight of, a liberal practice
introduced, and the unity of the Spirit destroyed.

"f. Finally, one more point. We already now have, especially in our
mission fields, a considerable number of parishes made up of both
German and English congregations, and parishes of this kind will