# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1876_S51
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 51 —

6. The Norwegian Synod [illegible] to [illegible]
the named seminaries locally [illegible] [illegible]
[illegible] according to need [illegible] to use.

Thereupon the following question arose: Is the establishment of a theological joint seminary to be undertaken before the merger of the synods into state synods, or only after it?

The opinions on this were at first divided. In the discussion of this question the following was remarked among other things:

As important as the formation of state synods is, the establishment of a common preachers' seminary is nevertheless incomparably more important and desirable. The reasons for this have already been stated in the earlier proceedings. To this it is now to be added that in undertaking a merger of the seminaries into one joint seminary fewer difficulties will have to be overcome than in the formation of state synods, whereas the latter would be powerfully furthered by that merger more than by anything else. With the congregations it will not be hard to win them for such a joint institution. To put the matter into effect is even now easier than perhaps later, since at the moment there are only three teaching institutions on which the students receive their theological training, namely at Columbus, Springfield and St. Louis. The first institution belongs to the Ohio Synod, while the two latter are the property of the Missouri Synod, and on them at present not only its own students but also those of the Synods of Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as those of the Norwegian Synod, receive their training. It is therefore fundamentally a matter of merging the theological teaching institutions of only two synods, the Ohio and the Missouri Synod, which can certainly be achieved.

Against this, however, many kinds of misgivings were also raised: whether, namely, it would be advisable, before the merger of the synods, to call such a joint institution into life, for it would have to be furnished with funds. As long as there were only individual synods, there might be found among some of them either less or greater laxity in raising the necessary funds, and so the burden would rest all the more on other synods. Or some individual synods might also, on account of their institutions (e.g. gymnasia), have such financial difficulties to contend with that they could not take part in the establishment of a new teaching institution, since they would then have to fear dissatisfaction in the circle of their synodical congregations, who are already sufficiently taxed by the maintenance of their own institutions and of whom one should therefore not demand that they bear new burdens. Therefore it might be more advisable, as salutary and desirable as the existence of such a joint institution would be, to begin it so that