# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1879_S25
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 25 —

After it had further been emphasized that it is not the synods that are to exercise church discipline for their congregations; that Matt. 18 is meant to concern not only discipline of life but also doctrinal discipline in the congregation; and that the phrase "comes into force and practice" means as much as: is exercised with all zeal and emphasis, the convention went on to the discussion of

Thesis 16.

It stands in exact connection with the Confession that every Lutheran synod, for its part, apply all diligence to call into being, and to help maintain, orthodox institutions of learning for the training of faithful and competent preachers and schoolteachers for the preservation of the Church.

When the thesis says: "that every Lutheran synod, for its part, apply all diligence," etc., this does not mean that every Lutheran synod must have a seminary of its own for preachers and schoolteachers; no, it should take part, according to its powers, in the work of training orthodox preachers and schoolteachers. It contradicts the Confession and is a gross piece of Unionism when Lutheran synods prefer to call their preachers and schoolteachers from unionistic seminaries rather than from Lutheran institutions. It is downright frivolous to admit vagabond teachers into Lutheran schools and to entrust the souls of poor children to vagrant subjects, while we, as we ought, warn against the attendance of the local state schools by Lutheran children. —

In the history of the Lutheran Church of this country the importance of what is said in the thesis was brought to light. The decay of the Lutheran Church in America at the beginning of this century is to be ascribed in large part to the defective training of its preachers. After the Lutheran Church under the late Pastor Muhlenberg and similar servants of God had had a good beginning in the East, America was supplied with Lutheran preachers from Halle. The outbreak of the Napoleonic wars, however, interrupted the further sending of preachers. In the year 1815 the oldest Lutheran seminary in America, the Hartwick Seminary, and in 1826 the Gettysburg Seminary were then founded. Apart from the false doctrine that was set forth in them, they could provide only a defective training and not put the required number of preachers into the field. For the latter reason, individual older preachers then took young men to themselves, instructed them, and sent them, provided with a license from the synod, into office, so that they might be further trained practically, and, after they had proved themselves, appointed them as regular preachers. Hence there was a lack of competent, truly Lutheran preachers, and