# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1902_S59
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America. 1902. 59

that the dear God has given us a great field of labor among the Negroes. "The works of the Lord are great," etc. "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest," John 4:35. Consider: nine million Negroes! How many among these nine million Negroes are already members of a Christian communion we cannot say with certainty. According to the reports of some, the Methodists number 11,081 pastors, 10,051 churches and 1,410,981 communicants, the Baptists 14,351 pastors, 15,654 churches and 1,864,600 communicants, the Presbyterians 400 pastors, 150 churches and 39,000 communicants, and the Congregationalists 5 pastors, 5 churches and 319 communicants. In short, this we know quite certainly, that thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of Negroes are not yet Christians, indeed that hundreds of thousands have not yet come under the influence of Christianity and many hundreds of thousands are still without church care. The spiritual need of these poor Negroes is an inexpressibly great one, and should this great spiritual need of the Negroes leave us indifferent or even cold? Never!

It is now 25 years since the question was raised in the Synodical Conference: "whether it is not time for the Synodical Conference to turn its attention to heathen missions and to call into life a mission among, say, the Negroes and Indians of this country." "This so highly important matter was taken up at once for discussion, since it is entirely in harmony with our constitution. For there, among the subjects of the Conference's activity, there is also listed: 'Matters of outer and inner mission.' To discuss the great importance of this matter longer was unnecessary, since all the delegates were animated by the wish to take part also in the blessed work of heathen missions." "The chief question for the Conference now was: How shall we begin this work? Among which people shall we begin first? On this point it was agreed that the Negroes of the South should probably be considered first." So it happened, and since then the Synodical Conference has carried on Negro mission work.

Let us now ask: What was it that filled the Synodical Conference with joy and readiness to begin the work of mission among the Negroes of our country? It was, first, the certainty that we proclaim to the poor Negroes the word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, and second, the certainty that this word will also accomplish among the Negroes that for which God sends it.

Many missionaries do go to the Negroes, but what do they bring to the poor, what do they preach to them? Not only the word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. They preach all sorts of errors, commandments of men, human wisdom, etc. But through such preaching God's name is not hallowed but profaned. In a mission, however, which keeps God's Word