# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1912_S59
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1912. 59

where they live, and to use all permitted means to protect the great goods of civil and religious freedom which God has given us here.
                    Respectfully
                                              W. Dallmann.
                                              H. Schulz.
                                              C. F. Drewes.
                                              J. Schaller.
                                              W. H. T. Dau.

2. Mr. A. C. Frank submitted a petition concerning missionary work by sister synods in the same territory.

The petition was referred to a committee, which presented the following report, which was also adopted:

To the Honorable Synodical Conference [*Synodalkonferenz*], assembled at Saginaw, Mich.

Your committee had before it a petition concerning the regulation of mission work in those mission fields in which missionaries and itinerant preachers of different orthodox synods are active.

Since according to God's Word everything in the church should proceed decently and in order, and all offenses should also be prevented by us as far as possible; since, further, the forces which God has given his church should not be needlessly squandered; and since, finally, faithfulness and conscientiousness also require that we deal economically with the mission money sacrificed: we therefore recommend to the Honorable Synodical Conference:

1. In such mission fields where an orthodox synod is already at work, a sister synod should not, for its part also, take up mission work without compelling good reasons, "lest it build on another man's foundation."

2. In filling already existing vacant mission congregations, resp. preaching places, one should always act conscientiously as the Synodical Conference set forth in the year 1888 as follows: "Although we recognize in its full extent the right of our congregations to call a pastor from any orthodox synod, we should nevertheless all work toward this, that each synod retain the congregations and mission fields served by it. Therefore every pastor, when fields of another synod turn to him with the request that he help them obtain a pastor, should first testify to them that our synods are united in doctrine and practice, and exhort them accordingly to let themselves be further advised by the synod by which they have hitherto been served. At the same time he should also inform the president [*Präses*] of the synod concerned of the state of affairs. If it then indeed turns out that the congregation, without manifestly dishonorable reasons being present, nevertheless wants service by a pastor from