# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1926_S230
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

216 Proceedings of Thirty-Third Regular Convention,

Your Committee finds that the chief problem, concerning the
solution of which said évertures make suggestions to Synod, is the
problem of avoiding the recurrence of deficits in the regular treasuries
of Synod.

Overture 611 and two unprinted overtures deal with this problem.
In Overture 611 the following facts are mentioned, which your Com-
mittee, for the sake of emphasis, desires to bring to the special atten-
tion of Synod: 1) For many years Synod’s work has been hampered
by large deficits in the regular treasuries. 2) Some congregations
have raised the amount apportioned to them, while others have not.
3) There is no good reason for the existence of our annual deficits,
gince our people can well afford to raise the money necessary to carry
on the work of the Lord; and they would do so if they were
thoroughly and properly informed concerning the needs of their
Church.

Tt is a fact which we must acknowledge not only in justice to
our people, but with due gratitude to our God that the people in
our churches have during the last three years contributed to Synod’s
work in a much increased measure. But while this must be, and
cheerfully is, acknowledged, it would be a sad mistake for any one
to think that the financial resources of our Synod have been almost
exhausted and that, at least for a few years, our people ought not to
be asked to give for large financial appropriations. By studying the
financial reports, your Committee has learned that during the past
three years our congregations have raised only the following very
small amounts per communicant member for the budget treasury of
Synod: 1923, $1.22; 1924, $1.25; 1925, $1.43. Your Committee has
also convinced itself that this very small average contribution is not
to be accounted for by large contributions which have been made to
Synod’s unusually large building program during the past three
years; for not only did our members in the previous three years,
when Synod had no large building program, not give more, but even
much less, but also the average contribution per communicant mem-
ber for Synod’s large Building Fund during the past three years
has been only $2.17. Or if we add what our members paid for all
treasuries of Synod, including the Building Fund, the average con-
tribution per communicant member during the past three years has
been only $3.47. In view of the fact that we know that many mem-
bers of Synod have paid far more than this small average, the indi-
vidual gifts ranging all the way from $25, $100, $500, $1,000, to
$10,000 and more, even to almost $90,000 in the case of one indi-
vidual, it is very evident that a very large number of members in
our Synod have contributed much less than the average of $3.47. In
fact, we have reason to believe that many contributed only a nominal
gum and not a few nothing at all.