# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1935_S83
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States. 1935. 83

*'5) To retain our present’ six-year combination of high school and junior
college and‘ to add one pretheological year * to the course of the Seminary at
St. Louis, with a more closely integrated curriculum for the entire ministerial]
education. ” pts

‘Arguments for and against each of the foregoing five plans were carefully
considered by your Committee in consultation and correspondence with re-
ligious and secular educators, both from within and from without our Synod.

The report then outlined the first four plans, which the committee rejected,
and presented “Plan Five” as follows: —

PLAN FIVE,
We therefore respectfully recommend THE RETENTION oF OUR PRESENT

’ SYSTEM OF SIX-YEAR JUNIOR COLLEGES WITH A REVISED OURRICULUM AND THE AD-

DITION OF A PRETHEOLOGICAL YEAR TO OUR COURSE IN THE Seminary ar Sr. Louts.

(The term pretheological must not be confused with preparatory. The
training at our colleges is designated as: preparatory, whereas pretheological
courses are such as in the wider sense belong to the theological curriculum and
are at present given at the Seminary.) a

1) This plan is conservative. The primary purpose of our colleges remains
unchanged, to wit, the preparation of young men for the study of sacred the-
ology and for their later ministry in the Church. Of course, ‘as far as the
capacity of the plants and other conditions permit, we shall continue to receive
students not having the ministry in view. But this remains a secondary pur-
pose of our colleges and must not affect the curriculum of our institutions.
This plan involves fewer changes than any of the other plans and fits in best
with our historical development. Moreover, it will prevent any institution
from feeling that it has been discriminated against.

2) This plan is also progressive. It is in keeping with the most recent
educational trends. In the majority of the American liberal-arts colleges the
lower level (junior college) offers diversification and is intended to lead to
orientation in the various fields of human knowledge and to intellectual en-
deavor. The upper level (senior college) is designed for concentration, and
the students are encouraged to choose such courses as are more directly pre-
paratory to their chosen profession or vocation, Thus at the end of his col-
legiate career the student is prepared to enter upon his professional studies.
This plan has proved very satisfactory. Broadly speaking, Synod’s system of
higher education is not out of date; in fact, with its system of junior colleges
as preparatory for the study of theology, Synod is in a most favorable position
so far as the modern trend in education is concerned.

In our proposed plan we would enjoy the added advantage of having our
students under one continuous system of education during their high-school
and collegiate courses, involving no loss of time and no need of adjustment,
while the secular colleges have reason to complain of the handicaps of a “mo-
saic in education” due to the diverse courses of study in the high schools from
which students come to college.

“ Pretheological year = an additional year at the beginning of the theological
course in St. Louis. ;

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