# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1935_S103
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States. 1935. 91

cent. of the congregations having more than 100 communicant mem-
bers are still without a regular Christian school; that mission-stations
are organized, continued, and made self-supporting without schools
and without energetic efforts having been put forth to found schools;
that 115,000 of our own Missouri Synod children are dependent: for
their elementary training upon instruction in schools where the Word
of God does not rule, we see in this situation symptoms of indif-
ference to the proper Christian education of our children. While we
know that there are congregations in which for valid reasons no
parochial schools can be organized at the present time, there are many
cases where congregations could establish and maintain schools to-day
even without assistance from Synod. The emphasis is so often placed
on our missionary duty on account of which pastors have no time to
teach school. We submit, however, that experiences in many places
bear out the contention that the school is not only a splendid mis-
sionary agency, but that pastors have gotten a firmer hold on the
families through their schools.

What is to be done about the situation? No effort should be
spared to keep or make our pastors and people school-minded. Con-
gregations making application for membership in Synod should be
advised to obligate themselves to open a school at the earliest possible
moment. District mission bdards should not lose sight of the vital
importance of the school for the building up of solid Lutheran con-
gregations and should be ready to assist schools in their District with
money from the mission treasury. Visitors also are responsible for
supervising the work of Christian education; they should undertake
an educational survey of their circuit at least once in every triennium.
In visitation circuit meetings the topic of discussion should not be
limited to finances and missions, but should include also Christian
education. In congregations having a school, interest should not be
permitted to lag; reports on the school should be included in the
regular order of business in the congregational meeting. Congrega-
tions without schools should be urged to open them.

Our schools have ever been a mighty factor in the growth and
development of our Lutheran Church, especially of our Missouri
Synod. Our fathers were men of faith and vision and immediately
made provision for the training of their children and their children’s
children, and that in the days of great poverty and distress. It is
due to their foresight, their faith, and their vision that we have the
Synod we are having to-day. Let us justify the faith of our fathers
by working in the interest of our schools. We know that we are
living in the last era of the world; the signs of the times point to
a probably early dissolution of all things. If ever children must be
armed against the terrible trials of the last days, it is now; if ever
they must be fortified against the attacks of Satan and the world, it