# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1935_S128
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

116 Proceedings of Thirty-Sixth Regular Convention,

munity with only a comparatively small population, at times shor
far greater gains in membership than larger stations in populou
centers. True, there are still quite a number of smaller subsidize:
stations that can be coordinated and consolidated with others or ever!
eliminated without harming the cause, since many of these have beer
subsidized for twenty, thirty, and more years and hold forth little
prospect for future development.

11. Strengthen the Home Base.— We have a large number of
small parishes. The average number of souls served per pastor in
Synod is about 400 ; the number served in the subsidized mission-
stations is less than 200 souls per missionary. What a wonderful
opportunity to render the best of service to the groups entrusted to
the care of a pastor and missionary! What a wonderful opportunity
to intensify our activities everywhere, to strengthen the home base, to
reach out to the unchurched in the field already occupied !

12. In the last twenty-five years about 75,000 adults were received
into the membership of our churches by confirmation. This is an
average of approximately 3,000 per annum, or less than one per pastor.
It is true, in 1933 the number had risen to 7,309 adults; but we feel
constrained to urge a Synod-wide effort to reach out to the un-
churched, to intensify our missions at home — to strengthen the
home base.

13. Missions in Foreign Lands. —In order to get a picture of all
of Synod’s mission activities duritig the past triennium, your Sec-

the General Body, the meetings of the General Home Mission, the
Foreign, the South American, the Deaf-mute-blind, and the European
Mission boards. : :

14. Upon invitation of the Missionary Board of the Synodical
Conference, which conducts the Negro Missions, I was privileged to
make an extensive survey of their activities, to visit their Southern
mission-stations together with their schools and high schools, to
submit a report on the findings, and to attend a number of the
meetings. of this board.

15. Conferences — Meetings. — Whenever an occasion presented
itself, we addressed lay meetings, meetings of District officials, and
larger and smaller pastoral conferences, spreading information on
our world-wide activities, We had the Opportunity to address con-
sregations throughout the country presenting the great cause in which
we are mutually interested.

' 16. Coordination of Our Mission Activities. — A proper coordi-
nation of all of our mission activities seems to be mandatory. In the
days when Synod was comparatively small and when its mission ac-
tivities were confined to smaller areas, it was not so diffcult for
Synod to conduct and supervise its missions, However, when Synod