# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1938_S39
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Report of the Committee on Higher Education ‘89

the service of the Church. It is further true that the ‘schools:re-
ceived from the former English Synod, that*is, Conover arid Win-
field, always had general higher education and coeducation. But
the fact remains that hitherto the preponderant opinion ‘i¥'dur
circles has been that Synod as such has the one duty, educationally
speaking, of training preachers and teachers of the Word and: that
all other education was purely incidental. ‘Furthermore, it has been
held ‘by many that Synod cannot afford to educate the sons and
daughters of members who purpose to enter upon a secular calling.
On ‘the other hand; the number of those is growing who, realizing
the dangers of the materialistic education in non-Christian schools,
believe that the Church as such should provide an advanced as
well as an elementary ‘education and that she should do so both
for her own protection and for the propagation of the Gospel, since
it requires not only a consecrated but also a well-informed laity
effectively to support the work of the Gospel ministry. . The argu-
ment is advanced that the cost of such an educational program will
be an investment in the Church’s own maintenance and devel-
opment.

The replies to a questionnaire sent out by Committee A to all
institutions state that in nearly all our centers there is a growing
demand for opening our institutions more widely to students, of
both sexes who are not preparing for the direct ministry of the
Church.
~The fact that we have considerable vacant space in all our
junior colleges except in Milwaukee has led boards of control and
faculties to request larger freedom with regard to the reception of
non- -ministerial students. It is pointed out that by receiving stu-
dents who pay tuition the maintenance cost to Synod may be
reduced. In most cases the faculties as now constituted could take
care of a largér number of students. -

However, your Committee realizes full well that this is not
only a temporary question ‘of accommodation but fundamentally
a question of an educational policy to be adopted or not by Synod.
For this reason we gave so much time and thought to this problem.

We hold that the original character of our institutions '‘as
schools of-the Church: must’ be preserved at any cost.. Whatever
expansion or extension of courses may be granted must not. be
permitted to interfere with the prime purpose of these schools:
the training of servants of: the Church... We. may not suffer any-
thing to enter our educational system that would threaten its + spir-
itual vitality and its Lutheran-confessionalism.. ~*?5-~

As a result of our prolonged deliberations we herewith submit
the. following. recommendations: -. x.: rae

1. Because of the growing demuht, “jefetred~ to: | dbive: ole