# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1938_S110
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

110 - Elementary Education

Under the auspices of associations some excellent training institutes
are being held. It is hoped that the new Teacher-training Courses
will give an impetus to teacher-training throughout our Church.
During the past three years the correspondence school for Sunday-
school teachers has also enjoyed an increase in enrolment. About
three hundred teachers are taking the course. In general, the out-
look for the Sunday-school is favorable. We have reason to thank
God for the earnestness with which our pastors and leaders are
approaching their Sunday-school problems and for the humble
spirit of consecration manifested by the lay workers in our Sunday-
schools.
Other Agencies

Saturday-Schools, Etc.

1932 1933 1934 1935 1936
Saturday-schools ...........- 859 708 399+ 823 907
Enrolment «2.0. cece 16,688 14,700 9,045 17,075 17,180
Summer-schools 0-2-5554 606 792 739 850
Enrolment .... 13,065 16,560 23,676 21,708 23,389
Week-day Classes .... -..-.--.-- * * * 1,327 1,643
Enrolment —.. 0... e202) + - * * * 21,142 23,678
Christenlehre . 2... 20. so * * * * 413

* No record + Incomplete figures

Nore. — These institutions, except Christenlehre, are in some instances only
confirmation classes.

Even a well-regulated Sunday-school, while it may be an ex-
cellent missionary agency, will not serve adequately as an agency
for the instruction and training of Christian children. It should
therefore be supplemented by one or more of the following agen-
cies: Saturday-school, summer-school, week-day religious instruc-
tion. The tabulation above would seem to indicate that all of these
agencies are on the increase; but they are not being used nearly as
extensively as is necessary if our children are to be sufficiently in-
structed and guided in Christian doctrine and life. The possibilities
of several of these agencies can be shown in brief. A Saturday-
school maintained throughout the year would mean an additional
100 to 150 hours of religious instruction; in fact, the Saturday-
school has an advantage over the Sunday-school in the number of
hours devoted to religious instruction. Summer-schools are opened
after the close of the school term and usually continue over a period
of 4 to 6 weeks, while week-day religious instruction is held during
public-school time, or before or after school hours. The Lutheran
Church, which has always manifested the greatest concern for its
children and youth, should certainly not fail to avail itself of any
agency of religious instruction which promises to supplement the
modest instruction of the Sunday -school.