# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1938_S140
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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140 Missions in General

16. Church Extension Fund.— As an impartial observer and
advisory member of the General Church Extension Board I beg
leave to submit the following for your consideration and action.

17. Listening to the requests and pleas for Church Extension
¥ loans as they come before the General Church Extension Board,
a scrutinizing the congregations for which Districts make these re-

quests and the projects for which loans are asked, thinking on the

possibility of repaying these loans in accordance with the stipula-
a tions laid down in the regulations adopted, we ask, What is the real
purpose of the Church Extension Fund? Who is entitled to a loan
from this fund? How can the interests of this fund be safe-
guarded?

18. The regulations pertaining to the distribution of the Gen-
eral Church Extension Fund are not very clearly defined in the
regulations as we find them in the Synodical Handbook. On
page 114, Paragraph 1, we read: “Loans shall be granted only to
such congregations as are unable themselves to finance their
building projects and cannot secure sufficient loans from the
respective District.”

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19. This leaves the door wide open. The struggling mission-
congregation pleading for a small loan to erect a modest chapel
as well as a congregation with a strong communicant membership
pleading for a large loan to complete even a church beautiful is
entitled to the same considerations “if they find themselves unable
to finance their building project and cannot secure sufficient loans
from the respective Districts.”

SERENE

20. Since our Church Extension funds are limited and not
large enough to take care of all requests for loans, we take cour-
age to express our view that to all intent the purpose of the
Church Extension Fund is to assist struggling mission-congrega-
tions unable to carry the added burden of interest on a loan, to
enable them to secure a modest but adequate place of worship,
school, parsonage, or teacherage. We believe it to be to the
best interests of the General Church Extension Fund if Synod -
will express its sentiments on this matter.

21. Concerning repayment of Church Extension loans we read
in the Synodical Handbook, page 113: “Loans in General... .
5. Repayments of no less than 10 per cent. of the loan shall be
required. In addition thereto an administration fee shall be
charged at the rate of 1 per cent. per annum on the unpaid balance.”
22. Observing the past, we find these regulations to work an

extreme hardship on the struggling mission-congregation. We
believe that mission-congregations are unable to comply with the