# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1941_S138
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

136 Elementary Education

convenience, or the example of other denominations. Every
departure from our Synod’s policy based upon God’s Word will
harm the cause of the Church.

It is not easy to maintain the high standard of Christian
education which our Synod has set. It is with deep gratitude
toward God for His unmerited grace that your Board, in sub-
mitting its report, calls attention to the many congregations which
have heroically maintained the high standard of a Christ-centered
education for their children. At great personal and _ financial
sacrifices and with truly Christian courage a large number of our
congregations has maintained the parochial school as the best means
of providing for their children a truly Christian education. Other
congregations are sparing no effort to do all in their power to
provide such educational facilities as will conform with the injune-
tion of our Lord.

On the other hand, your Board would not be faithful to its
charge if it did not call attention to trends within our Synod which
seem to indicate a lack of appreciation of the Lutheran principles
of Christian education.

Are we living in one of those periods of indifference in which
Christians forget fundamentals or follow the line of least resistance?
Is our educational practice in harmony with our educational policy?
Your Board believes that in view of conditions as revealed in this
report the time has come for a careful restatement of our philosophy
and for a frank evaluation of our educational task. Then, in the
light of our educational philosophy, we should revise our educa-
tional practice wherever that is necessary. A long-range program,
based upon sound educational theory and undertaken with earnest
and sincere prayer, will bear fruit and prove a blessing to our
Church. We proceed to give a picture of conditions as they exist.
May this prove to be a challenge to a renewed and prayerful

'
endeavor! The Educational Situation

In 1989 we had 225,616 children of elementary school age,
according to a conservative calculation. There were probably
32,000 more. Of the 225,616 there were:

1, In the parochial school 0. cece cccccceeceeene coctstseee eee 63,042
(Not counting 8,660 from non-Lutheran homes)
2. In the public school oes cece cece cece eee 162,574
a. Attending Sunday-school _.. 92,479*
b. Not attending Sunday-school 70,095
Totes oc ccccccecsacesseeseessecveeneeeeecvesee eeceeogeoee 162,574 225,616

In Saturday-schools, summer-schools, and week-day religious
instruction we had a total enrolment of 45,733. But nearly all these

* Not counting 28,368 pupils from parochial schools and 31,412 from non-
Lutheran homes, but including such of our children as receive additional instruc-
tion in other part-time agencies.