# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1975_S348 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 348 HIGHER EDUCATION ferently from its Stateside educational institutions (1971 Con- vention Workbook. BHE Report. pp. 282—85): and WHEREAS. More Canadian youth preparing for the pro- fessional ministries of the church are remaining in Canada to complete their training: and WHEREAS. Canadian Lutherans should be encouraged to develop and to support their own training programs for pro- fessional church workers in the light of Canadian needs: and WHEREAS, There is an emerging desire on the part of Lu- therans in Canada to have an autonomous Lutheran Church: therefore be it Resolved. That study be given to transfer responsibility of ownership and of operating institutions of higher education to a Canadian corporation; and be it further Resolved. That study be given to electing from the Lutheran constituency in Canada members of Boards of Control for these institutions: and be it finally Resolved. That the LCMS authorize a study group to review these concerns with a pan-Lutheran task force on education in Canada and to report to the next synodical convention. Christ The King Lutheran Church Edmonton, Alta., Canada R. Anderson. Secretary 6-101 To Encourage Canadians to Assume Control of Edmonton WHEREAS, One of the chief purposes of Concordia College, Edmonton is to prepare people to serve within the church in Canada: and WHEREAS, Canadians are the ones who both benefit and are aware of the needs of the Canadian church: therefore be it Resolved. That the Lutheran Church-— Missouri Synod en- courage Canadian Lutherans to assume both the responsibility for support of the college and the control of its direction. Riverbend Lutheran Church Edmonton, Alta. P. H. Schmidt, Pastor 6-102 To Deal with Canadian Higher Education Preamble During the last 2 years a number of things have occurred which have caused concern among Lutherans in western Canada—especially as regards synodical funding, higher edu- cation, and Concordia College, Edmonton. First on the list of concerns is that of finances. Over a year ago it was evident that synodical funding was experiencing difficulty and that alternative funding would be necessary for some of the Synod’s programs. The Board of Control at Con- cordia, Edmonton, concluded that it should help alleviate some of the concerns over funding and that it could help by acquiring personnel to study alternative funding sources. Consequently the board hired a director of development. At the same time the Synod’s Task Force on Higher Educa- tion began its study into the nature and purpose of each of the Synod’s schools—ineluding Concordia, Edmonton. As of the present, their recommendations as regards Concordia, Edmon- ton, are unknown. Nevertheless, one of the major concerns of the Task Force is that of alternative funding for part of the synodical system of Higher Education. The attached memorials are designed to aid the movement towards alternative funding as regards Concordia, Edmonton. The memorials imply that before alternative sources can be tapped, direction and control of the college must be changed. (Concordia, Edmonton, is in Canada; and while it is obvious, it must be repeated that Canada is a different country, thereby making Concordia, Edmonton, unique among the 16 synodical institutions of higher education.) These memorials suggest a two-step process: 1) the transfer of responsibility and control to the Board of Directors of the Alberta-British Columbia District: and 2) the guarantee that members of the college’s Board of Control be elected by Canadians. The result of passage of these memorials would be that the Alberta-British Columbia District, acting as the corporate arm of The Lutheran Church -— Missouri Synod in Canada, would have the responsibility which now resides with the synodical Board for Higher Education, and that the Board of Control members would continue to be elected at synodical conventions except that ballots would be cast only by voting delegates from Canada. I WHEREAS, The Synod has in convention asserted that ‘‘the plans and problems associated with the development of an indigenous Canadian ministry require that the future of Edmon- ton be considered apart from the long-range plans for the synodical schools in the United States’ (1962 Reports and Me- morials, BHE Report, p. 55: 1965 Convention Workbook, BHE Report, p. 195: 1969 Convention Workbook, BHE Report, p. 252:): and WHEREAS, The synodical Board for Higher Education has for a number of years been attempting to have high schools become the responsibility of the local community: and WHEREAS, Student enrollment at Concordia, Edmonton, is approximately 75% high school and 25% college: and WHEREAS, Fewer and fewer Canadians are willing to spend their remaining undergraduate years at the synodical schools in the United States, thereby indicating an emerging national- ism: and WHEREAS, Concordia’s development in academic areas faces problems peculiar to Canada's system of higher education: and WHEREAS, Canadians need and should be encouraged to direct, develop, and support their own training program for professional church workers in light of Canada’s needs: and WHEREAS, Many Canadian individuals and foundations will grant funds only to Canadian-operated and -controlled institu- tions: and WHEREAS, The Articles of Incorporation of the A-BC District give responsibility to the Board of Directors of the District, among other things, ‘‘to help to establish and maintain parochial schools, colleges, seminaries, and other institutions of learning to properly educate and prepare persons for the ministry and for teaching in parochial schools”: and WHEREAS, Title to the land of Concordia College, Edmonton, is held in the name of the A-BC District: therefore be it Resolved. That the responsibility and control regarding higher education now held by the BHE as explained in Section VI of the Bylaws in the Handbook of the Synod be turned over to the Board of Directors of the A-BC District: and be it further Resolved, That subsidy from the BHE to Concordia College, Edmonton, be slowly diminished in a manner acceptable to the synodical BHE and the A-BC District Board of Directors after consultation with the Board of Control of Concordia College. II WHEREAS, The present manner in which the delegates to the synodical convention vote allows for the rather unusual circumstance that people in Brazil vote for people to serve on a Board of Control in Canada and vice versa: and WHEREAS, The Synod has recognized that Canada has needs peculiar to Canada (1971 Convention Workbook. BHE Report, pp. 282—85): and WHEREAS, Canadians should be encouraged to assume more and more their responsibility in Canadian Lutheran higher education: and WHEREAS, Canadians should determine their own directions in Canadian Lutheran higher education: therefore be it Resolved. That the synodical convention Committee on