# LCMS Convention Workbook_St. Louis Missouri_1975_S404 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) SPECIAL AND SUNDRY MATTERS 405 15.29 The Military and Veterans in Hospitals The commission shall — a. provide for the spiritual needs of members of the congregations of the Synod and of others who desire its service in hospitals maintained by the Armed Forces and Veterans Administration; ; b. secure the services of civilian pastors to min- ister in hospitals not served by a chaplain of the Synod; c. provide hospital chaplains and pastors with appropriate devotional literature and materials. 15.29 The Military and Veterans in Hospitals The commission shall — a. provide for the spiritual needs of members of the congregations of the Synod and of others who desire its service in hospitals maintained by the Armed Forces and Veterans Administration; b. secure the services of Lutheran visitation pas- tors to minister in hospitals not served by a chap- lain of the Synod; c. provide hospital chaplains and pastors with appropriate devotional literature and materials. M. S. Ernstmeyer, Executive Secretary 9-02 Report of Department of Archives and History Concordia Historical Institute A former President of the Synod, Frederich Pfotenhauer, reminded the church 39 years ago: Church history teaches that the generations who have inherited their possession from the fathers do not prize these so highly as the fathers who fought and labored for them. That the spiritual life has declined among us is evident from various observations. (Address delivered at Fiscal-Visitors Conference, River Forest, Ill.. Sept. 3. 1936: Der Lutheraner. Vol. 93. March 2, 1937. p. 71). Karl Kretzmann in his excellent history of the Atlantic Dis- trict concluded: What from the fathers has come down to you, be sure to earn it, that you might possess it. (Karl Kretzmann, The Atlantic District and Its Antecedents (Erie Printing Company. 1932], p. 136). No one in the Synod is in a better position to remind the church of such matters than the Concordia Historical Institute, the Synod’s Department of Archives and History. One can increasingly see the truthfulness of Psalm 103:15-16: “As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know it no more.” But lest we despair. there is also the truthfulness of Isaiah 54:10: ‘The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.” Thus the Institute, too, joins the entire convention in pro- claiming the theme “Jesus Christ Is Lord’’—the Lord of all history! It is the task of the Concordia Historical Institute to assist the Synod’s entire membership in its historical needs. To this task, enunciated in Handbook Bylaws 15.41 to 15.51, both the board of governors and the staff of the Institute are committed. For the task we have two basic tools: (1) a huge and growing collection of published literature, manuscripts/archives, non- print materials, and museum artifacts and (2) people, including both researchers who daily make use of the collection and the Institute’s own staff, who regularly respond to telephone, mail, and personal requests for reference and research services. Task Force on Self-Study One of the Institute’s most significant activities, having far- reaching implications for the Institute’s present and future, was carried on by a special Task Force on Self-Study. In Decem- ber 1972 the synodical Board of Directors asked the Institute — to make a study, including a full statement of costs, for the purpose of determining at what point in time it can be self-sustaining through memberships and/or other grants and . . . that necessary funds be provided for this purpoge if the study justifies it. such funds to be repaid from the increased income from memberships. The board of governors of the Institute established the fol- lowing objectives for the task force: 1. To study the Institute’s short- and long-range future: 2. To study the financial needs of the Institute and recom- mend whether the Institute can become self-sustaining, and if so. to present a timetable by which this can be accomplished; 3. To evaluate the Institute goals. objectives, and functions as outlined in the synodical Handbook and the Institute’s con- stitution and bylaws: 4. To study the structural relationships of the Institute to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and/or to other Lu- theran churches and agencies in America: 5. To survey the provisions for archives-history work con- ducted by other major American denominations: 6. To engage in study and evaluation in such other matters relating to these issues as may be required to carry out these assignments. The members of the task force were Herbert A. Mueller, Secretary of the Synod and chairman of the Division of Church Government: Lando C. Otto, a professional librarian and parish pastor; Harry L. Smith, senior vice-president of a bank and Institute treasurer: Victor O. Mennicke, executive director of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod Foundation: Aug. R. Suelflow, Institute director; John Daniel, a District archivist; Gerhardt Kramer, architect and chairman of the Institute's board: James M. Weis, seminary professor and church his- torian; and William A. Kramer, retired Missouri Synod Secre- tary of Schools. Consultants were H. G. Jones, former president of the Society of American Archivists and curator of the North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina Library, Chapel Hill: William B. Miller, director of the Presbyterian Department of Archives and History, Philadelphia, Pa.: and Lynn E. May Jr.. executive secretary of the historical commis- sion of the Southern Baptist Convention, Nashville, Tenn. The task force studied all aspects of the Institute’s purposes, finances, and services. Its final report was adopted in July 1974 and approved by the board of governors the next month. In- cluded were four cgnclusions: 1. The Purpose and Mission of the Institute: The Institute’s work and services are an essential and integral part of the Synod’s work. As the memory of an individual largely determines his life and ac- tions, so the Synod’s memory functions through its historical re- sources maintained by the Institute. Therefore the Synod is respon- sible for the Institute’s basic operation. The “basic operation” in- cludes provisions for the building. historical collection, and staff salaries; nevertheless, the Institute can and should aggressively attempt to acquire additional funds from other sources, though it is neither feasible nor desirable to achieve self-support. Unfortunately, the rank and file of the Synod knows little about its heritage and history and consequently also little about the mission, purpose, and activities of the Synod and the Institute. Consequently a greater visibility must be created for the Institute. 2. Adequate Building Facilities and Equipment: The Institute is desperately in need of a major addition to its present building. Such an addition will also require specialized equipment for pre- serving resources and rendering services. 3. Adequate Staff: The Institute is woefully understaffed; con- sequently the full-time staff is compelled to carry out excessive work loads that cannot be borne by individuals over an extended period of time. An urgent need exists for a full-time archivist/librarian and a director of technical processing. Other positions such as a tech- nician and a museum curator, although needed at this time. are rec- ommended to be filled subsequently. replacing some of the part- time staff.