LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1983, Page 249

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PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

three other synodical schools through the use of electronic mail
provided by the computer. At the present time the seminary
has seven computer terminals, a high-speed line printer, anda
word processing printer which are shared among the eight
departments. The seminary is grateful to the Aid Association
for Lutherans for funding a Computer Pilot Project in 1981
which underwrote some of the costs of this conversion.

Luther Anniversary

During the past 18 months a faculty committee originally
appointed by Dr. Bohlmann to help observe the confessional
anniversaries of the church has been planning appropriate
activities and events in connection with the 500th anniversary
of the birth of Martin Luther.

One of the most significant events planned is a concert
based on the hymnody of Martin Luther and including works
by Bach and Mendelssohn which will be performed by the St.
Louis Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Leonard
Slatkin at Powell Hall in St. Louis on Thursday, Oct. 13. 1983.
This unique musical event, bringing together Luther and a
major symphony orchestra, should be welcomed with high
interest and full participation. It is hoped that generous
financial support by various individuals and groups in the St.
Louis area will help meet the cost of this venture.

A second major event will be a scholarly conference which
the seminary is cosponsoring with the Center for Reformation
Research, the Sixteenth Century Studies Conference, and
others. The sessions, planned on our campus from 31 Mav to 4
June 1983, will attract important Lutheran scholars of North
America as well as several from Europe.

Various seminary convocations and forums are also being
planned for the year. directed primarily to the seminary
community, although local participants also will be invited.
Individual events are being appropriately developed by the
seminary’s Community Life Committee.

With the approval of the Department of Historical Theology
and the Academic Policies Committee, a student tour to the
land of the Reformation for academic credit has been developed
and will be led by Dr. David Daniel. a specialist on Reformation
history. Those taking the tour for credit will be required to
enroll in this course in Term B, 21 June—1July 1983. Students
from our sister Seminary in Fort Wayne will also be invited to
participate.

Of special interest will be unique exhibits to be offered in the
seminary library and at the Concordia Historical Institute.
These exhibits will include some of the outstanding treasures
related to the life of Martin Luther and the Lutheran Refor-
mation. In order to enable fellow Lutherans elsewhere to enjov
these exhibits, the committee will be preparing a videotape
narrated by Rev. Hannibal Frederick. We anticipate consider-
able demand for this production by the various organizations
in our parishes.

Finally, various members of the faculty will be involved in
presenting lectures and essays during the Luther anniversary
year at convocations, conventions, professional organizations.
etc. These essays the committee hopes to gather, edit. and
publish in the form of a seminary Festschrift.

Financial Matters

We believe that one of the most crucial issues to be faced by
this convention is the funding of our seminaries. the 1981
convention (Res. 6-18A, Convention Proceedings, pp. 191—192.
“To Increase Percentage of Seminary Budget Support’) in-
structed the Board for Higher Education to provide 40": of the
educational and general budget of the two seminaries for the
1982—83 fiscal vear. It further indicated that the support
granted to the seminaries was to be increased by not less than
an additional 5": per year until the Synod provides at least 63":
support. The resolution was based on several sound premises:

1. Synodical support for the two seminaries has drastically
declined since 1969. At that time support for the St. Louis
seminary was 62.5". of the budget. At the time of the last
convention it was 38". of the budget. Today it is 25”. of the
budget.

2. There has been a tremendous increase in tuition and fees
paid by the students which has caused genuine hardship for

249

many of them. As mentioned earlier, we are convinced that
perhaps two dozen students could not enroll at our seminary
this vear for financial reasons.

3. The Synod was worried that the solicitation of indi-
viduals and congregations by the seminaries might impinge
on the stwardship activities of the Synod and its Districts.

4. Solicitations of individuals and congregations imposes
an additional drain on the seminary’s resources which must be
diverted to the raising of funds rather than to more appropriate
needs.

5. The Synod was concerned that seminaries tend to become
independent in their planning when they are forced to provide
an increasing amount of their own support.

6. Reduced subsidies have limited the ability of the semi-
naries to call necessary faculty members, hire badly needed
staff people, and pay adequate salaries.

Unfortunately, funds were apparently not available to
implement that resolution. In fact, as indicated above. the
percentage of support has been reduced drastically even in this
past biennium. in spite of the unique needs of the seminaries as
compared with our colleges. The result is that in order to
present a balanced” budget for the present academic year, the
seminary had to insert a figure of $1.658.000 as the amount it
hoped to raise from so-called third-fund sources—restricted
and unrestricted gifts, endowments, etc.

Furthermore, our development efforts, especially by way of

mail solicitation, have been severely restricted by the synod-« - --

ical Board of Directors. We appreciate the board’s concern; it is
one we share. At the same time. we are deeply distressed by the
decreasing support that is being given to the schools that are
providing the church with 100. of their graduates for the office
of the holy ministry.

Many do not realize that as successful as was the Forward
in Remembrance effort, not one penny has been used or is to be
used for budgetary items. It has all been designated for
deferred maintenance. Deferred maintenance is important, but
the church should know that the Forward in Remembrance
funds are not available for the ongoing needs of the seminaries’
budgets.

Our Division of Seminary Relations, under the able leader-
ship of Dr. lmmanuel R. Janssen, has done an outstanding job.
During the 1981—82 fiscal year, gifts were received in the
amount of $1.260,653.93, and an additional $336,187.71 was
forwarded for individual students from Districts. congre-
gations, and other donors. Nevertheless, the seminary is faced
with an almost impossible task of trying to avoid a deficit that
during this present fiscal vear could again run into hundreds of
thousands of dollars.

We plead with the Synod to find a solution for funding the
seminaries that will enable them to do a responsible job of
theological education as we educate and train men for the
blessed ministry of proclaiming God's redeeming love in Jesus |
Christ by the power of His Holy Spinit.

Miscellaneous

Last vear the Concordia Seminary Guild celebrated its 50th
anniversary. We would be remiss were we to neglect mention of
the marvelous support that these Christian women have
provided to our school in literally hundreds of projects, primari-
ly to provide physical comforts for our students. During the
past biennium we were once again privileged to enjoy a very
productive joint meeting with the Board of Regents of our sister
school. Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne. During
the fall of 1982 the new president was enabled to meet more
than 100 pastors of the St. Louis area in a series of luncheons
hosted on the campus.

Conclusion

Theological education is a vital part of the great mission of
the church. In the words of St. Paul in Romans 10. ‘How shall
they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how
shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach.
except they be sent?” We thank God for the prayers and
generous support of so many in the Synod during these days of
fiscal crisis, and we solicit praverfully the support of the entire