Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1969 · 48th Convention › Page 264
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Page 264

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

264 HIGHER EDUCATION

study of the curriculum and administration of the semi-
nary. He also assisted the church in New Guinea in va-
rious other ways, giving the young church the benefit of
his many years of experience and bringing back much
that is of value for Concordia Seminary in carrying out
its task, especially in missionary education.

School for Graduate Studies

During the past biennium the school for graduate
studies has suffered a decline in its enrollment. The
decline is largely due to the decrease in the number of
fourth-year students who continue on at Concordia
Seminary for advanced degrees. However, the school
for graduate studies has attracted a significantly diverse
student clientele. Most heartening is the increase in the
number of nationals from foreign countries who are
coming for advanced training, so that they can serve
our sister churches the better. The enrollment in the
summer quarter has continued to attract a large number
of pastors: 148 attended in 1967, and 187 in 1968. A
significant number of them have enrolled in the Master
of Arts in Religion degree program.

The number of students actively in pursuit of a
Doctor of Theology degree has not abated in spite of the
general decline in enrollment. Revisions in the program
are being made to allow for still greater specialization
without a lowering of the standards for the degree. The
S.T.M. program in pastoral counseling. which will be
inaugurated with the beginning of the 1969—70 school
year, has attracted wide, favorable attention.

The number of staff members designated as graduate
professors remains at two. For the greater effectiveness
of the school for graduate studies at least two additional
men ought to receive this designation. The revision of
the requirements for the Th.D. degree will require a
larger corps of men who are offering seminar courses.

The research center has not been reactivated since
November 1966. Budget restrictions have prevented us
from doing so. The research function of the school for
graduate studies, however, necessitates that we engage
a director of research as soon as possible.

The program in theology for social workers has been
discontinued as of the summer of 1969. This program
was possible because of the scholarships provided
through Lutheran Scholarships, Inc. The Lutheran
Council in the U.S. A. has taken over this function.

The committee on church and ministry will complete
its work with a workshop in July 1969. Dr. Erwin L.
Lueker has served as director of this committee. The
research papers were duplicated and have been placed
in the libraries of approximately 50 theological semi-
naries and other depositories.

The committee for Concordia archaeological studies
in the Near East is pleased to report a highly successful
“dig” at Ta’annek in the summer. of 1968, the third such
archaeological expedition. Plans are in progress for
two further expeditions in 1970 and 1971.

The program in cooperation with the Wheat Ridge
Foundation for training theologians who are specialists
in clinical psychology and have an advanced degree in

theology is continuing. Two of the six men in the pro-
gram have already completed their doctoral work in
psychology.

A study on “The Meaning of ‘Providence’ for Modern
Man” was initiated with a colloquium in November 1968.
Plans for the project call for a volume with contribu-
tions by eight theologians and experts of our church
to be completed by 1972.

Volume IX of the Graduate Studies was published
by the Pontifical Institute at Rome. It is Dr. Martin
Scharlemann’s Stephen: A Singular Saint. Dr. David
Schmiel’s study of Jean Gerson is being published as
Volume X.

Special grants, subsidies, and scholarships from vari-
ous sources have made possible a not inconsiderable
portion of the research and publication activities of
the school for graduate studies.

Continuing Education

Most professional men begin their careers “in the
hope of future study.” This has been true for some time
in such professions as medicine, law, science, and other
fields but not so much for pastors. Yet the professional
status of a pastor. if he wishes to progress with the
trends in theology as they apply to a changing culture,
require that he too keep pace with his specialty. This
calls for a sustained program of study.

The New York convention took note of the need for
continuing education, urged the synodical schools to
engage in this endeavor, and encouraged congregations
to cooperate in developing provisions for regular educa-
tional leaves for all pastors.

To meet the need for continuing education, the semi-
nary has for some time conducted summer sessions,
correspondence courses, and various workshops and
seminars. Extension centers have been set up in Los
Angeles and Chicago. During the coming summer Fort
Wayne will be added to the list.

Our scholarship program has made it possible for
graduates of either seminary to come to summer school
at the seminary for refresher courses 10 years after their
graduation. The program has been so successful that.
beginning with the present summer. 20-year graduates
are also invited to participate in the program.

Our reading program in theology has been well
received. The program is designed to assist pastors in
becoming knowledgeable in different areas of theology.
Guide articles are published periodically in the Concor-
dia Theological Monthly. This effort provides an oppor-
tunity for pastors to study on an individual basis or
in small groups. Each article contains an overview and
guidelines for study in an area of theology as well
as a primary and a secondary annotated bibliography.
Some 665 pastors have enrolled.

Two off-campus seminars were conducted in Des
Moines, Iowa, as pilot attempts to determine what the
response might be if the seminary took on such ventures
and whether they would be economically feasible. The
success of these seminars gave impetus to the seminary