Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1969 · 48th Convention › Page 341
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1969, Page 341

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

PARISH EDUCATION AND SERVICES 341

division and with all editors on the staff, guiding the
editorial development of all publications from their incep-
tion through all stages of development and production.

The members of the executive committee of the divi-
sion are the series editors for school, weekday, Sunday
school, vacation Bible school, and young adult-adult-
family materials, the age-group coordinating editor for
youth materials, the chairman of the Committee of Mag-
azine Editors, and the director of research and develop-
ment.

The field services division is headed by a director of
field services. Mr. Martin Wessler was appointed to this
position. The director of field services works with field
service personnel serving Lutheran elementary and high
schools, part-time agencies, youth (cooperating with the
Board for Young People’s Work), adult, and family life
education. In coordinating the total program of promo-
tion and fieldwork, staff members of this division are
representatives of the total program of the board in
addition to serving as specialists in given areas.

The division of research and development is headed
by a director of research and development. Rev. Delbert
Schulz, who had previously held the title curriculum
coordinator, was designated as the head of this division.

As part of the reorganized staff structure the board
redeployed some members of the staff.

Rev. Dale Griffin was appointed as secretary of part-
time agencies.

Rev. Earl Gaulke was appointed as editor of Sunday
school materials.

Age-group coordinating editors were appointed as
follows:

Preprimary, Ages 0—5 (vacant)

Lower Elementary, Ages 6—9—

Rev. Donald Hoeferkamp

Upper Elementary, Ages 10—13-

Mr. Henry Niermeier

High School, Ages 14~—17—Rev. Harold Rast

Adult, Ages 18+— Rev. Robert Hoyer

In line with the new staff structure, the board has
revised its committee structure. It now has a Committee
on Editorial Work, a Committee on Field Services, and a
Committee on Research and Development.

With these new arrangements the Board of Parish
Education and its staff have provided for the coordination
of editorial work, field services, and research. Since the
board is a service agency of the church, we believe we
have strengthened the service potential of our board and
staff.

B. New Designs and Materials for Learning
1. New Coordinated Curriculum in Process of Development

The curriculum materials that have been produced
by the Board of Parish Education up to the present time
have been produced for individual agencies—school,
Sunday school, vacation Bible school, weekday school,
and others. Since they were developed independently
at different times, there was no close relationship to the

educational program in other agencies. Each agency
developed a curriculum that had its own integrity and
thus included the basic Christian teachings in it. Curric-
ulum materials produced in this manner have been good
in themselves, but they have not been coordinated. This
meant that pupils attending several schools often had
overlapping materials and emphases. In a recent study
of enrollments the number of students doubly enrolled on
the elementary level varied from 21% to 73%.

The Board of Parish Education had been interested
in developing coordinated curriculum materials since
1962, when it asked the Synod to authorize the position
of coordinator of curriculum materials. Rev. Delbert
Schulz was appointed to this position in 1964. He has pro-
vided leadership for the staff in studying the elements of
a coordinated program. It became clear that you cannot
coordinate what is already in existence. Since practically
all curriculum materials were due for revision or rede-
velopment early in the 1970s, the board adopted the staff
recommendation that a new curriculum be developed
with the following features:

a. A single program for nursery and prenursery
education.

b. Parallel core programs for the day school and
weekday school, prekindergarten through grade 12.
The ‘core’? materials and experiences in the two tracks
will be made as nearly identical as possible by utilizing
basic materials in both tracks. The materials for the
weekday school will require 2 hours of instruction time
per week.

c. Sunday school and vacation Bible school programs
will be correlated with the parallel core programs and
will serve as extensions or enrichment of that program.

d. Since the core is in the day school or weekday
school programs, congregations will be encouraged to
enroll everyone (kindergarten to grade 12) in one of
these programs. Congregations that find it impossible
to conduct a day school or weekday school for the time
being will be urged to use the weekday school materials
in the Sunday school.

e. Adult education in the new curriculum will empha-
size the organization of short terminal programs with
multiple course choices. The terms may vary in length
from 6 to 10 weeks. Classes may meet at any time during
the week. Promotion will recommend weekday evenings.
The term or semester idea will avoid the endless commit-
ment of the ‘Bible class” and enable us to serve different
age levels and different interests. Some subjects may
develop competence from semester to semester, others
will be self-contained units.

f. The Gate in a reduced format, but with its multiple
offerings, will continue to serve the regular Sunday
morning classes.

This proposal was discussed with conferences and
the terminal schools.

Before the design was proposed to the board, it and
four other designs had been presented to and discussed
with the members of the faculties of the terminal schools