LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1932, Page 83

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92 Proceedings of Thirty-Fifth Regular Convention
?

In addition the Secretary
special duties: —

For the Committee on Missi
I ; ssionary Expansion he i
Mission-studies for Schools and Sunday-schools, in 981 a von
with an accompanying circular letter to the teachers 1988,
For the School Journal h ;
teachers.
For the Lutheran Witness h
ie
Sect conducts the
Continued work was done for
mittee.
He revised an article on
Occasional addresses and t
to speak had to be declined.

of Schools performed the following

€ writes a monthly message to the

“Children’s Study
the Synodical Catechism Com-

Lutheran schools in an encyclopedia
alks were frequent, but many requests

II. THE COMMITTEE ON SUNDAY-SCHOOLS.
The © _ A. The Work of the Committee.
e Committee on Sunday-schools was organi i
; i ganized in conform}
with the resolution of the Board in thig matter. Pastor Pau] Koonin
mas made chairman and Rev. Wm. Luke secretary. The other mem,
bers ore: We JM. Runge, Mr. Oscar Kunz, Dr. Theo Engelder
rol. W. 1. Behrens. Much work was don ; i
e by subcommitt
C Minutes and much correspondence were interchanged with ‘the
committee on Schools, while Professor Kuehnert, &@ member of that
mmittee and chairman of th
mmoeting the Board, attended almost all our
c Monthly meetings were held in the office of the secretary in
oncordia Publishing House. Special and routine reports were
mailed to all members in advance together with a prearranged pro-
gram, averaging 18 distinct items per meeting
Constant improvement of 0 ;
_ Cor ur Sunday-school Ji
major item of business. Teehoot Merature was the
i a 1911 Concordia Publishing House began to publish English
an German Sunday-school literature as a private venture appoint-
ng its own editors and committees. In 1990 Synod instructed its
resident to appoint a Sunday-school Committee; but the editor
ned an employee of Concordia Publishing House until 1926.
n 7 the editor, though salaried in part by Concordia Publishing
ouse, was called by, and made directly responsible to the official
board of Synod.
apa the efforts of Synod’s Sunday-school officials bore rich fruit
is evi ent from the rapid increase in the use and circulation of Con-
cordia Sunday-school literature, as seen from the following table: —

1910 1921 1926 19
Enrolment “+++ 53,343 120,625 170,722 ca. 290988"
iterature |... none 53,000 160,260 259,700

* All ages. Children of school age, 103,084 (1930).

Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States. 1932. 93

:... Bven ten years ago less than half of the pupils received the
Concordia literature. However, the circulation increased steadily,
exceeding the enrolment in 1929 and leaving very few of our Sunday--
schools to-day that are not using the regularly censored material of
our own Synod.

There are other problems in which we have progressed consider-
ably toward solution. While there have been numerous instances of
underestimation as well as overestimation of the Sunday-school,
much progress has been made in putting the Sunday-schoo! in its
proper light. Other church-bodies in America have not produced an
institution which may be taken over by our Synod without changes.
Even other Lutheran church-bodies have in most instances developed
a Sunday-school that is different from ours. Since with us the
parochial school has ever been, and still is, the ideal solution of
elementary Christian educational problems, it has been the earnest
endeavor of our Committee on Sunday-schools to foster a Sunday-
school based on a Scriptural appreciation of responsibilities in Chris-
tian education and to enhance the progress of the parochial school
while at the same time facing the actual situation as we have it in
Synod to-day, which may be seen from the following table: —

1920 1925 1930
Congregations ............. 3,283 3,565 3,843
Schools ...........-....00. 1,310 1,338 1,339
Sunday-schools ..... Sle eeeee 1,587 2,297 2,849

In the 2,504 congregations not maintaining a Christian day-
school the principal agency, besides the regular service and confirma-
tion instruction, is the Sunday-school. It has been the endeavor to
develop the Sunday-school in such a way that the best possible in-
struction is given, while every effort is made to keep the blessings of
the Christian day-school also before the Sunday-school workers. With
this principle in mind, the Sunday-school is not limited to children
of school age. Much emphasis has been laid upon the preschool and
postschool ages.

That the Sunday-school is mistaken for a children’s church is
a difficulty still to be overcome. To consider the Sunday-school an
institution independent of the congregation is a serious mistake,
which has been generally overcome in our circles. It is gratifying to
note the increasing seriousness on the part of pastors, teachers, and
congregations in properly supervising and directing their Sunday-
schools. Considerable progress has been made by congregational
boards of education in evaluating the Sunday-school and developing
it to best advantage for their conditions. More serious attention is
being given to the proper housing, administration, and time of
Sunday-schools. Yet very much remains to be done in this particular
phase of Sunday-school development.

The sanest principles, the highest ideals, the most carefully pre-