LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1932, Page 138

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

2902 Proceedings of Thirty-Fifth Regular Convention,

such inventory to show the location, legal description, and the value
placed on the land, and the improvements thereon, and to contain
such other facts relating to Synod’s property as the Board of Directors
may require.” (Proceedings, 1929, pp. 162. 169.) The Board is stil]
at work through a subcommittee carrying out this resolution.

4. According to a resolution of Synod (Proceedings, 1929, pp. 167.
169) the Board has appointed a general full-time auditor. In the
person of Mr. A. W. Huge a very competent man has been found for
this highly important position. The Auditor has done much to give
the Board a clearer insight into our financial conditions, as far as
various boards and institutions are concerned, in the interest of
economy as well as efficiency.

5. Questions connected with the college at Crespo, Argentina,
which were referred to the Board of Directors together with the
South American Mission Board, were taken care of, such as the
salary question of the professors and the third professorship. Also
the vacancy at Buenos Aires and matters connected with the drawing
up of the constitution of the Argentine District were given attention.

6. The Board, together with the Faculty at St. Louis, was to
elect a representative of Synod to visit our brethren in Australia,
according to their request. After experiencing some difficulty in
finding a suitable man for this important mission, the economic
conditions in Australia prompted the Australian brethren to suggest
that the visit be postponed.

4. It was not found necessary to grant funds for erecting a chapel
at the Sherman Institute, Arlington, Cal., since the situation in the
field has changed. The Board became convinced that whatever Indian
missions might be carried on should be placed under the direction of

-the respective District mission board, whose budget could be increased,

if necessary, to meet the demand.
8. In accordance with the recommendations of a special com-
mittee appointed by the President, consisting of Presidents H. Grue-

‘ber, Paul Schulz, and H. Daib and Pastors Fr. F. Selle and F. Niedner,
-the Board recommends to Synod —

a. To eliminate the boards for Foreign-tongue Missions, Jewish
Missions, and Indian Missions, Seamen’s Mission, and Immigrant
Missions and to place these missions under the supervision of the
mission boards of the Districts in which the work is done, necessary
subsidies to be given through the General Home Mission Board;

b. That the Board of Directors be authorized to appoint a full-
time Secretary of Missions whose duty it shall be to gather, and
furnish to the proper authorities (the Board of Directors, the mission
boards, the Fiscal Conference, and the Church Extension Board),
information on all missions of Synod in order that our missions may
be conducted in the most efficient manner.

Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States. 1932. 903

The following considerations move us to make these recommenda-
tions, which aim at a closer coordination of our missionary endeavors.

Even an incomplete survey of our missionary activities has
revealed —

Inconsistent policies, unjustified inequality in salaries, in allow-
ances made for autos, mileage, and other expenses;

Lack of coordination and duplication of effort;

Opening and maintaining of new fields having but few souls and
little prospect of further development;

Vast unmet opportunities in populous rural and urban territories ;

Lack of information on the part of some of the mission boards
relative to mission opportunities within their own territories;

Inequitable methods in computing the annual budget require-
ments.

9. The appointment of a special board for Mexican Missions
was not found necessary. (Proceedings, 1929, p. 89.)

B. Matters Referred to Synod by the Board.

1. Synod, in 1917, resolved that all surplus funds of all depart-
ments of Synod be made available to the General Treasurer of Synod.
(Proceedings, 1917, p. 183.) This means that, while the’ fund for
which the money was given retains the credit, Synod can use the
cash to offset deficits in other treasuries until the money is needed
for the purposes for which it was intended. In trying to put this
resolution into effect, we found that there is a difference of opinion
as to what funds are really meant, especially since some of. our
institutions have certain surplus funds which, they claim, are merely
local and not really synodical funds. The Board therefore asks
Synod for a clear interpretation of its ruling, recommending, however,
that all surplus funds, including those in the commissary depart-
ment, etc., be included as among those that should: bée turned over
to the treasurer of Synod. . ; Dob.

9. The Church of Our Redeemer at Oakland, Cal., which is
providing our college with a church home, came in with the request,
endorsed by the local board, to permit it to: erect its church on an
unused corner of our college property. After considerable correspon-
dence and after several members of :the Board had had occasion. .to
look into the situation personally, the Board resolved to recommend
to Synod to donate a suitable piece of ground from our college
property on 62d Avenue, adjoining the creek, to the Church of Our
Redeemer for the purpose of erecting its church. ;

3. Since the Valparaiso University is drawing its support from
members of our Synod, and since its work is of great importance.
to the Synod, the College of Presidents, on May 28, 1930, resolved
“that in the interest of harmony and of the institution - itself
we recommend that arrangements be made to-have a. committee