LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1973, Page 293

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PARISH SERVICES AND YOUTH 293

_attention is currently being given to a variety of funding re-
sources, including federal aid

_the School Department has participated in the formulation
and work of a coalition of education groups known as Citizens
Relief for Education by Income Tax (CREdIT), which at-
tempts to help in the shaping and passage of federal legisla-
tion for financial aid to parents of nonpublic school children

_one section of “Performing Our Patterns” materials is de-
signed to aid in intensifying commitment.

Issue IV: Developing Outside Relationships
The Issue

People in public and nonpublic education should not think of
Lutheran elementary and secondary schools as opponents but
as partners in education. Educators, government officials, and
the general public should understand Lutheran schools, their
purposes and available programs, as unique educational options.
To eliminate misunderstandings and distrust and to develop ac-
curate and positive concepts of Lutheran schools we must:

—communicate to others the purposes and practices of our
schools

—capitalize on the expertise of those in other school systems
while sharing with them the dedication, insights, and talents
of Lutheran educators

—cooperate with chief school officers, administrators, and
teachers of local public and nonpublic schools and participate
in joint Conferences and education associations

_ inform educational and congressional personnel at the federal,
state, and local levels about Lutheran schools.

How the Board Has Confronted the Issue

_direct relationships and involvement on committees and in
meetings continue with the United States Office of Education

—information on Lutheran schools was shared with President
Nixon’s Commission on School Finance and his Panel for
Nonpublic Schools

—national level discussions were held with public school super-
intendents and national church leaders on the challenges and
needs of nonpublic schools

—the School Department was instrumental in the formulation
of a coalition of nearly all major nonpublic school systems
known as The Council for American Private Education
(CAPE). CAPE made it possible to share ideas and materials,
to represent nonpublic education to the government in an
organized manner. CAPE made it possible to testify in behalf
of Lutheran schools to the Senate Subcommittee on Education
and to the House Committee on Ways and Means, as well as
have consultations with individual Congressmen, education
officials, and White House aides.

How the Local Parish Can Confront the Issues

Lutheran congregations with schools are faced with a crisis
of opportunity. At no time has there been a more critical need
and opportunity to minister to the needs of mankind, to bring
reconciliation to the church, and to bring the peace of God to
all. At no time have we had the facilities, materials, communi-
cation resources, and personnel for carrying out our educational
mission that we have now.

Suggestions on how local congregations can confront the four
issues are in part implicit in the issues themselves, and in part
they were indicated specifically earlier in this report. Some of
the issues can be dealt with by the professional staff, but many
require lay consideration and board of education action. In
summary:

— Congregations and boards should recognize their teachers
as ministers of the Gospel, thus sharing in the responsibility of
strengthening morale:

—Congregations and boards should encourage professional
growth and make possible the utilization of growth opportuni-
ties, thus sharing in the responsibility for performing quality:

—Congregations and boards should rekindle in themselves
and others the desire to support Christian education sacri-
ficially, thus sharing in the responsibility of intensifying com-
mitment:

—Congregations and boards should urge the broadening
of contacts and associations with public and nonpublic edu-
eators, thus sharing in developing outside relationships.

How the Synod Can Confront the Issues

The four issues highlighted in this report are not new.
Synod’s congregations and its Board of Parish Education have
confronted them in varying degrees and varying ways in the
past. Today they stand out as issues demanding immediate and
sustained attention to meet present-day challenges.

In addition to the suggestions of this report, which are in-
tended to serve as guidelines for congregations and the Synod’s
Board of Parish Education for the future, many overtures could
be submitted to the New Orleans Convention to deal with the
various facets of each issue that call for united attention and
action.

However, in the interest of brevity. the number of overtures
is being held to a minimum. Four overtures were deemed im-
perative, each emphasizing one important aspect of an issue.
These overtures appear elsewhere in the CONVENTION WORK-
BOOK. In brief, the overtures expand on these four needs:

1) The strengthening of morale by giving consideration to the
status of the female teacher that she might be included on the
roster of Synod’s teachers, and receive consideration for pro-
fessional opportunities, status, and remuneration equal to those
of her male counterpart.

2) The performing of quality through continued utilization
of faculty in-service activities, continued provision for in-service
and leadership materials, with special attention given to the
needs and opportunities of early childhood education.

3) The intensifying of commitment through the communica-
tion of purpose, with special consideration toward funding of
Lutheran schools through a variety of sources including pro-
vision for tuition grants to the poor.

4) The developing of outside relationships by encouraging
school personnel to participate actively, where appropriate, in
the activities and meetings of local public and nonpublic school
personnel and other local and state level groups, including
government, that have educational concerns and jurisdiction.

VII. THE BOARD OF PARISH EDUCATION IS
COMMITTED TO BUILD ON WHAT IS GOOD IN OUR
PAST WHILE EXPLORING NEW POTENTIALS IN THE
FUTURE

A. Introduction

The Board of Parish Education and its staff are committed
to retaining what is good from our past. There is a deep com-
mitment to a strong program of Christian education not only by
the Board but also by the congregations of the Synod. The early
fathers of the Synod provided strong programs of Christian edu-
cation not only at the elementary level. They had plans for
secondary schools (Walther College in St. Louis), vocational
schools, and hopes for a university as the curriculum design
for the Perry County log cabin college shows.

Congregations today are equally concerned and therefore
plan to expand their programs from nursery to adulthood, in-
cluding new agencies and settings.

The Board’s research division is on the alert for data on
parish activities and programs that not only touch the achieve-
ments of the past but also challenge the possibilities of an even
stronger program of Christian education in the future.

Recent research such as the Study of Generations suggests
that Scripture knowledge is a positive factor. In its materials
the Board encourages continued and deepened Bible study by
even greater numbers, especially adults.

B. Research Projects Completed During Past Biennium

1. Comparison of teachers who attended the Church School
Teachers Convention in Washington and those who field tested the
Mission:Life curriculum in 1970-71

Teachers in the field test program as well as those attending
the Washington convention were less authoritarian and more
open to change than those in Dr. Earl Gaulke’s study of church
school teachers in 1968. Since the differences seldom reached
the level of statistical significance it may be that they actually
reflect a change in society rather than a difference in people.

The finding should reassure potential users of Mission: Life
that the material can easily be handled by the kind of teachers
who attend church school teachers conventions.