Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 1975 · 51st Convention › Page 291
LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 291

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

HIGHER EDUCATION

and type of program for which the student is registered, differ
from state to state. Additionally in a majority of the schools 60
percent or more of the enrollment is receiving some kind of
scholarship or aid in addition to state tuition grants.

The number of students working part time while attending
college is rather substantial. Though the percentage of students
who do not work at any kind of paying job while attending
college varies from 51 percent down to 13 percent, a high per-
centage work from 10 to 20 hours per week.

In analyzing the background of students in terms of a popu-
lation center in which they were raised, each institution has its
own peculiar characteristics. However, it is noteworthy that a
fairly high percentage at all colleges, except Bronxville, Fort
Wayne, and Milwaukee, come from rural areas or communities
of less than 25,000 population. At the other end of the spectrum,
colleges with more than 40 percent of their enrollment coming
from communities in excess of 250,000 population include Austin,
Edmonton, Milwaukee, and Fort Wayne.

Financial Support of The LCMS System

From the beginning, including the articles of agreement
transferring the Perry County institution to St. Louis, a course
was set by The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod which indi-
cated that students preparing for service to the Lutheran min-
istry would be the beneficiaries of legacies, gifts, and congre-
gational support. This policy is interwoven throughout the his-
tory of synodical support.

In 1850 a policy of free tuition for pastoral training students
was established, but all others were to be charged tuition de-
termined by the faculty and the board of control. In 1920 a rec-
ommendation was adopted that the Synod set a fee for non-
ministerial students and also that a payment was to be assessed
for every student who dropped out of the institution. In 1938
the Synod reaffirmed the original character of its institutions
as schools of the church to be preserved at any cost and that
expansion or extension of courses should be granted only so
long as they did not interfere with the prime purpose of the
schools. The 1944 convention resolved that the operating costs
of general education and coeducation must be borne locally
by student fees, supporting organizations, and so forth, and
that the Synod would in no way contribute to the support of
general education. It was resolved that a cost accounting system
segregating the various costs be set up and that payment be
made to the Synod for costs in excess of those required to main-
tain the institution as a preministerial or teacher training school.

As early as 1950 the Synod was forced to require students
to assume more of the cost of education and developed the
philosophy that non-academically related operating expenses
would have to be borne from funds collected from students or
supporting agencies. In 1953 the Synod instructed the Board for
Higher Education to direct all colleges and seminaries to con-
duct such auxiliary activities on a self-supporting basis.

It ean be concluded that throughout the history of the synod-
ical educational system general education students were to be
supported by tuition charges or local supporting agencies but
that they were to be welcomed and encouraged to attend. It is
also obvious from the history of Missouri Synod higher education
that repeated attempts have been made to utilize general edu-
cation students as a method of bringing college enrollments to
a more optimum size and thereby as a source of financial sup-
port for the institution. Continual efforts have been made to
change most or all of the colleges into 4-year general education
institutions able to enroll large numbers of non-church work
students to support a more efficient program that would provide
opportunities for future lay leaders in the church.

Congregational Membership Contribution

Congregational membership contributions rose from $177
million to $291 million during the period 1963—73. During the
same period contributions for “home” purposes rose from $137
million to $235 million. Contributions for at-large purposes rose
from $40 million to $56 million, but of that total contributions
used for the work of the Synod rose from $22.9 million to nearly
$26 million, and then declined to $24.3 million in 1973 and to
$22.8 million in 1974. Congregational contributions retained
for home purposes increased from 77 to 81 percent of total con-
tributions during this period. The percentages of at-large con-
tributions made available to the Synod has decreased by 13

8

160 |
MILLIONS 6

“Millions

291

180 |

170

150

1963 1964 1965

1966

1967

AT LARGE COD

1968

1963 -

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1965 156+ 1965

1466

1367

1965

1969

1970

1971 1972 1973