LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 1975, Page 348

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

348 HIGHER EDUCATION

ferently from its Stateside educational institutions (1971 Con-
vention Workbook. BHE Report. pp. 282—85): and

WHEREAS. More Canadian youth preparing for the pro-
fessional ministries of the church are remaining in Canada to
complete their training: and

WHEREAS. Canadian Lutherans should be encouraged to
develop and to support their own training programs for pro-
fessional church workers in the light of Canadian needs: and

WHEREAS, There is an emerging desire on the part of Lu-
therans in Canada to have an autonomous Lutheran Church:
therefore be it

Resolved. That study be given to transfer responsibility of
ownership and of operating institutions of higher education to
a Canadian corporation; and be it further

Resolved. That study be given to electing from the Lutheran
constituency in Canada members of Boards of Control for these
institutions: and be it finally

Resolved. That the LCMS authorize a study group to review
these concerns with a pan-Lutheran task force on education
in Canada and to report to the next synodical convention.

Christ The King Lutheran Church
Edmonton, Alta., Canada
R. Anderson. Secretary

6-101

To Encourage Canadians to Assume
Control of Edmonton

WHEREAS, One of the chief purposes of Concordia College,
Edmonton is to prepare people to serve within the church in
Canada: and

WHEREAS, Canadians are the ones who both benefit and are
aware of the needs of the Canadian church: therefore be it

Resolved. That the Lutheran Church-— Missouri Synod en-
courage Canadian Lutherans to assume both the responsibility
for support of the college and the control of its direction.

Riverbend Lutheran Church
Edmonton, Alta.
P. H. Schmidt, Pastor

6-102

To Deal with Canadian Higher
Education
Preamble

During the last 2 years a number of things have occurred
which have caused concern among Lutherans in western
Canada—especially as regards synodical funding, higher edu-
cation, and Concordia College, Edmonton.

First on the list of concerns is that of finances. Over a year
ago it was evident that synodical funding was experiencing
difficulty and that alternative funding would be necessary for
some of the Synod’s programs. The Board of Control at Con-
cordia, Edmonton, concluded that it should help alleviate some
of the concerns over funding and that it could help by acquiring
personnel to study alternative funding sources. Consequently
the board hired a director of development.

At the same time the Synod’s Task Force on Higher Educa-
tion began its study into the nature and purpose of each of the
Synod’s schools—ineluding Concordia, Edmonton. As of the
present, their recommendations as regards Concordia, Edmon-
ton, are unknown. Nevertheless, one of the major concerns of
the Task Force is that of alternative funding for part of the
synodical system of Higher Education.

The attached memorials are designed to aid the movement
towards alternative funding as regards Concordia, Edmonton.
The memorials imply that before alternative sources can be
tapped, direction and control of the college must be changed.
(Concordia, Edmonton, is in Canada; and while it is obvious,
it must be repeated that Canada is a different country, thereby

making Concordia, Edmonton, unique among the 16 synodical
institutions of higher education.) These memorials suggest a
two-step process:

1) the transfer of responsibility and control to the Board
of Directors of the Alberta-British Columbia District: and

2) the guarantee that members of the college’s Board of
Control be elected by Canadians.

The result of passage of these memorials would be that the
Alberta-British Columbia District, acting as the corporate arm
of The Lutheran Church -— Missouri Synod in Canada, would
have the responsibility which now resides with the synodical
Board for Higher Education, and that the Board of Control
members would continue to be elected at synodical conventions
except that ballots would be cast only by voting delegates from
Canada.

I

WHEREAS, The Synod has in convention asserted that ‘‘the
plans and problems associated with the development of an
indigenous Canadian ministry require that the future of Edmon-
ton be considered apart from the long-range plans for the
synodical schools in the United States’ (1962 Reports and Me-
morials, BHE Report, p. 55: 1965 Convention Workbook, BHE
Report, p. 195: 1969 Convention Workbook, BHE Report, p.
252:): and

WHEREAS, The synodical Board for Higher Education has
for a number of years been attempting to have high schools
become the responsibility of the local community: and

WHEREAS, Student enrollment at Concordia, Edmonton, is
approximately 75% high school and 25% college: and

WHEREAS, Fewer and fewer Canadians are willing to spend
their remaining undergraduate years at the synodical schools
in the United States, thereby indicating an emerging national-
ism: and

WHEREAS, Concordia’s development in academic areas faces
problems peculiar to Canada's system of higher education: and

WHEREAS, Canadians need and should be encouraged to
direct, develop, and support their own training program for
professional church workers in light of Canada’s needs: and

WHEREAS, Many Canadian individuals and foundations will
grant funds only to Canadian-operated and -controlled institu-
tions: and

WHEREAS, The Articles of Incorporation of the A-BC District
give responsibility to the Board of Directors of the District,
among other things, ‘‘to help to establish and maintain parochial
schools, colleges, seminaries, and other institutions of learning
to properly educate and prepare persons for the ministry and
for teaching in parochial schools”: and

WHEREAS, Title to the land of Concordia College, Edmonton,
is held in the name of the A-BC District: therefore be it

Resolved. That the responsibility and control regarding
higher education now held by the BHE as explained in Section
VI of the Bylaws in the Handbook of the Synod be turned over to
the Board of Directors of the A-BC District: and be it further

Resolved, That subsidy from the BHE to Concordia College,
Edmonton, be slowly diminished in a manner acceptable to the
synodical BHE and the A-BC District Board of Directors after
consultation with the Board of Control of Concordia College.

II

WHEREAS, The present manner in which the delegates
to the synodical convention vote allows for the rather unusual
circumstance that people in Brazil vote for people to serve on
a Board of Control in Canada and vice versa: and

WHEREAS, The Synod has recognized that Canada has needs
peculiar to Canada (1971 Convention Workbook. BHE Report,
pp. 282—85): and

WHEREAS, Canadians should be encouraged to assume more
and more their responsibility in Canadian Lutheran higher
education: and

WHEREAS, Canadians should determine their own directions
in Canadian Lutheran higher education: therefore be it

Resolved. That the synodical convention Committee on