The Lutheran visitor. (Columbia, S.C.) 1869-1904, February 06, 1902, Image 1
ZTbe Xutberan IDiettoi
GOD’S WORD, OUR RULK ; CHRIST, OUR PATT1RV ; ▲ PURX FAITH, OUR WATCHWORD.
VOL. XXXVI—No. 6 NEWBERRY, S. C. ( THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1902. Whol* No. 1705
UNRILIABLK OEHERAL COUNCIL
FIGURES
“But while Dr. Carroll is not a
good interpreter of Lutheran
statistics, he is not: to be blamed
for reporting losses where there
were doubtless large gains. .Thus
the General Council is represented
as having lost 9,838 members dur
ing the year, when there is every
reason to believe that there use a
conaiderable gain. As noted some
time ago, three of the larger bodies
of the Conncil, the Ministerioms of
Pennsylvania and New York, and
the Pittsburg Synod, are credited
with tosaea aggregating nearly
15,000 As the secretaries of there
three bodies have confessed, there
was so much negligence and lack
of completeness in the parochial
reports as to draw from them the
sutement of their utter unre
liability ; and the Conncil has these
Bynods to thank for the impression
which ontsiders will have as to its
seeming crab like progress. If, as
the minntea show, the Pennsylvania
Ministerinm has lost 27 congre
gations, and the New York 22,
where have they gene tot There
was simply no such thing (with
perhaps a few exceptions in New
York state) as a loss in congre
gations or members; but the records
were inaccurate and incomplete,
and Dr. Carroll and alt who shall
read bis statistics are, of course,
not expected to know that. The
point we wish to make is simply
this: If we do not want tie
General Conncil to go on record
before the conntry as declining or
moving backward, all the Synods
must take this matter of statistics
carefully in hand and make them
tell a true story hereafter.”
The above appears in last week’s
I “ Lutheran” in connection with
' some disension of Dr. Carroll’s
^ “statistics of the cbnrches in the
United States.” We need bnt
make a change in names and
figures in order tc apply the same
to the United Synod. The care-
- Isssness manifested in the parochial
reports submitted to our sypods
(or not submitted) can hardly be
too severely censured. The most
rat-eless among these who are
responsible of these reports, true
to human nature, often seek to
shift the blame by finding fault
with the blank form, but there is
proof abundant that tbs fsnlt is
not there, when those who are
csrefnl fill the whole reports with
ont tronble or confusion, and the
babitoally careless fail to record
the simplest statistics The blank
forms may bs far from the best we
might have, bnt the real reason
for onr incorrect statistics is not
defect in form. We can have
reliable atatiaties. We ongbt to
have reliable ones or none. Onr
shortcomings in Ibis particnlar are
inexcusable and sinful.
W. H. G.
CATICH1ZATION.
The value a-,d importance of
catech<xition are admitted by all
Lotberan pastor*. Bat many have
more or less d'fflculty in accom
pliabiog the end desired Doubt
less, the most formidable obstacle
that the average pastor has to over
come is the indifference of both
parents and children
Bnt I venture to make a few com-
meets upon one difficulty in cate
chisttiou in large and scattered
country pastoiates. Many conntry
pastors appreciate the value of
catechizition, bnt how to accom-
piish anything in the catechizition
of the children ia the difficult pro
blem. Bo many appointments,
they say,make it impracticable to do
efficient catechizition. The same
with equal force might be said of
the public preaching of tbe Word,
only once a month, and sometimes
not that. Bat they continue to
preach monthly, believing that
one-fonath of a loaf is better than
no loaf at all. And so we contend
in the matter of catechizition. In a
pastorate of fonr or more congre
gations it is impossible to give as
much catechetical instruction as in
concentrated work. But may not
as much catechetical instruction be
given in proportion to the public
preaching of the Word! The pub
lic preaching of the word is essen
tial to the vitality or the church.
as essential is the instruction
ot tbe yonng of thechnrch whether
in the f itn>ly, in tbe Bnnday school,
in tbe catechetical class, or from
thepalpit. Bat those of experience,
competent to judge, tell ns that
nothing is so effectosl in establish
ing the faith in tbe yonng as cate-
ehizttion by the pastor or some
one equally as competent. If par
ents were always consecrated and
themselves well instructed and
founded, public caterbisation
might oe dispensed with without
serions loss. Bnt, alas I
Bnt this is a diversion If a
country pastor cannot have cat)-
ebiEttion weekly six months of
every year, might he not, say,
have in one congregation at a time,
weekly catec^ismon for about
three moutbsT If tbe children
were for only tbree months direct-
tion nnder tbe teaching of the pas
tor they woald be vastly better off
spiritually. The pastor wonld
thus learn more folly the spiritual
wants of his yonog people, sod
they wonld learn to know him as
their friend, pastor and spititnsi
adviser. And they wonld thus
learn things abont the Bible and
tbe cbnrch that they would not
aoon learn otherwise. There is a
great deal said abont the profit and
even necessity of "special efforts
for coaversion of sinners." I for
one admit that there is force in the
argument. But suppose the en
ergy expended in one of these
protracted services be expended
for abont tbree months in going
from house to bouse in gathering
the yonng in a catechetical class
once a week.
This might not be necessary in
each congregation every year.
There might be periods of two and
three years when there would be
no children needing immediate at
tention. This wonld mean more
or less bard work. Bnt is not
there bard work in all successful
church workf
I would suggest that more than
one hour be spent in sneb catechet
ical work in tbe country. As in
tbe day school, let there be one or
two recesses. I have been told
that one of the sainted Henkela
would begin catechetical instruc
tion early in the morning and con-
tinne all day. This aonld, to
some-extent, bn attaching to re
ligious instruction the importance
that we attach to secular inttrue
tion.
An advan'sg-i of this partial
work in catecbizstion would t>e
that tbe young would grow up
with tbe idea that eateebization ia
tbe thing to be desired and aimed
at. They wonld not have the ix-
aiuple of their pastor against cate
ohisation.
In this d.fflonlt and desirable
work church (ffl^er* and parents
should cooperate heartily and «p
provingly with tbepsator.
One word more. Tbe assertion
is tometimea made that catechist
tion is only intellectasl know!
edge, sod bs* nothing to do with
the heart. This is douotless true
of some pastor's work—the char
acter of bis pnlpit work and his
general psutorsl work Tbe pas
tir who neglects the eiitnre of the
heart in catechist'in will be
guilty of the stme » lesbere. I
dare say tbe pastor i over ba* a
better opportunity of r-ttiog at tbe
h'art than in the catedi icai Haas.
Tbe truth sown in tbe heart,
whether from ratechization or from
the pnlpit, will bear ita fruit.
Bigma Tan.
MEETING OF UNITED SYNOD.
The Eighth Convention of the
United Bynod of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in the Booth will
bs held in St. John’s Lntheran
cbnrcb, Charleston, S C , Rev.
J W Uorine, pastor, beginning
Wednesday, May 7, 1902. The
opening o( synod will take place
at II o’clock a. in
Reduced rates will not be asked
of the railroads, as delegates can
avail themselves of the Exposition
rates, which will be cheaper and
more convenient.
M. G. G. Scherer,
Sec’y.
The peace of Goe which passetb
ail understanding is the heritage
of believing souls.