426 



LUTHERANS. 



logical seminaries, 10 colleges, 7 academies, 10 or- 

 phanages, and 9 institutions of mercy. 



The morning sessions of the convention were de- 

 voted to the discussion of a thesis on " Church Prac- 

 tices," prepared and presented by Prof. August L. 

 Graebner, of the St. Louis theological faculty. 

 Business matters occupied the attention of the con- 

 vention in the afternoon sessions. The mission 

 among the freedmen of the South, carried on by 

 the conference, received a large amount of atten- 

 tion. Thirty-two missionaries are supported, who 

 have under their care 52 congregations, and 35 

 schools have been established and are supported in 

 the Southern States. The congregations have a 

 membership of 10,000. Seven new chapels were re- 

 ported to be a necessity for the prosecution of this 

 work, and the Board of Missions was authorized to 

 secure means and build the chapels as soon as pos- 

 sible. Missionary operations are also carried on 

 among the Indians, including the maintenance of 

 schools for the training of the young. The work of 

 inner or home missions occupied much of the time 

 of the convention. These missionary operations are 

 carried on among the Germans in many of the States 

 and Territories, notably in the Eastern and the ex- 

 treme Western States. The statistics for 1896 are 

 not yet at hand ; but in 1895 the amount expended 

 for this work aggregated $48,011.04. The amount 

 expended in 1896 for the same work is rather more, 

 as the work is constantly advancing. The next 

 convention will be held in Cincinnati, Ohio, in Au- 

 gust, 1898. 



(jeneral Council. Although this general body 

 held no convention during the year, yet numerous 

 events that deserve to be noticed took place. The 

 Ministerium of Pennsylvania, the oldest and largest 

 of its synods, is preparing for the celebration of its 

 sesquicentennial in 1898, and is at the same time 

 pushing the missionary, educational, and benevo- 

 lent operations on its territory. The General Coun- 

 cil itself has assumed the publication of an official 

 organ and its own Sunday-school literature in the 

 English language. Its home-missionary operations 

 English, German, and Swedish extend from the 

 Atlantic to the Pacific coast, and up into Manitoba 

 and Nova Scotia in the Dominion of Canada. Its 

 educational and benevolent operations are widening 

 out and becoming stronger from year to year. The 

 present year has witnessed great progress in these 

 interests all along the line. There are under the 

 control of synods connected with this general body 

 3 theological seminaries, 7 colleges, 4 academies, 12 

 orphanages, and 26 other benevolent institutions. 

 The benevolent contributions for the year that have 

 gone through the regular Church channels amount 

 to $265,214.35. 



The 14 independent synods have a membership of 

 nearly 400,000 communicants; they support 1,890 

 parochial schools, 1,169 teachers, and 81,769 pupils; 

 2.079 Sunday schools, with 5,881 officers and teachers, 

 and 95,466 scholars. The benevolent contributions 

 of the congregations amounted to $197,546.25. These 

 synods carry on their own educational, missionary, 

 and benevolent operations. Of these, the Joint 

 Synod of Ohio, which has a membership of 85,000 

 communicants, held its thirty-first biennial con- 

 vention at Dayton, Ohio, Sept, 1-10, 1896. The 

 opening sermon was delivered by the president, 

 the Rev. Conrad H. L. Schuette, of Columbus, 

 Ohio. Reports were received and acted on from 

 the 8 district synods, from the various boards, and 

 from the 4 educational institutions supported by 

 this body. A proposition_was made to consolidate 

 the 4 theological seminaries at Columbus, Ohio ; 

 St. Paul, Minn.: Woodville, Ohio; and Hickory, 

 N. C. and establish one strong and well-equipped 

 institution, but a large majority maintained that 



the time had not yet come for this. The synod sup- 

 ports 53 missionaries in 20 States at an annual ex- 

 pense of $10,000. The benevolent contributions of 

 the congregations amounted to $46,380.28. 



Deaconess Conference. The first general Con- 

 ference of Lutheran Deaconess Mother Houses in 

 America was held, Sept. 16-18, 1896, in the Mary 

 J. Drexel Home for Deaconesses, Philadelphia, the 

 Rev. Carl Goedel, pastor. Wednesday evening, 

 Sept. 16, divine service was held, when the address 

 of welcome was delivered by the pastor, and the 

 Rev. Prof. Adolph Spaeth, D. D., LL. D., delivered 

 the opening sermon. On the following morning the 

 first business session was held. The Rev. Dr. Spaeth, 

 professor in the Lutheran Theological Seminary at 

 Mount Airy, Philadelphia, was elected president, 

 and the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah F. Ohl, director of the 

 Deaconess Home in Milwaukee, Wis., English sec- 

 retary, and the Rev. Carl Goedel German secretary. 

 Four' of the 6 existing mother houses united in the 

 organization of this general conference, and were 

 represented by delegates, to wit : Mary J. Drexel 

 Home, Philadelphia, Pa. ; Milwaukee Deaconess 

 Mother House. Milwaukee, Wis.; Immanuel Dea- 

 coness Institute, Omaha, Neb. ; and the mother 

 house of the General Synod, Baltimore, Md. The 

 convention was called for the purpose of establish- 

 ing a permanent bond of union among the deaconess 

 institutions of this country in connection with ths 

 Lutheran Church, and formulating the fundamental 

 principles of the female diaconate in the Church. 

 To this end the following theses, presented by Dr. 

 Spaeth and setting forth the fundamental principles 

 of this office, were discussed : 



" I. As evangelical Christians, we look to the 

 Word of God for a sound basis of the female diaco- 

 nate. We believe that this ministry of the Church 

 of Christ rests on a sure and indisputable Scripture 

 foundation. But at the same time, we freely admit 

 that the present form of this ministry can not be 

 traced in all its details to certain clearly defined 

 rules or precepts of the New Testament. In its 

 present organization the female diaconate is the 

 result of a growth and development in which we 

 recognize the sound Lutheran principle that nothing 

 can be tolerated in the Church of Christ that would 

 in any wise be in conflict with the Word of God, 

 but that there may be a great deal in the details of 

 the present character and modus operandi of the 

 female diaconate which can not be found directly 

 in certain Scripture passages. 



"II. The Scripture passages which speak directly 

 of women as recognized office bearers of the Church 

 as female Sid/cowi are very few indeed. With 

 Rom. xvi, 1, 2 and 1 Tim. iii, 11 their whole num- 

 ber is completed. 



" III. The office or ministry (Sicucovia) for the 

 building up and governing of the Church of Christ 

 is originally one, and only one the ministry of the 

 Word, committed to the apostles, bishops, presby- 

 ters, or pastors. 



" IV. At a very early time in the history of the 

 apostolic Church this ministry of the Word called 

 to its assistance certain helpers, with other gifts, 

 functions, and ministrations. These were appointed 

 for the support of the ministry of the Word, as the 

 circumstances might require for the ' daily minis- 

 trations.' 



" V. To this ministry of love during the apostolic 

 times women also were called, who, like Phrebe of 

 Cenchrea, served the congregation as female diako- 

 noi, thus becoming a succorer of many and even of 

 the apostle himself. 



" VI. The female diaconate is not a ministry of 

 the Word. We do not recognize or train deacon- 

 esses as preachers or evangelists. The New Testa- 

 ment nowhere makes provision for the ordinary 



