LUTHEEANS. 



519 



* Withdrew from the Synodical Conference in September, 1881. 



Increase during the year, 125 pastors, 182 

 congregations, and 37,884 communicants. 



The " Kalender " enumerates as belonging 

 to or connected with the several branches of 

 the Lutheran Church, 20 theological semina- 

 ries, 16 colleges, 23 seminaries and academies, 

 14 seminaries for young women, 33 benevolent 

 institutions (for orphans, the infirm, sick, and 

 immigrants), and 78 periodical publications, of 

 which 28 are in the German, 26 in the Eng- 

 lish, 6 in the Swedish, and 18 in the Norwegian 

 and Danish languages. The General Council 

 and the General Synod have each a committee 

 of foreign missions and a committee of home 

 missions ; the Missouri Synod has a freedmen's 

 mission, and the Swedish Augustana Synod has 

 a mission among the Indians. 



The growth of the Lutheran Church in the 

 United States has been very rapid, in conse- 

 quence of the accessions by immigration. In 

 1823 there were returned 178 pastors and 900 

 congregations; in 1845, 22 synods, 538 pas- 

 tors, 1,307 congregations, and 135,629 com- 

 municants; in 1860, 36 synods, 1,193 pastors, 

 2,279 congregations, and 232,780 communi- 

 cants; in 1865,42 synods, 1,559 pastors, 2,825 

 congregations, and 310,677 communicants; in 

 1870, 48 synods, 2,016 pastors, 3,330 congre- 

 gations, and 396,567 communicants ; in 1875, 

 53 synods, 2,546 pastors, 4,559 congregations, 

 and 559,119 communicants; and in 1880, 58 

 synods, 3,087 pastors, 5,376 congregations, and 

 689,195 communicants. 



The thirtieth biennial convention of the Gen- 

 eral Synod met at Altoona, Pennsylvania, June 

 8th. Delegates were present from twenty- 

 two synods, leaving two synods unrepresented. 

 Professor Charles A. Hay, D. D., of Gettys- 

 burg, Pennsylvania, was chosen president. 

 The attention of the synod was given princi- 

 pally to the consideration of the interests of its 

 benevolent enterprises and boards. The Board 

 of Church Extension reported that its receipts 

 for two years had been $20,901, of which 

 $6,097 had been received for general funds and 

 $14,804 in the form of special gifts. Recom- 

 mendations that permission be no more granted 

 to congregations to appeal to the churches for 

 their own behalf except through the board, and 

 that all funds contributed for church extension 

 be paid to the treasury of the board and adopt- 

 ed by it, were approved by the synod. The 

 Board of Publication had received from sales 

 during two years and nine months, $98,822 ; 

 it was out of debt, and was possessed of assets 

 having a net value of $47,751. The Theological 

 Seminary at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, had a 

 productive endowment of $80,000, yielding a 

 revenue of from three to four per cent, with 

 an unproductive endowment of $20,000, and 

 reported thirty-seven students in its classes. 

 The synod decided to establish without un- 

 necessary delay an institution for exclusively 

 German theological education, to be situated 

 for the present at Carthage, Illinois, and to be 

 under the control of a board of directors ap- 



