, 1922-10-19
BIG QUESTIONS
DISCUSSED IN
LUTHERAN MEET
Third Biennial Convention of
United Church in Progress
This Week at Buffalo,

ITO third biennial convention Of
ne United Lutheran Church in
America. which IL being held In Holy
Trinity church. Buffalo. y. =. from
October Il to 20. viii DO beyond any
doubt one OF the most important re-
liKious meetings in the United States
this e This Is because the young
EST OF the great MERGE denominA-
ttonal boCtes has before It the solu-
ton OF problems OF sufficien. import
anos TO enlist the interest Of church
members throughout the United
States.
What attitude the United Lutheran
church shall take towsrd interdenom.
national unionizing movements
promises 20 DO the outstanding CUES
ton 10 be discussed. During the ten
days OF the convention many reports
Of boards and committees Will be
adopted or rejected upon the early
decisions on this RIl-absorhinR topic.
The president DE-. T. II. Xnubei.
will touch upon this question in his
convention sermon. and the execu-
tive board has embodied IN its report
an outline OF principles ahc poll
cIes involved. The exact relation OF
the church TO the Federal Council OF
Churches. the World Conference on
Faith and Order, and the Universal
Conference on Life and Work. Is to
be established. The Boards OF Home
Missions and Foreign Missions N
Education are now associated with
other CHURCH bodies IN specialized
interdenominational wrk. Whether
this practice Is to be EXTENDED or dis
continued is the problem for tho onc
thousand delegates At Buffalo to de-
eide.
The United lutheran church was
formed In New York City IN 1918
through the merging OF three synod
ical groups-the general council, the
general synod, and the united synod
OF the south. Numerically It is the
larxest Lutheran body in America.
Statistics show n baptized member
ship of 1.250.o0o and a confirmed or
active membership OF over $40 900. II
~ composed Of SO constituent synods
reacfdng into practically every state
and having churches In canada and
the West Incies. Its educational
system comprises Is s%eminaries. 20
colleges I academies, with a total
valuation of $4,000, 900. Its foreign
misslon work is conducted In Afric-.
India. Japan and South America, with
an annunl expenditure totaiing $780,
GEO. The total value OF church prop
erty and endowment IS $50, geo. 600.
The United Lutheran church.
through It's synodicnl constituents. IL
the Oldest Lutheran body in America.
II dates back 10 the time Then the
TNr.tlh TarFka-s~u suAfffrd In Now
York. in 1923. nd the Swedish Luth-
Grams settled on the Delaware in
1888, and the Saizburgers came to
Georgia and the Carolinns In 1854.
Two conventions OF the United Lu-
thsran church have so far been held
the first in New York City IN No
vember, 1918, the church being organ
lied amid the shouts and rejoicings
of Armistice day, and the second in
1890, in Washington. d. c.. The
first biennium was devoted largely
TO. correlating tho boards and oom-
mlttees OF the combining synods. The
scsond has been one of reaching out
ana expanding. The progress Of the
paet two years has proven beyond a
doubt the success of n Of the first
large scale experiments in the direc-
ton OF united Christianity.
The officers OF the Organization for
the biennium Just passed are preai-
dent. DR.. Frederick H. Knubel. for
twenty-five years pastor of the
Church of tho Atonement New York
City; secretary. DR.. NJ. G. G. Scherer,
formerly OF Charleston. s. c., repre-
senting the United Synod of the
South: treasurer, f. Clarence Miller
OF Bioren & Co. Bankers. Philadei-
phia. one of the two laymen who