Lutheran families obtain no instruction in religion except that which is
given in the Sunday School and in the belated and abbreviated hours of
catechetical instruction.

A movement is now going on in this city and throughout the United States
aiming at a restoration of religious education to the functions of the
church. For the sake of our children ought we not heartily to cooperate
with a movement which so truly represents the principles for which we
stand? It will require a considerable addition to the teaching force of
our churches. It will mean an expensive reconstruction of our
schoolrooms. It will cost money. But it will be worth while.


The Problem of Lapsed Lutherans

There are four hundred thousand lapsed Lutherans in New York, nearly
three times as many as enrolled members of the churches.

A lapsed Lutheran is one who was once a member, but for some reason has
slipped the cable that connected him with the church. He still claims to
be a Lutheran but he is not enrolled as a member of a particular
congregation.

Most lapsed Lutherans are of foreign origin. From figures compiled by
Dr. Laidlaw (see "Federation," Vol. 6, No. 4), we obtain the number of
Protestants of foreign origin, enumerated according to the country of
birth of parents, one parent or both. The number of Lutherans we obtain
by subtracting from the "Protestants" the estimated number of
non-Lutherans. Thus: