conception of life and the world, and multitudes of those who were
nominally connected with the church have long since repudiated the
teachings of Christianity.

It is a tremendous problem that confronts us, the evangelization of four
hundred thousand Lutherans. If for no other reason, because of its
magnitude and because of its appeal to our denominational
responsibility, it is a problem worth solving. But it is a challenge to
our Christianity and it should stimulate us to an intense study of its
possible solution.

Ministers can contribute much toward its solution. It is true our hands
are full and more than full with the ordinary care of our flocks. But
our office constantly brings us into association with this large outer
fringe of our congregations at times when their hearts are responsive to
anything that we may have to say. We meet them at weddings and at
funerals. We baptize their children and we bury their dead. Once in a
while some of them even come to church. In spite of all their wanderings
and intellectual idiosyncrasies they still claim to be Christians. And
whatever their own attitude toward Christianity may be, there are few
who do not desire to have their children brought up in the Christian
faith. We have before us an open door.

The churches can do more than they are doing now to win these lapsed
Lutherans. Some people are kept out of church through no fault of their
own. For example, the rented pew system, still in vogue in some
congregations, is an effective means of barring out visitors. Few care
to force themselves into the precincts of a private club even if it
bears the name of a church.