- Collection Number: A-0003
- Collection Size: 3.1 linear feet
HISTORICAL NOTE
At the 1926 convention, the Synod declared that the fiscal officers of each district meet annually with the Board of Directors to decide the annual budget, to review its financial situation and to help the districts solve their financial problems. This began the Fiscal Conference, whose membership included the district presidents and one of each district’s financial officers. The Synod charged the Board of Directors and the Fiscal Conference with setting the annual synodical budget.
Prior to this there was no budgeting procedure in place. Each department often held its own treasury, and the Synod approved special allotments at conventions. By 1924 the financial secretary realized the need for a more comprehensive, uniform and centralized fund-raising procedure. Mr. Theodore Eckhart called a meeting in St. Louis of district financial officers for this purpose in October 1924.
By 1956 the Fiscal Conference membership included the president, the vice presidents, the Board of Directors, the district presidents and two additional representatives from each district. The Synod required one of these representatives to be a fiscal officer and one to be a layman. Each triennium the conference elected a chairman from among the vice presidents and a secretary. The Synod paid all meeting expenses. The Fiscal Conference fixed the synodical budget after the Board of Directors submitted a recommendation to them.
The 1961 Fiscal Conference recommended to the 1962 convention that changes be made in the process used to determine the Synod’s budget and programs. The most important reasons included the following: the growth of the Synod, the need to bring income and expenditures into closer balance, changes in district budgeting practices and specific suggestions submitted by the 1960 Stewardship Conference. The 1962 convention approved the resolution to form the Work Program Conference and to dissolve the Fiscal Conference.
For more information please see the Synodical Handbook and the LCMS. Work Program Records.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The collection consists primarily of minutes, prospectuses and reports generated for the annual meetings of the Fiscal Conference. These reports are in chronological order in eight bound volumes.
There are some related materials bound with these reports such as minutes of stewardship conferences. There are also some documents entitled “Visitors and Fiscal Conference.” The circuit visitors (later, “counselors”) played an integral part in raising funds for the districts. Therefore, they were invited to attend the Fiscal Conference.
There are some additional reports, meeting exhibits, minutes, correspondence and miscellaneous financial documents located in folders. The folders and the documents within the folders are arranged in chronological order.
FOLDER LIST
BOX 1
f. 1926: Exhibits
f. 1927-1928: Correspondence, Minutes
f. 1929-1934: Correspondence
f. 1935: Exhibits
f. 1936: Bulletin
f. 1941-1956: from Board for World Missions
f. 1944: Prospectus
f. 1945-1947: miscellaneous
f. 1948: Prospectus
f. 1949: Minutes
f. 1950: Budget Analysis
f. 1954: Budget Requests
f. 1954: Program
f. 1954: Prospectus
f. 1955: miscellaneous
f. 1957: miscellaneous
f. 1958: miscellaneous
BOX 2
f. 1960: 1961 Budget Meeting (1 June 1960)
f. 1960: Counselor Cabinet Conference
f. 1960: miscellaneous
f. 1960-1961: Budget Committee Minutes
f. 1961: Correspondence
f. 1961: Minutes of the District Fiscal Officers
f. 1962: Exhibits
BOUND VOLUMES
v.1 1926-1935 MINUTES OF FISCAL CONFERENCE
v.2 1936-1938 FISCAL CONFERENCE REPORTS
v.3 1939-1944 FISCAL CONFERENCE REPORTS
v.4 1945-1952 FISCAL CONFERENCE REPORTS
v.5 1953-1955 FISCAL CONFERENCE REPORTS
v.6 1956-1958 FISCAL CONFERENCE REPORTS
v.7 1959-1961 FISCAL CONFERENCE REPORTS
v.8 1962-1964 FISCAL CONFERENCE REPORTS
