# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1853 11 09_S41
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Der Lutheraner.

"God's Word and Luther's doctrine shall pass away nevermore." (Rev. John, ch. 14, v. 6. 7.)

Published by the German Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other States.

Edited by C. F. W. Walther.

Volume 10.  St. Louis, Mo., November 9, 1853.  No. 6.

Terms: Der Lutheraner appears once every two weeks at the yearly subscription price of One Dollar for out-of-town subscribers, who are to pay for it in advance and bear the postage. - In St. Louis each single number is sold for 5 cents. Only those letters which contain communications for the paper are to be sent to the editor; all others, which contain business matters, orders, cancellations, money, etc., are to be sent hither under the address Mr. F. W. Barthel, care of C. F. W. Walther, St. Louis, Mo.

Lutheran Bible Society.

Since the 24th of April of this year there has existed here in the West a Bible society, the nature and aim of which may be plainly seen from its constitution, which follows below. We communicate this constitution to our readers, being requested to do so by the society, with the wish that elsewhere also the need of such a union for the spread of the Bible in good editions may be recognized, and that not only the formation of branch societies in the circle here, but also of independent societies in other parts of our German-American Lutheran Church may be occasioned and called into life. We now give the

Constitution

of the German Evangelical Lutheran Central Bible Society for Missouri, Illinois and Iowa.

Chapter 1.

Name and Purpose of the Society.

§1. The name of the society is: "The German Evangelical Lutheran Central Bible Society for Missouri, Illinois and Iowa, in St. Louis, Mo."

§2. The society has for its purpose to promote the spread of German Bibles and New Testaments, in complete and correct editions, if possible with good summaries and parallel passages, in good print and paper and in durable binding.

Chapter 2.

Conditions of Membership.

§3. Only Lutherans, and indeed only such as are communicants, can become members of the society and remain so, as long as they are such.

§4. Every member of the society has to pay a contribution of at least two cents per month.

§5. The subscription of a regular contribution obligates one for at least a quarter of a year to the payment of this contribution. At each quarterly meeting a member may change the amount of his regular contribution for the next quarter.

§6. Whoever during a quarter does not pay his regular contribution, without having excused himself for it, thereby ceases to be a member of the society. Those who nevertheless wish to remain members must apply anew for readmission.

§7. Members who have withdrawn or been excluded have no claim to repayment of contributions formerly paid in, or to a share in the possession of the goods of the society.

Chapter 3.

External Organization of the Society.

§8. For the conduct of current business the society elects the following officers: a chairman, a deputy of the same, a secretary, a treasurer, who is at the same time the chief agent of the society, and for the city of St. Louis four commissioners and four collectors.

§9. The officers are all elected for a term of three years, and indeed in the meeting which is held on the Sunday after Michaelmas [see §13.], by majority of votes of the members present.

§10. After the lapse of every three months a meeting of the members of the society takes place, namely: on the Sunday after Epiphany, after Easter, after St. John's day and after Michaelmas. At each of these meetings an account is rendered and common deliberation is held over all affairs of the society.

§11. Every meeting is opened and closed with prayer; the pastor for the time being in whose district the meeting is held is requested to offer it.

§12. In every year on the 22nd of September, as the day of the completion of the translation of the New Testament in the year 1522, the society holds a Bible festival.