Training in New Recruits by W. A. S.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 21, 1910

Training in New Recruits

By W. A. S.

An Incentive to Hasten on the Big Fund

In a recent letter from Korea, Elder C. L. Butterfield, the superintendent, speaks as follows of plans for the development of their Korean workers:—

Our workers’ institute has just closed. Six native workers were in attendance. We studied here together for one month, having studies in the morning; and in the afternoon the workers went out visiting the people and inviting them to the evening meeting. In this way they were putting into practise what they were learning, and I believe that it was a great help to them. They seemed to appreciate very much the help given, and now go out to their work better prepared than ever before.

Our native workers have all connected with some of us foreigners as our helpers. I have two helpers now, and hope to have another in a short time. Each of the other workers has one helper. One of our native workers acts as foreman in our printing-office. By working in this way we shall be able to help the native workers more, and can keep track of what they are doing better than we could in the past, when we sent them off by themselves to work.

We have divided the territory among the foreign workers, and they will all have their helpers. We each have large territories, and there are millions of people who have not heard of this truth as yet. So it means that we must work and train workers as fast as possible.

This is the plan on which our missionaries generally wish to operate. It is the plan that will enable us to spread over the vast territory most rapidly. Dr. Judson’s counsel in this matter, in the early days of his work in Burma, was:—

I have now five native assistants, who spend an hour with me every morning, in reporting the labors of the preceding day, in receiving instructions, and in praying together. These men penetrate every lane and corner of this place and the neighboring villages; and since I have adopted this plan,—about four months,—there are some very encouraging appearances. As soon as I get through with the Old Testament complete, I want to double their number, and devote part of my time to instructing them systematically. . . . This is the way in which I think missions ought to be conducted. One missionary, or two, at most, ought to be stationed in every important central place, to collect a church and an interest around him; to set the native wheels to work, and to keep them at work.

To effect this, training-schools are needed to equip the local talent for the service with the missionary in the field station. These training centers will spring up in many a mission district, simple and plain, but practical, as we in the older fields are able to supply the means. The $300,000 Fund is to do this very work of providing training facilities to turn out hundreds of the youth of the mission lands into the field of service. Let us hurry the fund in and the workers out.

W. A. S.