The Relation of the Church Missionary Secretary to the Church-Members
By E. M. GRAHAM
It is the duty of the missionary secretary to get every member of the church to do some missionary work regularly. It will take much tact and hard work to accomplish this, and more still to keep the members steadily at their work. But by the help of the Lord, it can be done. The missionary secretary should have a list of the members, and should keep it in a book that has room in it for notes on the circumstances of the members, the kind of work for which they seem best suited, or that they prefer, and other particulars that may prove helpful in working for them. This should frequently be studied, that none may be overlooked. It is a good thing to divide the membership of the church into bands, with a leader over each band, to help them to work. The bands should be small, five or six members to each leader. In arranging the bands, care should be taken to put those who live near one another in the same band, with a leader in the same district, for convenience of working. The leaders of the bands should be called together frequently, and should be expected to report what the members of their bands are doing. If any are not working, and can not be persuaded to work, the missionary secretary should assist the leader in working for these inactive ones. Sometimes a change to another band is all that is needed. Sometimes instruction is needed, sometimes encouragement. The missionary secretary should make a study of such cases, to see what the difficulty is, and be ready to give such advice and practical help as may be needed. The missionary secretary should have experience in the various kinds of missionary work. He should not be content with a past experience, but should engage in practical work to the extent of20his time and ability. This is the only way in which he can become a true leader. Advice to the church-members, drawn from practical, present experience, will have far more influence than that based only on theory, or even on an experience some years old. All these things show that this is an office of no small responsibility. It is an honor to be called to bear responsibilities in the work of God, but this honor can only be obtained through self-denial and hard work. It is not easy work to hold any office in the service of God, but the more sacrifice called for, the greater the blessing received. Let the missionary secretaries, therefore, be full of courage. Though their work is hard and responsible, it is fruitful for good, and will be the means, if faithfully done, of watering their own souls, as well as of blessing others. E. M. GRAHAM,
Secretary Australasian Union Conf.