The Work Needs Workers by Editor

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Nov 30, 1882

The Work Needs Workers.

By Editor

THE number of laborers in the work of the Third Angel's Message on the Pacific Coast is very small. "The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few." And the number of licenses given at the last Conference was unusually small, it being considered, and wisely, we think, that a year or even six months of College training would so benefit some of our young men that the better quality of their labor after such training would more than compensate for the time spent in school.

We were well acquainted with a careful man who traveled much from house to house in his business, and was an Adventist in the time of William Miller. He made a practice, in the "first message," of hanging up a chart and talking to the household wherever he stopped long enough to give him the opportunity. He was not a preacher. But he never could be induced to pursue the same course after he embraced the faith of the Third Angel's Message. His reason was that this is the finishing work—the last message. It required smoothing planes to do this work, and he was not qualified for the service.

We commend this thought to all who wish to labor in this cause. We say it is the best work on the earth. But the best work calls for the best workers. All who intend to labor in this cause ought to set their mark to do first-class work.

Inasmuch as our laborers are very few, it becomes us to bestow our labor to the very best advantage. We sometimes take credit to ourselves as being a missionary people. And yet many of our ministers throughout the country are poorly qualified to put forth successful missionary efforts. Missionaries to foreign lands have to be men of comprehensive minds, thorough culture, ready and willing to do anything that may come to hand which will further the work to which they have consecrated themselves. A man who was fitted to do only one thing would be of no manner of use as a missionary; he would never be accepted for such service. He might be well versed in theology, and a fine speaker; but if he was only a good preacher he would be nearly useless in a missionary field.

This is suggestive to us as a missionary people. Large denominations which have plenty of means, and are able literally to "heap to themselves teachers," often find it an object to get a minister to fill the pulpit of a wealthy city church who can "draw." Like Apollos he must be "an eloquent man;" but he need not be as was Apollos, "mighty in the Scriptures." It will answer if he can talk fluently of science and philosophy, of politics and society affairs. But what would such a man be worth as a missionary? What would such a man be worth to us in our work? Just nothing at all. We do not insinuate that all the ministers of the large denominations are of that cast. Many of them are; but some are noble workers, ready to build up a people in every work pertaining to a church.

Churches and church work have many interests to be cared for; and he is not able to labor "to edification," which means literally "to building up," who is not prepared to care for them all. It frequently happens that a minister is reported as having a very successful meeting with some church; he enjoyed freedom in speaking, and was listened to with much interest. But let a genuine worker follow it up, and he may find the Health and Temperance Club run down, the Sabbath-school in a decline, the T. and M. work neglected, the librarian's books in confusion, a minority of the church paying tithes and not well instructed in their duty in this respect,

and, perhaps, the weekly prayer-meeting poorly attended. The minister has only pleased the ears of his hearers while the church has received no substantial benefit. All that pertains to a working church has been overlooked. In order to have that attended to, the Conference must send another man who has business tact and has studied to make himself useful in these matters.

We mention but two serious objections to this method of working. 1. The Conference has to pay double to have its work done. In a two or three days' visit to a church a minister might assist and advise in regard to all these branches of the work, and if he possess even ordinary health and strength he need not wear down in the effort. Especially is this the case with those preachers who do not bear any burden of writing for our periodicals. 2. There is no one who can have so good or strong an influence over the members of a church, to lead them to work in the various enterprises which a church must attend to if it expects to live and be useful, as the preacher. He can reach their hearts and enlist their sympathies where another who is not an interesting speaker, could not. It is an unfortunate fact, much to be lamented, that the members will turn out better to an appointment for preaching than they will to a business meeting. And he who has the ability to call the people together should turn that ability to the best account, and make his visit to a church useful as well as pleasing. A pleasant, interesting speaker will be praised; and if he is not strongly fortified with a sanctified judgment he will be led thereby to think he is doing a great work, while the worker who does much more to leave a lasting impression on the church may be looked upon as possessing a quite unimportant gift. Frequently the two have to go together, and the double expenses and time paid out by the Conference, because the preacher is only a preacher, and has not the energy, or does not feel the responsibility, to qualify himself to be a real missionary worker.

The truth is, and every minister ought to realize it, that he who can do nothing but preach, is not a profitable man to be employed by a Conference. He can never take a leading position with profit to the cause. He is not qualified to be an officer in the Conference because he lacks experience and executive or administrative ability.

We admit that we are speaking plainly and strongly on this subject, but it is from a firm conviction of duty; it is because we are convinced that the wants of our cause, and the scarcity of efficient laborers to meet the calls from every quarter, demand that our people wake up to the loss we are sustaining from a lack of organized effort.

In the late war between France and Prussia, it is said that if every officer in the Prussian army had been withdrawn, or suddenly destroyed, the army could have marched right on and fulfilled the plan marked out for the campaign, because every company was a company of trained men, each qualified to lead or command. The tactics of such an army must be absolutely perfect. But, ordinarily, when a regiment or division loses its officers, it is demoralized, and its efficacy destroyed. How is it with our soldiers in this international warfare, or even with the subordinate officers among us? How many are seeking qualifications to take advanced and more responsible positions in an emergency, or yet seeking to become more efficient and useful in their present positions?

It is an accepted truth that we are all responsible, not merely for what we do or are able to do, but for what we might do, and for the ability we might possess if we cultivated our powers. Do we consider this, and try to act accordingly? Perhaps all of us, certainly most of us, have talents buried in the earth which might be of use to the Master if we would dig them up and put them out to usury. And for them all we shall have one day to give account.