Report of the General Conference Treasury Department for the Biennial Period Ending Dec. 31, 1904
We herewith submit to the delegates of this conference the biennial report of the Treasury Department, covering the period from Jan. 1, 1903, to Dec. 31, 1904. We are sure that the report will not prove all that you might reasonably expect, nor that we would be most happy to render. It is, however, a statement of the actual situation in this department of the work. When we take into consideration the situation as a whole, and the basis, of our organized work at the present time, we believe that the report gives evidence of the clearest indications of the Lord's watch-care, and the unswerving loyalty of the mass of our people. From the College View Conference in 1897 to the Oakland Conference in 1903, the transactions of the General Conference, and those of the Mission Board Department were kept separate. After the Oakland Conference, the officers of the General Conference instructed the Treasury Department to close the accounts of the Mission Board into the General Conference books, and henceforth carry but one set of books, keeping the accounts, however, distinct. This report is submitted upon this basis. We herewith render you a statement of the receipts and disbursements for the biennial period of 1903 and 1904:— Income of the General Conference
It will be readily understood by those familiar with the organization of the General Conference, that the pay-roll of the General Conference has been considerably reduced since the complete organization of the union conferences throughout the world. Instead of the General Conference's auditing and settling with the union conference laborers, each union conference audits its own accounts, making a final settlement with its workers. Where the General Conference renders any assistance to the weaker union conferences, it is done by direct appropriations, rather than by control of the work or workers. In this way the tithes of the General Conference have been greatly reduced. In the 90's, and down to 1904, from seventy to eighty thousand dollars a year was received, but since then only the tithe of the tithes from the union conferences, which aggregated approximately $5,523.81. It will be readily perceived from the itemized statement just given, that the receipts of the General Conference are not sufficient to carry on the work for which it is responsible. The question now arises, What is to be done? Shall the General Conference cut down its force of workers, drop its aggressive policy, and call in some of its men, and reduce its forces to within the compass of the funds which it is at present receiving? or shall there be an aggressive12policy on the part of the respective fields in increasing the funds which fall into the General Conference treasury? We believe this conference should give serious and earnest thought to the increase of the finances of the General Conference, and the support of missionary work in the regions beyond. [The treasurer made a comparison between the amount of tithes and offerings paid in the United States and in the outside fields. The limits of our space make it necessary to omit this comparison.—ED.] The officers of the General Conference have been compelled, on account of a shortage of funds, to reduce the appropriations for 1905 to foreign fields, about twenty thousand dollars below the appropriations that were made by the brethren at College View in September of last year. This was not owing to the fact that the General Conference Committee was not exceedingly anxious to follow up the work in other lands, but because the income of the Mission Board did not warrant such a large expenditure. We believe this conference will look upon the work in foreign lands as of as much importance, and as deserving of the generous support of our people, as the work in the home land. A great revolution of feeling and sentiment has taken place during the last six years on the part of most of our people concerning foreign mission work. To-day I believe it has secured a place in the hearts of our people as never before, and many of our brethren are praying that more money may be spent in behalf of other regions, and less consumed upon ourselves at home. We do not believe that the home field should be robbed. We believe that the work should be carried even with a stronger hand, and with a more aggressive policy, than at present; but to carry on the work in the home land with a strong hand, means also that the work in foreign fields can and will be well supported. It is from the conferences where everything is well looked after, where the finances are kept in good shape, that the largest contributions for the foreign missions come. This conference will undoubtedly take under advisement the best way and means to increase the appropriations that can be used in the prosecution of our work in other lands. You will perceive, when the Sabbath-school Department makes its report, that the Sabbath-school contributions have played no small part in the support of our foreign mission work. From the statistical secretary's report we find that in 1903 our Sabbath-schools contributed out of their total donations of $55,823.25, an offering of $34,779.85, while in 1904, from their total donation of $60,460.80 they contributed $40,278.05 to the foreign missions. In fact, the Sabbath-school has become such a strong adjunct in the sustaining of the foreign mission work that we can not state our appreciation for the help received from this source in too strong language. We trust that everywhere the blessing and power of God may rest in abundance upon this strong agency, not only in raising money for foreign fields, but in educating and rearing the young to take upon themselves the privilege of laboring13for lost souls in these distant lands. Thus closes the most successful biennial period in the history of the General Conference work, taken from every standpoint from which it may be viewed. The increase of our membership in 1904 was 4,167, while our tithes have reached the large sum of $691,819.33, and special offerings for foreign missions have aggregated $144,712.20, besides the Sabbath-school offering for 1904, which aggregated in its total collection $60,460.80, making a grand total for the evangelical part of our work for the year 1904 reach the large sum of $896,992.33, to say nothing of the amount of money that has been paid out for schools, sanitariums, and the publishing work. We submit this report for the earnest consideration of the delegates of this, the most important of all our General Conference sessions, trusting that wisdom and grace from above may direct our councils, that what has been done may be but the beginning of that bountiful harvest which we hope to see prepared for the Master's coming.