An Important Home Mission Field by Ole Andres Olsen

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 30, 1913

An Important Home Mission Field

By Ole Andres Olsen

The Foreigners in America—No. 3

An Important Home Mission Field

O. A. OLSEN (Secretary North American Foreign Department)

Having in the previous articles presented some quotations from different writers concerning the immensity of this foreign immigration to our country, we shall at this time study the question as to what this condition of things calls for, and how missionary work among these foreigners is both a great urgency and also a fruitful field for work.

Dr. A. H. Bailey, in a lecture on “The American Home Mission Problem of Today,” puts it this way:— “The coming of this great foreign army to us spells opportunity and responsibility for the church of the living God. For years we have been sending men and money to foreign fields with the gospel. It seems as if God has looked down upon us, and says, ‘You are too slow. You will never evangelize the world at the rate you are now working.’ So he has stirred up these people to come to us. And with the coming of these millions from the foreign lands the church and every individual Christian ought to see the greatest opportunity for evangelism that has ever been given to any people. A million immigrants means a million opportunities, and a million opportunities means a million obligations. This inflowing tide and immigration is our Lord’s latest and greatest appeal to his church and people. These foreigners need the gospel. Experience proves that they are ready to listen to it and accept it. Thus God has brought the foreign mission field to our very doors, and made it possible for every one of us to be foreign missionaries. More than that, he has made it an imperative matter with us.”

This is the way this subject is viewed by those who have given the matter some study. And while the above statements are true from the standpoint of every Christian believer, they become of still more interest to us as a people, in view of the special work now to be accomplished for all the nations and peoples of the world. While we have given much earnest study to the foreign mission problem, and have given the best of our workers to foreign mission work, and funds with which to support them, there has been a serious neglect of the people of these same nationalities that have come to this country and settled among us. We do not say that we have done too much for the work in foreign lands, but we do say that we have not shown a corresponding interest for the foreigners whom the providence of God has brought to our own shores. Had more been done for the foreigners here, it would have been a great help to the work abroad.

“Moreover, a unique condition has been created. All the nations of the earth are practically represented here on American soil. Many of these people will remain here permanently, but many for one reason or another will return to their own homes. If we can give these people the gospel, they will carry it back, and thus the seeds of the gospel will be sown in all lands, and these people will be the very best kind of foreign missionaries.”

The Burden of Responsibility

It is a matter of note that among the various Christian denominations the work done in foreign lands is under the direction of special boards operating in various places, while with us the foreign field as a whole is under the supervision of the General Conference, with the General Conference Committee as, our foreign mission board, operating in the world-wide field.

This home field falls legitimately to the local conference. These foreigners are spread over the country, though in greatest numbers in our largest cities. Thus the Greater New York Conference has a tremendous foreign field in its territory. The same may be said of the Northern Illinois Conference, with Chicago, the second city of our nation. Other conferences, such as New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Ohio might be mentioned as having large cities and communities of foreigners.

Then this foreign population here is different from that of a foreign country; there, to a large extent, but one foreign language in a city or in the country has to be dealt with, while here there are as many as sixty in one city, and sometimes more. This makes our country a very peculiar and unique field, and in some respects it becomes even more difficult to deal with than a field in a foreign land. But on the other hand, we have all these at very close range, which again is an advantage.

While this home foreign field is truly a local conference field, it is nevertheless of such a nature and character that our local conferences find it very difficult to deal with. First, they have not the laborers, and second, if they had the laborers, they lack the funds. Most of the local conferences, after furnishing their portion for the missions abroad and the general work, have scarcely enough left to maintain the work already in hand. These things being so, this matter must be taken in hand by our general council, and some way provided for this work to be done. It must not longer be left as in the past. The need of workers among these many foreigners is very urgent.

A Training Mission School

for foreigners is an imperative necessity. From time to time one here and another there of these several nationalities accept the message either by reading or from coming into contact with our people in some way. Among these are persons who could be developed into workers, if we had some way by which it could be done.

Here in Chicago, Ill., the second city of our nation, we could have representatives from the Poles, Bohemians, Hungarians, Italians, Slovaks, Roumanians, and others. What is needed is a man and his wife with the proper qualifications and experience to stand at the head of such a mission. Those who would come would be in need of a thorough course of instruction in the fundamental principles of the message. This instruction could be given in the English language, but adapted to the conditions of these foreigners. In this way these several foreign nationalities could all be instructed and directed by the same leader or teacher. A part of each day should be given to such Bible instruction.

Instruction should also be given in ways and methods of work, and each day these students should go out with our literature, each among those of his own nationality. This work should be carefully planned, and carried on in a systematic and orderly way.

This circulation of literature will in turn open the way for Bible talks and Bible readings to be held. Then the leader should go out with these workers and conduct the Bible reading, the worker translating for the teacher. Instruction should also be given as to how to arrange a Bible reading and how to present it. In this way, while the process of instruction is going on, the work of getting the truth before these nationalities would also be going on. This is the most practical way of training and developing workers in these various tongues.

In connection with this training mission, the following would be accomplished: First, a large amount of literature in a number of languages would be circulated, which is in itself an important factor; second, many persons would be visited at their homes, not only once or twice, but many times, as the same worker would go the round of his district repeatedly, but every time with new literature; third, their repeated visits would in some instances lead to Bible readings and also to cottage meetings, and so souls would accept the truth; fourth, all this time these helpers would be getting a most important training and experience, fitting them for efficiency under the direction of the head of the mission; and fifth, this training

would develop workers that could subsequently be sent to other places to work among their own nationalities.

It will be readily seen that this is not only the most practical and most efficient way of developing workers in these various tongues and nationalities, but also the most economical way; for by the sale of literature the workers would be largely self-supporting. It does seem to me that this plan of work and training must appeal to all interested in real missionary work among all nationalities.

We ought by right to have a number of such training missions in progress at important centers. But as we do not have them, I do earnestly plead that at least one such mission training-center be started this very autumn in some such place as Chicago or New York, where we have a multitude of foreigners from almost every nation under the sun. What say you, dear reader? If you favor it, pray that the way may be opened, and help to bring it about.

Chicago, Ill.