The Chief Responsibility by F. M. W.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 27, 1913

The Chief Responsibility

By F. M. W.

Is the church to lose its children? This is the question raised in the leading editorial of the Continent (Presbyterian) of March 13, 1913. It is a question which concerns not alone the Presbyterian Church, but every church. It is one of the vital questions of the Seventh-day Adventist Church at the present time. The Continent quotes Sir Robinson Nicol, as stating in the British Weekly that the large decrease in attendance at Christian worship in some of the churches of England as compared with ten and twenty years ago is directly due to the absence of young people and children. Reference is made to five of the strongest Presbyterian synods in the United States, embracing six hundred Sunday-schools with some forty thousand young people under instruction, and in the whole year not one of them was led to confess Christ.

How many children and young people among Seventh-day Adventists have been led to confess Christ during the past twelve months? Our church record would make a different showing than the above figures we are sure. We are glad indeed that the report has come from many of our camp-meetings, schools, and sanitariums of scores of earnest young men and women who have been led to consecrate themselves to God. But while we rejoice in this, what shall we say of the scores of young men and women, and boys and girls, among Seventh-day Adventists who have not been led to take this step? In every Sabbath-keeping community we find the unconverted. We can not visit a church of any size but that we find in the congregation bright, intelligent young people who have never yielded themselves to God.

Upon whom does the responsibility for these unconverted ones rest? Upon the church, we are willing to admit; but this, after all, does not locate specifically the responsibility. In too many instances we believe the church has been recreant to its trust. The ministry itself, and the writer includes himself with his brethren, have not labored so faithfully as they should for these classes.

The church of God has a great responsibility in these matters. This should be sensed by every officer and by every member. By attractive, spiritual services in the house of God; by kindly personal interest on the part of its members, the church should seek to attract rather than repel the children and youth.

But when we say that the church is responsible for the salvation of the youth, we speak of a general responsibility. Back of the church the chief and specific responsibility rests upon the home. Above the responsibility of the minister of the gospel; above the responsibility of the church elder; above the responsibility of the officers of the Sabbath-school and young people’s society; yea, above the combined responsibility of every member of the church, stands the responsibility of the home for the conversion of the youth. This is where God has placed it, and, dear parents, we can not shift this responsibility; we can not throw it off upon others.

We can not secure entrance for our boys and girls into our institutions, and then say to the managers of these institutions, “We hold you responsible.” For your child God has placed the chief responsibility upon you, and O, what a blessed labor of love you may make it! In your own home you can watch and labor for souls as those who must indeed give an account. To your children who have not reached the age of accountability you stand in the place of God. The Heavenly Father designs that you shall represent to them the principles of heaven,—the love and mercy of his character,—and he has not left you to do this alone. He desires to become your mighty helper; he desires to enter into your heart and life and fill you so full of his Spirit that your life shall indeed reflect the principles of heaven.

In labor for no other class may you so confidently take hold of the hand of God. If your souls are drawn out in burden of prayer for those you love, the Spirit of God will seek in sympathizing co-operation to change the hearts of those for whom you pray. And what a joy will it be, when the Master comes, to be able to say, “Lo, here am I and the children that thou hast given me.”

God has promised to turn the hearts of the children to the parents and the hearts of the parents to the children. It is our blessed privilege to pray and work and believe for the fulfilment of this promise. Doing this, we shall not be disappointed.

F. M. W.