Educated Missionaries by F. G.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 7, 1907

Educated Missionaries

By F. G.

God can use all classes of men and all grades of intellect in his service. But our schools are established to stand for and to give that training which will enable the gospel worker to do his work most effectually — most quickly and most thoroughly.

We have reached the time of the year when our schools are revising their courses of study for the next year's work. It is well for us to keep steadily in mind the purpose of our courses of study; it is to prepare, in the shortest possible time, those who can do the greatest work possible.

Because God can use all grades of intellect, it is not necessary that every student should reach the same standard of perfection in scholarship before he devotes himself to the work of the gospel.

There are to be plans definitely laid for those who are advanced in years whose experience has been an education in itself, but whose school advantages have been limited. There is a work which God has for them that they can do to great advantage by a short course of study in our training-schools. Their experience in solving the problems of life, coupled with even the limited school advantages which they can get, makes them most valuable workers in certain branches of the cause and with certain classes. For this class, which is not a small nor unimportant one, very careful plans should be laid.

That there is a dearth of well-educated men and women — those who can edit our papers, man our training-schools and our intermediate schools, who can present the message to the most highly educated classes of the world — is apparent to all observers of our denominational work.

This is made so because of the rapid strides which our work is taking. Here is a call for many well-educated workers in new fields. To this call our schools must give earnest heed. This applies to the work accomplished even in our church-schools. It must be well arranged and thoroughly done, and so with our intermediate schools. But it is to our advanced schools that this call comes most loudly. Our training-schools have laid upon them the burden of presenting to these young people, whose age and opportunities are such that they can do so, such thorough lines of study as will abundantly qualify them to fill those places in our work where well-educated workers are needed. Not only are these lines of study to be planned and presented to the young people, but a most earnest effort should be made by the advanced schools to fill the faculties with such competent instructors as will lead to a thorough execution of these plans. From our advanced schools there should be graduated each year an army of workers whose education is so advanced that they can readily take up the study of the languages of the peoples of the other lands, and carry to them this saving message. From this army of graduates other schools can be established and supplied with competent faculties for the preparation of still other workers. Thus laborers will be rapidly multiplied to finish the great work given us to do.

F. G.