p. 22 | General Articles by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 8, 1876

General Articles.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

Duties of Our Ministers.

BY EDD. D. M. CANRIGHT.

For some time I have been thinking that I would offer a few thoughts through the REVIEW upon this subject, not because I am better prepared to offer them than others, but because each one may aid others in some respects. I will mention the subjects that particularly strike my mind as important. Of course there are a thousand things that might be said, but much of this has been said in various ways, and some of it will bear repeating.

1. Duty to study. How can a man teach others what he does not know himself? and how can he know anything himself unless he has learned it? Whatever men know they have to learn, and that, generally, by close observation and hard study. Some men learn easier than others, but all have to learn what they know in some way. The more real knowledge and wisdom a man has, the better he is prepared to instruct others, and the more efficient and successful will be his labors. The Bible recognizes this fact everywhere. Thus we read: “And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge.” Eccl. 12:9. If he had not been wise, he would not have been able to teach them much. Paul instructs the young minister, Timothy, thus: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Tim. 2:15.

Paul himself practiced what he taught his son Timothy. He was a very learned man. The result of it in his case as compared with that of the other apostles is plainly seen. His labors and influence were much more extensive than those of all the rest. The man who stands out the most prominently in the Old Testament is Moses, of whom it is said, “And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.” Acts 7:22.

It is a foolish idea which some have entertained that a man must be ignorant and uneducated to be a good minister. The history of our own people proves its falsity.

Most of our preachers are young men, or, at the most, not past middle-age. None of them have ever had a thorough college course, and most of them have come from the farm and the shop with but a very limited education. Shall these brethren now sit down contented to be second and third rate ministers, having only a few ideas which they can repeat over a thousand times, without adding to their stock? Is it necessary that they should go on through years of labor without becoming educated, well-informed men? No, I do not believe that this is at all necessary, nor that such a course is pleasing to God. Still, but few of us can stop now to spend much time in school.

What shall we do, then? The answer is ready: Do as thousands of others have done—learn as you go, study as you work, add something to your knowledge every day. Commence immediately; take up first that branch of education that you need most. Get a lesson book and begin to-day. Do not wait till you have three months to go to school; do not wait till you have a whole month, or two weeks’ leisure to attend to it; but commence now. Get up before breakfast and study, if it is not more than twenty minutes; that is long enough to master one principle; catch another half hour sometimes during the day; have your book at hand, get another idea; and so follow it up every day, and every week, and every month. This is the way to learn, and the only proper way. This is the way the ripest scholars of the world, and the deepest thinkers, have obtained their information—by gaining a little here and a little there—a little every day.

I confess that I have frequently felt indignant as I have been associated with some of our brethren who travel around with a little hand satchel containing only a Bible and hymn book and a few writing materials. Ask them why they do not take books and study, and their ready reply is that they cannot find time. But I have watched these brethren. I have seen them waiting at the depots from one to three hours. What are they doing? Just nothing at all. You will see them sit around before breakfast, if they are up early enough, engaging in the most common-place conversation, which benefits no one. And so they actually lose from four to ten precious hours every day—hours in which they are virtually doing nothing. They take perhaps twenty minutes to look over a subject upon which they have preached fifty times; and then perhaps they spend an hour and a half in meeting. All the rest of that livelong day is probably spent in visiting a couple of families. One hour’s talk of the right kind is all they need spend with any family, generally.

Read the life of Dr. Clarke. He commenced without any education, and worked quite as hard in preaching and traveling as any of our ministers; but he always went with his satchel full of books. While riding from one appointment to another on horseback, he had his book open reading or studying some lesson. He would read a sentence and then think it over and fix it in his mind, and then he would read another one; or he would think up some subject, lay it out in his mind, and get it all arranged as he rode along; then when he stopped an hour for dinner he would take out his pencil and note down his subject. The first chance he had he was all ready to write it out. In this way he mastered Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and several other languages, besides performing a vast amount of labor in many directions.

The great stumbling-stone over which the majority stumble is simply this: They are waiting for the time to come when they will have nothing else to do but to study. Then they are going to do great things. They despise a few moments snatched here, and an hour or two there. Hence they go along with little knowledge, and without acquiring any more.

I know of some ministers among us whose labors have been as abundant and successful as those of any others, and yet in connection with their daily labors in preaching, visiting, etc., they have kept up several studies, have read a vast amount of history and biography, and many scientific works, and have become fair scholars in several languages. Others, with as good physical strength, with no more arduous labors, and with the same amount of time, have simply done nothing at all. They scarcely know as much now as they did when they first began to preach, from five to fifteen years ago. Brethren, I think that this is a shame, and I fear that in the judgment the Lord will say to some of us, “Thou wicked and slothful servant.”

I must repeat this idea again: Improve the odd moments, snatch a few minutes before breakfast, and an hour some way between breakfast and dinner. Do not spend too much time in gossiping with idle talkers, whose time is not worth five cents a day to themselves or anybody else. Keep your satchel by your side well loaded. Think while you travel, whether in the cars, on horseback, or on foot. Discipline your thoughts; do not let them scatter too much; center them on something; make them tell somewhere. An idle brain grows weak, the same as idle hands. The way to have a strong mind is to use it, discipline it, drill it, think hard, lay out a lesson and master it. The one chief and great advantage which is derived from school is simply learning how to learn, how to apply the mind closely to one point. The real trouble with many is that this is too much like hard work. It is easier to drift along without any such effort, and let the mind go like an uncultivated garden, filled up with anything that happens to drop in. Several young men to whom I have spoken on the subject have replied to me, “Oh, I cannot learn anything; I have no education.” Shame on them! This is only a polite way of saying that they are mentally lazy, and choose to remain so.

Another point of vast importance in studying is this: Observe order and system. Do not allow yourself to study a little of this, and a little of that, and then lay these aside and pick up something else. Decide what you need the most, and then stick to that. Have a regular order of reading, and perseveringly follow it up every day. Suppose you are studying Greek. There will be days when you will see no time, not even half an hour, to study it. The next day it may be the same. In a little while you get discouraged and give it up. To avoid this, snatch up your book just a moment and read one sentence, or even a phrase. You must be hard pressed if you cannot do that much. Then you feel that you have done something, and many times you will be able to do ten times as much as you thought you could. But the great point to be gained is to form a habit of doing something every day, remembering that

“Little drops of water, Little grains of sand, Make the mighty ocean, And the beautiful land.”

2. Keeping accounts. It is the duty of each minister once a year to present a written account of his labors, receipts, expenses, etc., during the year. I have had a little experience in looking over some of these accounts. At some of our State Conferences last year, ministers would bring in a report of the whole year’s labor, finances and everything, on a torn leaf of an old diary or account book, and this written with a pencil, and in such a shape that they could scarcely explain it themselves. I think that no committee ever ought to receive such an account. It ought to be sent back unaudited till it can be presented in a better shape.

Every minister ought to keep a diary, in which he should make a careful record, daily, not only of his labors, but of all his receipts and expenses. Then once a year he certainly can afford time to make out a neat, respectable report. If he does not know how, it is time he learned. Some accounts which I have helped audit could not be made to balance within many dollars. Brethren, we are working for the Lord and for our brethren, for which we receive pay here, and hope to receive a reward hereafter. Why should not we give as strict an account as other laborers? Right wrongs no man.

But there are other duties for the minister in this same direction, attention to which is very important. The minister who does not keep his own accounts correctly either lacks knowledge or energy, and will not be very apt to aid others in keeping theirs. There are several things that must be seen to by all our ministers, or they will not be attended to at all.

A minister goes out and raises up a church and organizes it. The very first thing required is a church book and a proper record. It always falls upon the minister to start this, and to properly instruct the clerk in this business. It is really ludicrous to see how the records of some of our churches have been left by some of our ministers. All the record they have made is a few words on some stray leaf—no covenant, no names attached, no dates given, no entry made on the book of any kind, and the clerk is left without any instruction. Hence it is no wonder that our State secretaries are so troubled in obtaining reports from the clerks of the churches. These clerks have never been instructed what to do, and they do not know. Is it right for ministers to go about leaving such marks as that?

Take the Systematic Benevolence. It is very important that the records of this fund should be carefully kept and properly reported, but in almost every case the S. B. treasurer has to depend upon his minister for his instruction. But the minister who does not have taste enough or information enough to keep his own finances straight will take but little burden in instructing others. The consequence is that hundreds of dollars are lost to the cause every year through this negligence. It will take but a little thought and a little study to learn all about these matters, and to do them right. Brethren, why not do it? That which is worth doing at all is worth doing well.

3. Obtaining subscribers for our periodicals. As our cause is conducted, next to preaching, the most important labor a minister can perform is to obtain subscribers for our periodicals. When I have obtained a subscriber for the REVIEW, I feel as though I had accomplished more than if I had preached two or three sermons; because that REVIEW will preach to a man fifty-two times in the year, good, sound doctrine, the very thing he needs. Besides, it may fall into the hands of a great many persons. Then I am doing so much to aid our institutions and extend the circulation of our papers. Hence, I think that every minister should bring all his influence to bear constantly upon this point, and make every reasonable effort to have every family among our brethren take all our periodicals, and secure as many subscribers among outsiders as possible. For this purpose he should have a sample of them all constantly with him, and should exhibit them, read from them, talk about them, interest the people in them, invite them to take them, remove their objections, convince them that they need them, etc. Shall I tell the truth, and say that I know where ministers have been in some of our churches repeatedly, have visited in different families where none of our papers are taken, and yet have not made the least effort to get the people to take them, have not mentioned the subject, or acted as

though it was a matter of any importance whatever?

They seem to think that their whole duty begins and ends in the pulpit, in preaching a half dozen sermons or more a week; whereas the fact is, that the great burden of real labor which brings success and moves souls and establishes the truth, must be done outside the pulpit in direct personal effort, and it is these little things which tell. It is not so much the big sermons as it is looking after all these various matters.

It is further important that all our brethren be supplied with our books, and that they read them. They need them. The minister should always have a supply with him. He should set forth their importance and value, and especially should he do this among those who are not in the truth. More is being accomplished to-day by our reading matter in spreading the truth than by the preaching of our ministers. People may hear a sermon, and go away and forget it, but if they buy a tract or a book it may convert a soul many days hence. This has frequently been the case. Hence every reasonable effort should be made to induce people to obtain our books. We should try different ways and then observe what success we have. Some of our ministers will sell regularly three times as many books as others will under the same circumstances. See the merchant,—how careful he is, how he improves every opportunity, how he studies every mode to induce men to patronize him. Should we not be as wise as he? Should we not be as energetic? Dear brethren, why not be live men? Why not be stirring and active? We should make every effort to make a success of our calling.

Read how the apostle did. He tells in what way he endeavored to persuade men. 2 Cor. 6:6–8. He laid hold of every honest means which in any way would advance the cause. This is what we should do. Besides, our ministers have an additional inducement to sell books, viz., if they manage properly they can make something out of it themselves. True, it is not a great deal, yet where our income is small it is not to be despised.

4. Look after Systematic Benevolence. Ministers have to live as well as other people. They must have food, clothing, and homes; must school their children, look after their families, pay their debts, etc., as well as other people. But if they give their whole attention to preaching, from whence is the means to come? Evidently the brethren must support them, and so the Lord has ordained. But in most other denominations every minister is in a sense thrown upon his own resources. He must find a pastorate for himself, and raise up friends to support him. If he fails to properly instruct his people in their duty of supporting the minister and they fail to give, he will fail of his living. So the ministers generally study this part of their subject very carefully and interweave it with all their teaching.

But with us it is different. There is a general fund in each State from which all our ministers are supported. If a minister labors through the year, he expects his regular pay at the end of the year, whether he has accomplished much, little, or nothing; and if he is not paid pretty liberally he is apt to feel grieved over it. Now, I say the minister who is slack and careless in looking after this important branch of the work, and does little or nothing in raising this general fund is to be blamed. If he is to be supported by it, he certainly ought to feel an anxiety to see that it is properly raised, and that his influence is given to build it up. Yet we find ministers who labor for many long weeks, and sometimes even months, in raising up a church, or even in an old church, and yet have not taken one step to have these brethren do anything on the S. B. I know of many cases where some of our ministers have visited churches time after time, have visited from house to house, and yet have never made a word of inquiry with regard to it, nor taken any steps to have all engage in it. They pay no more attention to it than though there was no such thing. Under their labors this fund is allowed to run down to nothing. They never talk on the subject, publicly or privately. Yet when pay day comes they are on hand themselves, as ready as anybody.

These brethren are injuring themselves, their fellow-laborers, and the churches with which they labor. They are teaching their converts and the churches where they labor to feel that giving and sacrificing means for the cause of God is no essential part of the Christian’s duty. The experience of thirty years has shown that all individuals and churches that have imbibed this idea are certain to be weak and feeble in the cause. Their faith and zeal will be correspondingly small. They are ten times as liable to trial and to apostasy.

I know of a Conference where the leading preachers have felt very delicate about asking their brethren to give anything. They say they had rather preach on some good, tender practical subject, and leave the brethren to do their duty without being urged. The consequence is, that year after year that Conference has been crippled in its efforts and cut down in its labors for lack of means, while there are many rich men in the churches who are growing richer all the time. Year after year they have been compelled to pay their ministers only from three to six dollars per week for labor actually performed; and some of their ministers have had to leave the field and teach school to support themselves. It is a weak Conference and always will be till a different position is taken on this question.

I do not believe the Lord is pleased with such a course. If you want strong men, strong churches, and strong Conferences, teach them right from the very beginning, not only to give liberally, but to make sacrifices everywhere and constantly. When men have invested something in the cause they will not give it up lightly. If you want to ruin your brethren, pet them, baby them, run after them, wait on them, give them to understand that they will have no sacrifices to make, that you are almost ready to hire them to embrace the truth. Do this, and they will, like spoiled children, rise up and curse you in coming days.

(Concluded next week.)