Suggestions for Establishing Bible Institutes
By W. H. Granger
Methods for Working Our Large Cities—No. 4
Suggestions for Establishing Bible Institutes
In establishing a work such as we have here in Columbus, the first thing to be looked after is a suitable building to be used as headquarters. This should be located in a good, respectable section of the city, as nearly central as possible, and on a popular thoroughfare, where it will be both conspicuous and easy of access. The building should be such as will give character to the work and command the respect of the best citizens. Care should be taken to prevent giving the impression that your work is along the ordinary city mission lines: give it an educational aspect. The arrangement of the building is also a very important matter. In this respect our building is quite ideal. It has ten rooms, all modern, with a large double parlor on the first floor. These rooms are separated by sliding doors, and can be thrown into one, making seating room for a class of about fifty. The second parlor is fitted up for our class room, with blackboard, charts, maps, folding chairs, and a floor covering of linoleum. This room has a private side entrance, so that when the class is not too large, they can enter and depart without disturbing the other part of the house. We usually have to use both parlors, however, as our classes range from twenty-five to forty persons each. Our front parlor is fitted up in a modern way, and affords us a respectable place to entertain visitors. We have a place to which we are not ashamed to invite the best citizens, and to which the better classes are not ashamed to come. Besides affording headquarters for our work and a place for classes to meet for systematic study of the Bible, it also affords a home for the workers. Care also should be taken not to secure too large a place. This place is abundantly large to accommodate my family and five workers, which is a sufficiently large number to live in one house. If more workers are available and the territory demands it, branch institutions should be started in other parts of the city. At this point it will perhaps be in order for me to make a few suggestions as to the qualifications which in my judgment are necessary for the individuals who undertake a work of this nature, and for those whom they associate with them in the work. Leaders should be Bible teachers of unquestioned ability, or else have associated with them such teachers to instruct the classes at the institute. They should be willing, if necessary, to expend every dollar of their wages for the support of the work. They should have ability to meet business men, to solicit and collect such funds as may be necessary to maintain the work, or associate with them persons to attend to this duty; for it is very important. They must be examples to the other helpers in performing faithful work, requiring no service from their associates that they do not do themselves. Men with large families will do better to place them in private quarters, as it is not the best policy to have them in a home of this kind; one or two children can be easily managed if care is taken. They should be both patient and kind, tactful in adjusting any difference that may arise between helpers. If they have wives, they should be of the consecrated, praying type—full of wisdom, patient, and willing to economize and sacrifice for the work. The helpers must be persons who are willing and anxious to work, ready to endure hardness for Christ. They should have good address, and be apt in meeting strangers. The very best talent obtainable is none too good for city work. Favor can be shown to helpers, however, by allowing them to take up work among the class of readers for which they are best adapted. The half-hearted, indolent, worldly, or sentimental type should never be admitted. Persons of prayer and faith, having an irresistible desire to spread the truth, are the kind needed,—those who will be faithful in every duty. Having become established, the next move is to begin work. The territory surrounding the institute should be divided among the helpers, and first worked. Each worker should take out a class of from five hundred to one thousand families. If the readers are visited once each week, five hundred makes a very good class; but where visits are made once every two weeks, and two lessons given at each visit, the work seems to be about as effective, besides enabling the worker to visit twice the number of readers. I have followed this method this season, and am in favor of it, as it doubles our capacity for reaching the people. After the class becomes interested, and the indifferent sifted out, three or four lessons can be given to the readers at each visit; by this means the course can be considerably shortened. When beginning with a new class of readers, care should be taken to make each one understand the nature of the work. Special invitations should be given to the interested ones, from time to time, to attend the regular classes at the institute. At this point I might say that ordinarily I do not think it best to hold more than three regular classes at the institute each week. We have our classes on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday evenings. This gives a larger attendance at each class, besides leaving other evenings open in which to do personal work among others who do not attend the class. In addition to the classes at the institute, a systematic method for conducting cottage meetings among the readers should be adopted. To do this, each worker should divide his territory into a number of sections, and endeavor to hold a cottage meeting at some home in each of these sections at least once a month, or oftener if thought best. The worker should know where the next meeting will be held in time to invite his readers to attend the meetings in their respective localities. To do this successfully, each reader must be informed of this plan when the class is made up. These meetings should begin to be held at an early date in the course, perhaps sometime during the second month's work. At these gatherings the time can be spent in reviewing and confirming in their minds the main points in the subjects already covered in the printed lessons. When a section of a city is thus worked, the honest will have been found, and no one can say he did not have abundant opportunity to know the truth. This method can be successfully followed without an institute. An institute, however, gives character to the work, and should be maintained where possible, even though it be on a small scale. I would also advise that during the hot summer months, where it is possible, in place of the classes at the institute, a few short, spicy series of tent-meetings be held in different localities where work is being done, to which all could be invited. This will be found very effective. For this, I prefer a tent about twenty-eight by thirty-six feet, one that can be easily and quickly moved, and one for which room can be had on almost any vacant lot. When the course of printed lessons is completed, the cottage meeting work can be continued in localities where thought best. At any rate, each family should then be canvassed for subscriptions to our papers. It is supposed, of course, that previous to this time the worker will have been diligent in selling each reader as many books as possible. In addition to this, all the old readers ought to be re-canvassed several times each year with some special literature in the way of books and periodicals. As soon as work with one class of readers is properly bound off, a new class should be taken out, and the process repeated. By diligent and persevering effort, two classes can be handled every fourteen months. All literature given away or sold should have the name and address of the institute, with phone numbers, and an invitation for those who are interested to call upon you. In my next article I will give suggestions for financing efforts of this nature, which will conclude this series.