The Importance of Goals in Christian Work

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 27, 1915

The Importance of Goals in Christian Work

Panama Canal if no one had had a goal in view?

We expect men who do things to have a fixed purpose in mind. We admit it to be proper and right for worldly men and successful promoters to have an objective; but, when it comes to religion, we hear people say, “O, this is different! We must just do the best we can, and the Lord will have to do the rest.” But if this same person had to build a house, or plant a crop, he would plan and think and set a goal before he started.

It seems natural, when we work for ourselves, to have a goal; but in God’s work, we are often willing to drift and not get results. Some years ago there were not a few who complained about trying to raise ten cents a week per member for missions. Today we all believe in it, and now have united to raise twenty cents a week; we know it can be done. It is possible because we have a goal before us. When we center our efforts upon a purpose, we can get the desired results.

In winning souls to Christ, we often hear people say, “Well, in many matters it is all right to have a goal, but in winning souls it is all a matter of faith.” Now, if it is all a matter of faith, and the worker does not need to plan nor have an objective, how will faith operate? If a man has no plan, no purpose, no determination, how is he to believe? Who can have faith without works? But if we have to work to show our faith, then we can show large faith as well as little faith. Suppose I say, “I am going to try to win five souls to Christ this summer.” With that as my goal, what shall I do? I shall plan on a five-soul campaign. Shall I work, or speak, or act as if I had given myself the task of winning fifty souls to Christ?—No. My goal for five souls will mean work planned on that scale; but when I enlarge my faith to fifty souls, I shall enlarge my plans. Then, my preaching will have a fifty-soul ring in it, and my efforts will be put forth on a tenfold larger scale.

The first day of April, this year, our church membership in the North American Division Conference was 73,605. If we say that on the last day of December, 1915, our membership shall be 80,000, that will be our goal. Can it be done? “According to your faith, be it unto you.” An eighty thousand church membership would mean that from now to the close of this year, there must be 6,400 persons won to Christ and baptized, plus the number of deaths and apostasies that will occur.

What are our agencies for accomplishing this result? First, we have our force of evangelical workers. Including secretaries and licensed missionaries, these number 1,407. If this corps of workers