What Can the Minister Do?
By John Edson White
AS THE minister goes from church to church, it is hardly understood what relation he shall sustain toward the Sabbath-school work. The amount of good he might do under proper conditions can hardly be estimated. The amount of positive and negative injury that he does do is sometimes large. And while it is outside the province of the Worker to criticise the ministry in every other place, the influence they do have on the Sabbath-school work—which the Worker represents—is so important that it will perhaps be excused for attempting to advise in regard to their relations to it. The old idea that the minister shall sit still during the school, and then make some good remarks about Bible study in childhood, mixed with a little flattery of the school, is becoming obsolete. Sabbath-school workers are beginning to think and plan and work for better methods, so that they can make their work of greater benefit to the school and to themselves. In this, ministers who are not keeping up with the advance move are falling behind. The minister is abroad from place to place, comes in contact with various schools and Sabbath-school educators, and is expected to be up with the times. And when called upon to speak, it is for the instruction, encouragement, and suggestions in better work which he is expected to give. When he fails to do this, he probably will never know that the school has patiently listened to him for the food they hoped to receive, and were disappointed at receiving only husks. But it is not by much talking before the school that the most good can be done. If you think it best to say a few words, be brief. If you have a point of general interest to make, make it, and then stop. Do not allow any regular exercise of the school to be omitted that you may have time to lecture the school. If the superintendent desires to shorten the general exercise five minutes, and you think you have something to say that will be of more benefit to the school than the completion of the exercise, take the time. But you can do more good in other directions. Do not allow your presence to interrupt the regular order of the school. We once had temporary charge of a school on a Sabbath when a minister came in under whose labors the church was raised up. He entered as the school was being called to order and taking their seats. Of course all seemed like the nearest and dearest friends to him, and he began greeting them noisily, thus throwing the whole school into confusion. All attempts to pull them to order were futile. It was only by coming to his side, and leading him forward to open the school by prayer, that order was established, and the interrupted work of the school resumed. The minister should remember that order is Heaven's first law, and should feel that the rules of the school apply to him as to others. Never allow a superintendent to introduce you to teachers or scholars during the session. We believe in letting brotherly love continue; but its manifestation should not be allowed to mar the recitation by diverting the attention of the whole class. Two or three interruptions are almost sure to ruin a recitation. If the teacher is a good one. Pass around among the classes if you desire, but let it be understood that you do not wish to interrupt the recitation. Shall the minister take the superintendent's place if requested to do so? Under certain circumstances this may be advisable. But in our work, if we desire to benefit the school, we prefer to allow the school to do its regular work, and thus see what they lack, and how they can be helped. By at once taking control of the school, this object is defeated. You have no means of knowing how they do their work, and have not the forces in hand to do your best work and show them how you would do it. If you are well acquainted with the school, or on your second or third visit, it might be advisable for you to take charge, provided you have some plans of work which can better be presented in that manner. But as a rule, it is not best to interfere with the regular order. If you have been following the lessons, and are so well posted on the lesson of the day that you can do as well as, or better than, the superintendent, it would be well for you to conduct the review exercise, if invited to do so. Your best work can be done by having a good meeting with the teachers and officers, where the true standing, condition, and aims of the school can be discussed, and plans laid for an advance. We have always relied on this for doing the most good. If you are not so well acquainted with the work as you desire, you will receive an incentive from these meetings which will set you to preparing in earnest. To be of real service, it is necessary for you to learn thoroughly the lessons as they appear from week to week in the Instructor. It is not enough to have a general idea of the subject. You must know and thoroughly understand the plan of handling the subject as brought out in the lessons, and this can only be acquired by learning them. We have known a number of budding ministers whose time was too valuable to be thrown away in learning the Sabbath-school lessons. Such might find the discipline of learning a lesson well once a week to be of as much real value as the cursory study which absorbs so much of their time. If they are so well posted that it is no task to learn the lesson, they can well afford to give the subject a systematic review. If it proves a burdensome task, we would suggest that it is about the line of study that is needed. All should work in harmony. To do this, time should be taken to become conversant with the plans of work and the aims of the association. The ministry can be of great benefit to the Sabbath-school cause if they will prepare for it as they do for the other work they have committed to them. This preparation has been too lightly regarded in the past. The minister has, ex officio, been regarded as fully qualified for so small a work as this without special preparation. But we have only to look at what other denominations are doing to see that we are far behind them in our appreciation of the possibilities and necessities of this means of growth in the knowledge of the things of God. We ask of the ministers a careful consideration of these thoughts.—J. E. W., in S. S. Worker.