p. 294 | Missionary Department by John Norton Loughborough

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jul 22, 1875

Missionary Department.

By John Norton Loughborough

“In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand; for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.” Eccl. 11: 6.

Missionary Work.

It requires a little time, especially for those who have not been used to doing business by system, to get into the working harness of the missionary society. Even those who are in the habit of doing business systematically, and who are used to keeping a record of all their business transactions, require a little time to familiarize their minds with the T. and M. system. For this reason it is essential to give “line upon line” in missionary instruction. Once stating a proposition does not meet the case, but the principles must be laid down again and again. We shall try to illustrate from time to time, as far as we understand it, all the different departments of the T. and M. work, until all our officers are sufficiently established and informed, as to be able to instruct those who may newly come to the faith and unite with the society.

The first, and essential thing requisite for this work, is a desire to do good, and to possess a spirit of consecration, and a love to labor, then the inquiry will naturally come in, “where is the work to be done?” “How can I perform in the most acceptable manner the work I find to do?” The system devised for the carrying on of T. and M. work is not designed to take the place of the spirit of devotion and labor, but it comes in merely as a great regulator to the work, and a prompter to deeds of good in the furtherance of the truth and the cause of God in all of its departments, especially those departments which embody more particularly the lay members and their work.

The object of the society is thus stated in the Constitution of the Tract and Missionary Societies of Seventh-day Adventists, ART. III. “The objects of this society shall be: 1. The proper distribution of our tracts, pamphlets, and books. 2. To obtain subscribers for our periodicals; to collect dues and renew subscriptions and to pay subscriptions for the worthy poor; and for this purpose, agents shall be appointed, who shall report quarterly to the Directors of their districts. 3. To visit and labor (by correspondence or otherwise) for the encouragement and help of the precious scattered ones of like faith; for those who are falling back because of discouragement; and to interest all within the reach of our interest in the great truths connected with the last message of mercy to the world. 4. To find homes for those who may be destitute and needy, for the truth's sake. 5. To bring about, as far as possible, equality among our people, in the payment of Systematic Benevolence in accordance with the plan adopted, in taking stock in our institutions . . . , and in donating to other benevolent enterprizes, which from time to time, may arise for the purpose of forwarding the work.”

It will be seen by the above that an ample field is opened, with varied and abundant labor for those who may wish to perform it. The work is not confined to one branch, or to one field. If we cannot see a work to do in the immediate neighborhood where we live, we have the whole world as a field, so we may labor, by correspondence or otherwise, for all within the reach of our influence. In accordance with this plan, correspondence and tract distribution is being carried on with parties both near and remote. Some have their regular correspondents in China, Russia, Spain, New Zeland, and Gibraltar. The writer is holding regular correspondence with an interested party who has become a believer by reading, and who is in the diamond fields of South Africa, five hundred miles above Cape Town, Cape Colony, at a point from which it requires just four months to send a letter and get a return. Yet these silent messages find their way through the modern accommodation of mail carrying.

We must not get our ideas in too narrow a compass, either as regards the nature of the missionary work, or the field in which we may labor. We receive some letters in which the parties say: “There is not much opportunity for T. and M. labor in our church as the field in our vicinity has been very well canvassed.” Suppose it has, you are not confined in your tract distribution to your own town, State, or nation. Anywhere on earth that you can place reading matter before the candid, do it, and even though you may not understand a word of Danish, Swedish, French, or German, tracts are made ready to your hand in these languages with which you may be doing a work for those of other tongues.

Your reports of T. and M. labor, in the shape of tract distribution, visiting, letter writing, etc., are to be made in your own district, to the librarian of your own church, but the labor itself may be performed for those anywhere on this broad earth or upon the islands of the sea, anywhere that you can do good, it is your privilege to labor. Of course, as our State is divided into districts, it is expected of those in those districts that they will make special efforts to awaken an interest in their own district, but their labors are not necessarily confined there. Work anywhere you can raise an interest. “Do with your might what your hands find to do.”

The apostles said, it was not meet that they should leave the word of God and serve tables. While in this world every cause must, necessarily, have financial aid to move it on, and where the T. and M. organization is perfected and in good working order, the servants of God may devote themselves to the ministry of the word, while the lay members, moving in harmony, and by system, raise the necessary means to carry on the work in all its departments. So as stated in ART. III. of the Constitution, one object of the missionary society is to secure equality in raising means. Systematic Benevolence according to the reasoning of Paul in 2 Cor. 8: 9, and 1 Cor. 6: 1, 2, is on the very plan of equality, each doing “as God has prospered them,” or “according to their ability.” The director has, as a part of his work in each district, seeing that all come up to the work in harmony with the plan of S. B. adopted.

The society is to see, also, that there is equality in raising means for any enterprise. To illustrate: suppose it was deemed advisable to raise $1000, as a mission or tent fund, in a State where there were 500 T. and M. members, $2.00 per head would raise it. A district having forty members of course would have $80.00 to raise, and while it might not be equality, even in that district, that each member should pay the $2.00, as some might be very poor and others fully able, still, as a general rule, this might be a basis for dividing the sum to be raised, the directors, at the same time taking into account in their division the wealth or poverty of the district. And again the director, in any district dividing up the portion to be raised among the churches of his district, counseling with the librarian or business agent of his district, might for the same reason see cause to make some variation in dividing up the portion among his churches, while the individual free-will offerings that might be made to meet the same would all be on the same great plan that S. B. is raised; each donating “as God has prospered them,” “according to their ability.”

Again, a part of the missionary work is to assist in finding homes for orphans, to help the needy and widows, to assist those in finding employment in consequence of having embraced the truth. It is not needful to wait till your quarterly meeting before you report such ones, nor to wait to be invited to report, but each member should report at once to the State secretary any case of this kind that may come up, that the secretary may call the attention of the president and directors to the matter, in which case immediate action is taken to assist the needy and the destitute.

Where this system of T. and M. work is fully adopted, and carried on in all its branches it is no marvel that a still greater interest is awakened among the members, and an outside interest soon made manifest. Activity is the life of any church or society, so in this case. The reports come from all the States that the more thoroughly they adopt and enter into the work of the T. and M. society, the more the cause advances. I believe it was reported at one conference last year that in one State they had nearly doubled their membership by the T. and M. work alone. Their efficient ministers being employed in other States. Let us, one and all, study this T. and M. system, and as rapidly as possible, each in our appropriate position, do all we can in the missionary work. J. N. L.