To Church Elders by D. M. Canright

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jun 12, 1879

To Church Elders.

By D. M. Canright

DEAR BRETHREN: Whether you have been ordained to the eldership of the church, or simply chosen to lead in the meetings, the spiritual welfare of that company is committed to your oversight. The elder or leader of a church has a large influence in giving tone and spirit to the entire society. You should realize the solemn and holy office which you hold. God will hold you accountable for the sheep under your care.

Let me suggest that you pray much to God for wisdom and grace to fill your place acceptably. Simply to lead the meeting is but a small part of your duty. You should personally visit all the Sabbath-keepers in your section, whether they belong to the church or not. And right here let me say that we find everywhere a large number of Sabbath-keepers who do not attend meeting. They live some miles from the place of meeting, or they have no way to come, or they have lost their interest. Now it may be that they have done wrong in some things, that they have neglected their duty. We are all liable to discouragements and to sin. A precious soul should not be cast off too readily. I am satisfied that a large number of these persons might be saved to the cause of Christ if they were properly visited.

In almost every case where I have visited these persons who do not attend meeting, and particularly those who are regarded as being on the back-ground, the very first thing they say is, "The brethren and sisters do not care for me. Nobody comes to my house, nobody looks after me, and the church is cold and careless of me." And thus they go on stating their grievances. On inquiry, I find that these persons have not been visited for months by any one, not even by the elder himself. In some cases, not a Sabbath-keeper has been in their house for a year.

Now, my brother, if you are neglecting your duty in this respect, you are sinning against God. You go to the house of God every Sabbath, and you pray for the Spirit of God to come upon you; you pray for the missionary work, and for the cause of Christ; then you go home, and there it ends. There are precious souls all around you who already love the truth and believe it, but they have discouragements that you know nothing about.

If you want to be a man of God, and fill your place, one of your first duties is to look up these scattered sheep, and bring them to the fold. Visit them; pray with them; dine with them, and show that you have an interest for them. Let me recommend something further. Get up a load or two of brethren and go around among these discouraged ones. Have a little prayer-meeting with them. If you want to work for Christ in a missionary field, here is just the place to begin.

I therefore request that the elder or leader of each church immediately propose to the members of that church to hold a meeting on one evening with some family that has not attended the meetings regularly, and the next evening with some other one; if only a few can go, get up one load and go to these disheartened ones. Talk courage and hope and love to them and you will see the cause of God revive in your church as never before. What a splendid missionary field this is! If they are six or eight miles from the church, go and stay with them all night, or at least spend an evening, invite in their neighbors and have a little prayer-meeting. Then do missionary work.

Come, my brethren, in the name of our Saviour, let us be men of God, and wake up to the opportunities that lie before us to do something for Christ. How can you give account for these souls in the day of Judgment? Perhaps you have no confidence in them; but cannot sinners repent and reform? But I have found that in a large number of cases the trouble lies with the elder himself. He is so cold and formal that he has no heart in the work. We appeal to you, brethren, to take hold of this matter, and begin now. We shall inquire, when we come to see you, whether you do this or not. May the blessed Jesus let his spirit rest upon you.

D. M. CANRIGHT.