Complex sentence: Rutherford feared his opponents would gain control of the Society in his absence, but on January 2,1919 he learned he had been re-elected president at the Pittsburgh convention the day before, convincing him that God wanted him in the position.
Split into simpler sentences: Rutherford feared his opponents would gain control of the Society in his absence. On January 2,1919 he learned he had been re-elected president at the Pittsburgh convention the day before, convincing him that God wanted him in the position.