The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-07-14
specta1 Contributors.
PLAIN TALKS TO A YOUNG PASTOR.
BY REV. J. NJ. PAYSON.
La Crosse, Wis.,
About Pastoral Work.

About Pastoral Work.
You have chosen a very important
calling-the Christian ministry. 1t is
not always a flower fringed path, nor
does it always lead along level ground.
No pursuit requires more various
qualifications, arduous labor or greater
patience. And l have thought that
few words of counsel from one who has
been some years on the road might
make it easier for you.
Perhaps you will give little heed to
this advice. Young men are too likely
to enter their profession with the
thought that they know quite as much
about the way as the man who has
already travelled it. hope you are not
laboring under this delusion. If so
you will probably not go very far before
you will wish you had been more at
tentive to those who are familiar with
the road. While the experience of
others cannot be as valuable to you as
your own, you will find it wise to listen
to those who have toiled many weary
day over this path, and who have made
mistakes just as you will do.
The work Of the ministry may be
conveniently divided into three depart
ments, pastoral work, work in the
study and in the pulpit. want to talk
to you first about your work as a pastor.
That | place this first may surprise
you. You have thought of preaching
as the minister's chief work. Now L
am not going to disparage the work of
the study or the pulpit. Hereafter l
shall try and accord them their rightful
place. But these by no means cover
the whole field. There is much to be
done outside of both pulpit and study.
Whatever your intellectual qualiiica-
tions, however studiOus you may be,
however painstaking with your ser
mons, if you make your study kind Of
hermit's cell, scarcely seeing your
people except on Sunday, yGu will not
merit the title of a good minister. If
you are to be profitable minister, you
must be good pastor. You must keep
yourself acquainted with the daily life
of your people, come into sympathetic
relations with them and be able to say
with the master, 81 call you my
friends" The first question most
parishes ask with respect to a candidate
is, "What kind of pastor is he?"
1 will admit that preaching is the
main instrumentality of your work. 1t
is very largely in the pulpit that you
are to win men to Christ. But your
pulpit will have little power to this
end if you do not have the people to
preach to. Pastoral work is essential
with most preachers in obtaining and
retaining a congregation in these days.
The time was when the minister
might hope for an audience, even if he
were a poor pastor. The time was
when churchgoing was considered
almost Indispensable to salvation; when
NlC GhulSll1 IOOt WAC fAlLlOoS lAlC OlAlg
educational influence. Very few now
regard the church as the only gate to
heaven. Very few now are afraid of
imperiling their souls by sleeping past
the church hour on Sunday, or remain
ing at home to read their newspapers.
The church to-day is only one among
fnt fproao Tho n1lY,if
is no longer the only educator. There
fore unless you are Beecher or a
Talmage or a Spurgeon, which is not
very likely, you will scarcely draw an
increasing audience by your preaching
merely. You must work with the peo-
pie outside of the church. If you have
become thoroughly acquainted with
them and succeeded in attaching them
to you, if you have helped them in
their homes, if your presence, your
words have encouraged and cOmfOrted
them, you may expect to see them in
the pews.
And do not forget that, as rule,
only the good pastor can be a good
preacher. 1t has been said of certain
ministers, "They are good preachers
but poor pastors" Doubtless the-e are
good preachers who are poor pastors,
but of the majority of ministers this
cannot be true. y poor pastor may be
good writer on philosophical subjects.
He may be good theological essayist.
But while a good sermon may contain
much theology and ought to, that