The Newtown bee., 1898-01-21
the eooking-school; there are the special

the cooking-school; there are the special
endeavors to
RECLAIM LAPSED CHURCH MEMBERS;
there are the assigning of special work
to each new member, the Introduction of
ew families, the greeting of strangers;
there is the Sunday-school in all its
varied interests; there is the organ "a
ton of mission schools. But 1 stop lest
overwhelm you with the thought of the
work that lies before the church of to-
day that would masterfully meet it's
duty.
Now the minister, in attempting to
meet this problem of how to set all the
members of his church at work, has to
realize, at the start, that he is only one
man, and very small man, too. What
he can give and what he can do as one
man in the work of the church must, of
necessity, be small. He must join his
work with that of others; first of all, he
must look for cooperation, and in secur-
ing this he must remember that he has
, to inspire, and not to command. HE
that winneth souls is WIS.," and the wise
way to win sou is in the winning way :;
and the wise way to get people to work
is in the winning way. The comparison
is often made between the head of
church and the head of business house,
much to the disparagement of the for
mer. 1t is said the head of church has
to depend upon voluntary service, and
theref re he always has uncertain and
poor service, while the head of bu mess
house depends upon wage-service; he
has the right to command it, and there
fore he has certain and good service.
do not believe that the comparison holds
true; 1 do not believe that voluntary
service is necessarily poor service, that
you can never tell what to expect from
it, that it will always be guided merely
by convenience. On the contr ,ry,
1 BELIEVE THAT VOLUNTARY SERVICE
ought to be, in the nature of things,
| willing service, hearty service, faithful
service, while wage-service is generally
bargain, so much of one thing, muscle
or brain, for 80 much Of another thing,
money, measuring of equivalents, and
one who works for wages in some sort
works as drudge.
A pastor, then, in trying to get all the
members of his church at work must in
spire them, and not command them; he
must inspire them to some just concep-
ton Of what the Church is in the world
tor, what it is put here to do. I was
talking with brother-mini only a
few days ago 1--WE ministers, on coming
together, like to run over the common
threads of our experience and compare
notes), and he said 81 do not suppose
that we can now expect from the great
majority of those who make up our con.
gre cations much more than an attend.
ance upon the service on Sunday morn
ing. After sitting for an hour in church.
they will leave the sacred portal fondly
fiattering themselves that they have dis
charged their whole duty to God and
man, and that their cor seiences can rest
CONTENT Perhaps that is true of the
majority of those who make up our con.
i gregations, and perhaps that is all we
can now look for with the prevailing
conception of the Church as related to the
EXTENSION OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
/ But the faithful minister should ever
hold this as the ideal before his people,
that one-hundTed members on church
roll should mean one hundred act.
i've workers In the church, and
five-hundred names upon the church
roll should mean five-hundred
active workers in the church, and
that every child Of God should count il
his dearest privilege to be . co-workel
with God, to have some share in bring.
ing all kindreds to bow at the feet Of Him
who is King of kings and Lord sof lords,
# any member OF 3 church, Wishing some