The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-01
BOOM FOR MISSIONS
Financial Plans Are Considered at
Toronto. ~. ....
STUDENT VOLUNTEER CoNCLAvE
Earnest Words Designed to Spur the
Churches to Renewed
Effort. .-.-...a.

: Toronto, Ont, March 1.-THE fourth
days session Of the Student Volunteer
movement had large attendance. Sam
uel B. Capen Of Boston delivered an ad-
dress on The Necessity of MakiRg the
Financial Plans of the Church Commen-
surate with the Magnitude of the Task Of
the Worlds CHARACTERIZATION" He said:
With the opening Of the new century the
time has come to make financial plans which
shall bear some proportionate relation to the
greatness OF the task of evangelizing the
world, which shall match what we are doing
in other directions. We must do this for the
highest interest Of churches at home. The
way to grow is to give. If we would save
our American churches from the blight OF
worldiness, we must do it by Spending more
generously for others. Broad missionary
planning is necessary if would keep our
own churches from spiritual dry rot; mis-
slonary interest is always the measure OF
spiritual life. The rapidly changing condi
lions in the nations that know not Christ
are two-fod, political and commercial. Can
we keep that open Door, in China for
which our governments have SO molly con-
tended? England and America must hastel
more rapidly to give the Gospel to China anu
then she will stand against every assault
without any fear of Acknowledgement In view
OF this political struggle, we must all sec
how important it is to press missionary
work in Japan. From her strategic position
she holds the key, religiously speaking to
Asia. Let us make Japan thoroughly Christ
tian and she will pour her missionaries into
China. %. ..-
| What will be the effect Of all the increased
! striving for new commercial markets upon
our missionary work? Commerce without
Christ is a curse; it means firearms, and the
slave trade, ard rum. Shall Christian Amer.
| leans have as her herald, the missionary or
| the commercial traveller? The answer of our
churches will make an infinite difference to
hundreds of Millions of our fellow men, To
! do the imperative missionary work requires,
an outlay of money far in advance OF our
present plans. Missionary work must be the
very life blood of our churches.
Dr. John F. Goucher of Baltimore and
S. Earl Taylor, organizing secretary OF
the Methodist Episcopal church, dealt
also with the financial aspect of foreign
missions. ''The Experience of One
Church. was the subject chosen by Rev
Charles Edwin Brady of Wichita, Kan
This "One Church" the First PRESBYTERIAN
church of Wichita, began with many
thousands Of debt, but this has beer
wiped out and $4,000 in the past few
/ years has been devoted to foreign mis-
sions and a like amount to home missions
Supporting n Thousand missionaries
!; L. D. Wishard of New York was the las
speaker and his subject was sHow
Thousand Missionaries Are Supported
A few years ago Rev. A. j. Gordon, D. D,
one of the greatest of missionary pastors
said: The greatest problem which confront
us for the opening century is that of dis
, tributing the missionary responsibility whic
: has become congested in official centers
No other solution of the great problem sug
! gested by DR.. Gordon has been so thorough
tested as the support of specific missionarie
by specific churches. This method deos whe
lno other method has been shown to do /
equal measure. It Immediately increase
a church's Missionary contributions by larg
t percentages, and maintains the increas
| throughout period of years. The metho
has so commended itself to the pastors an
= members Of every one of the 100 churche
0 visited by the representatives Of the Cor
0 gregational Forward Movement, that ever
q one, without single exception, has pledge
e the salary of one or more missionaries. TIL
s amounts pledged represent an increase
). more than 200 per cent over previous annu,
e contributions.
e The American churches struggled with IL
: problems of missionary finance all through tt
il last century and succeeded in enlisting on
e one-tenth of a cent day, or about thirty
t i've cents year, from the average churc
members. Is it not worth while harkenir
d to the counsel of the business men and PAL
IS tors, and try for at least the first year
|, the country a method which has increase
" the per capita missionary, contributions
: the members Of 100 churches to over thr
: dolalrs year? May not the method whit
has secured the support of 1000 m,ssionari
provide for $4,000? If so, the financial pro-
lem of the worlds evangelization is solve
for in the judgment of conservatives and +
l. liable authorities $4,000 missionaries proper
1f distributed can present and fully explain Il
L. message of Christianity to every creatu
during this generation.