The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-12-11
LACK OF MINISTERS
BAPTIST PROBLEM
Speaker Declares Proper Leader
ship Next in Importance to
Winning Souls.
MONEY DESPERATELY NEEDED
Home Mission Report Tells OF
Poor Housing Conditions and
Asks New Churches.
by MAMIE BAYS.

by MAMIE BAYS.
Shelby. y. c., December 1o.-Tho con-
Sidcration OF ministerial education.
home missions. the board of missions,
and Sunday schools occupied tho Bap-
fist State Convention OF North Caro-
lima during the session of this morning
and this afternoon. Tho recognition of
new pastors. tho report of tho commit
tee on the laymen's missionary move
ment TIE report of the trustees OF
Meredith College and miscellaneous
business kept the body busy for throe
hours.
The Ministry Discussed.
During the consideration Of the sub
jcct OF ministerial education. special
emphasis was laid upon the fact that
the Baptist denomination and other de-
nominations are facing dearth in the |
matter OF ministerial supply, the num-
Der of young men entering tho min
istry being far legs than the demand
for ministerial service in the churches.
w. X. Cullom. of Wake Forest urged
that next to tho work Of winning souls,
the greatest work OF the church is TO
secure tho right men for the min
istry in view OF tho great need for
leadership in the church, and in view
of tho fact that IL the church is to
grow and TO meet the needs or tho day
there must be able incn in the min
istry.
r H. King. Of Mount Airy, speaking
on the same subject, said the dearth ,
of ministerial supply Is due to sew
eral causes; first, the work of the min
istry demands more men than former |
ly; second men are not responding TO |
the call TO the ministry in as largo |
numbers as formerly; third. the fact |
that the present age is materialistic |
Increases the requirement TO be met by !
those entering tho ministry; fourth, (
there Is greater demand now than |
ever before for q we'll equipped, thor |
oughly trained ministry. on both the |
/ home field and the foreign field.
Spirituality n Prime Essential.
Spirituality and conservation were
| nphasized as the chief requirements !
| for success in men entering the min !
/ istry. and while the best equipment
! for the work in every phase is con-
stantly demanded, spirituality and con-
/ sccration should, and must stand above
! all else TO insure success TO the min
! istcr and to the people who constitute
! tho membership OF the church under
/ his leadership.
! The report Of the board OF home mis-
sions called special attention TO the
church building fund OF S1.oO0OOO,
W HlCH tUe southern fjdDtlSl convention
was authorized to raise. and of which
amount North Carolina Baptists have
been asked to contribute 100000
within tho next five years. Another
financial recommendation OF the report
| was that this State convention raise
S3I,l00 this year, the amount appor-
toned to IL of the $+3l.750 the South
ern Baptist Convention il endcavorinR
To collect this year for tho cause of
home missions. Attention was called
by the report on home missions to the
fact that at this time more than three
congregations of Southern Baptists
have no house OF worship, and the
church building fund is for this need
especially. 1t was cited also that the
latest creation Of tho board OF home
missions is the department OF co-opera-
ton, this department having been Gre
ated on account of the fact that at this
time three fourths OF the country
churches have preaching only once II
month. and less than one in fifty OF
these churches have parsonages.
Churches Must Have Support.
It was emphasized by tho report that
If these churches are TO carry on their
work they must have the support of
the denomination. The report csti-
mated in this connection that the
wealth of Baptists in the South is now
increasing at the rate OF 100000 n
month, and tho denomination is in dan
ger W bclHE DclEIitN DN prosperity
unless this. danger is offset by an in
crease of the spirit of lberality.
Other items OF the report which
claimed special attention were those
which touched upon the duty of Bap-
lists in tho South TO the 10000, 900
Southern negroes. to the problem Of
the mountain people and TO the prob
lem of the 100000 people in the low
lands OF the South who are mill opera
tives. these operatives constituting
one-ilfth of The entire population of tho
white people in the lOwlands. Also
attention WAS called to tho duty OF
l3aptists toward the constantly increas-
ing number Of immigrants coming to
. tho United States. The last speaker
on the subject OF home missions was
Rev. r. ID. Gray. D. D.. OF Atlanta. sec
rotary Of the homo mission board Of
tho Southern Baptist Convention.
Or. Gray spoke OF tho rapid growth
and development of Baptists. cspe-
cally within the past few years. and
said il seemed everything belong to
= Baptists everywhere between Shelby
. and the territory Amundsen recently
discovered. and then he said that. not
, withstanding all this, the denomination
- is not keeping pace with material
, growth in tho country.
= Rev. D. ]. Mamrell. u. D., of Dallas.
;. Texas, brought greetings TO the State
convention from the state convention
of Texas. and then addressed the con-
:, Vention on the subject The Call OF
, the Time to Baptists," and he pleaded