Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1914-11-13
THE RURAL
PREACHER
The Pastor Should Be 4 Director o.
the Moral, Economic and Social
Life Of the Community.
BY Peter Radford

4
Lecturer National Farmers Union
The most indispensable servant t.
society is that of the ministry, LOT
without the high moral precepts and
lofty examples of those who Walk
and talk with God, man would pc
little more than an animal. These
divinely commissioned custodians OF
virtue and masters of the forces OF
civilization have leavened human ma
ture, sweetened humanity and given
life it's SAVIOR, but their glorious
achievements of the past are ecnpseo
by the marvellous possibilities OF the
new rural civilization now confronting
them, ushering in a new world OF use.
fitness.
Strong Leadership Needed.
A human life can pest be measured
by service and the preacher is divine
ly appointed to teach and to serve
The rural church has in the main fui
filed its evangelical mission, but the
economic and social requirements OF
the age now rest heavily upon II
awaiting the leadership and inspira-
ton Of the church.
It is as much a part of the duty
of a minister to inspire US to own
a home on earth as it is to exnorr us
to build mansions in the skies; to
persuade us to fill the mud holes from
our homes to the church, as to preach
of the golden streets Of the new Je-
rusalem; to teach US how to mo
the markets as well as to teach US
how to reach the holy city; to teach
our young girls to wear modest CLOTH
ing here on earth as well as to teach
them to wear crown in glory. To
teach our young people how to play
constructive games while they are
here as well as to teach them to play
on harp with thousand strings
in the land beyond the grave; to
teach us how to live as well as teach
us how to pray.
There must be a readjustment OF
the evangelical and an extension OF
institutional work of the church. The
frailties of human nature strongly
attracted the pioneer pastor and pity
has flowed freely for the life with sin.
but the building of individual char
acter and training Of the emotions
Of human life are entitled to more
earnest consideration
The farmer needs the personal
touch Of the pastor. He seldom
comes in direct contact with his hal
lowing influence except when he is
baptized, married and buried. 1t is
time-honored custom for our pastors
to visit their rural congregations
once a month, preach a sermon, take
up a collection, eat dinner and hurry
back to the city. We approve 1t all
except hurrying back to the city. To
interpret the life of the farmer anc
construct christian character in the
community, the preacher must live
with US and share our trials and trib
ulations.
Constructive Work for the Pastor.
There is an emptiness in the life OF
rural communities and we wan,
preachers who can weave into the
social fibre educational pastimes, prot
table pleasures and instructive
amusements. Too often we find the
games Of our young people search
for a suggestion in immortality and
stepping-stone to sin. The pastor
should supervise the growing lives OF
young people, approve their amuse-
ments, create expressions Of Joy and
pleasure that make for christian
character and bless their lives with
christian modesty
A pastor in neighborhood study
ing the economic, social, moral and
educational problems of the commun-
fly, presenting fresh visions of poten.
tial possibilities and native power
with beauty and new meaning, inter-
proting the thought-life of the COM
munity and administering to their
daily needs will contribute more to
ward the advancement of a locality
than dozen preachers who occupy
the pulpit at irregular intervals,
preaching on subjects foreign to the
life of the community
Too long has the farm furnished
the cities with their great preachers
until today the rural church is the
gang-way to city pulpits. The current
should be reversed The power Of the
pulpit is most needed in the country
where the fundamental forces of hu-
man life originate and where human
nature buds and blossoms into a glor-
ious fruition.
Why Rural Churches Lanquish.
The destiny of rural church Is
inseparably associated with the eco
nomic and social progress Of the com
munity. If a community is content
methods, the church attains only
small amount Of success or fails al
together. If a community employs
m: dern farming methods, improved
farming machinery and builds gcsa
roads, the result will be shown no.
only in material benefits but the
church will attain the highest degree
OF success You can build a city on
a rock or even on the sand, but you
can't build rural church in a non
progressive community No church is
more prosperous than the country
which supports it and the pastor can.
not build his church without first
building the community.
Many rural church Is languishine
or has died altogether because of bad
economics and many pastors have
found that it takes work as well az
prayers to make their church a sue
cess