Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-25
CHURCH METHODS
OFTEN CHANGE
Christian Message and Mission,
However, Are Eternally
Unchanged
CONSERVE SPIRITUALITY
Too Many Ministerial Commit
teemen, Managers and
Errand Boys
OBSERVE SPIRITUALITY
BY William T. Ellis

BY William II. Ellis
When Men and Religion experts
flew about the land with their slo-
gan of efficiency" they were hailed
as new force and as bearers of a
new message. AS a matter of fact,
they really only illustrated the truth
that Christians have to get back to
the New Testament to be up to
date for better program of eff
cheney than theirs was laid down for
itself by the early church in Jerusa-
lem, as succinctly told in the seven
verses from the sixth chapter of the
Acts which constitute this Sunday
school lesson.
Now in these days, when the
number of disciples was multi
plying, there arose a murmuring
of the Grecian Jews against the
Hebrews. because their widows
were neglected in the daily
ministration. And the twelve
called the multitude of the dis
ciples unto them, and said, 1t is
not fit that we should forsake
the word of God, and serve ta-
bles. Look ye out therefore,
brethren, from among you seven
men of good report, full of the
spirit and of wisdom, whom we
may appoint over this business.
But we will continue steadfastly
in prayer, and in the ministry
of the word. And the saying
and they chose stephen, a man
fun of faith, and of the Holy
Spirit, and Philip, and Proch-
orus, and Nicanor, and Timon,
and Parmenas, and Nicolas
proselyte of Antioch; whom they
set before the apostles; and when
they had prayer, they laid their
hands upon them.
And the word of God M
creased and the number of the
disciples multiplied in Jerusa-
lem exceedingly; and a great
company of the priests were obe-
dent to the faith"
Unrest and Life
Some timorous souls are disturbed
by the discomfort evident in the
church. Wherever there is
life there is movement and unrest.
All progress is a series of adjust
ments. The one place of perfect pla-
cidity is the graveyard, and often the
city's advance causes that to be dug
and and built over. A big hint is
hidden, not very deeply, in this New
Testament episode, to the effect that
the form and usage of the Christian
church is not a fixed and rigid thing,
to which all generations should con-
form, but an adaptation to the chang
ing needs and conditions of every CEN
tury. l pity the pastor of a local
who is dominated by a
few conservative" members who
want things done in the good old
way.
The message and mission of the
church are eternally unchanged; but
her methods may vary from year
to year.
Some one has said that the two
angels of progress are the angel of
birth and the angel of death; both
bring changes. In this instance it
was growth that caused the church
to modify her methods. That growth,
as DIR. Torrey points out, was not by
addition, but by multiplication. Such
an accession of new life made changes
An old-new evil seems to have de-
early in the Jerusalem
too few men had too much
The whole load was
on the shoulders of the apostles.
They were the busiest men in the
city. No man can do efficiently as
many kinds of work as were required
of them. L talked with layman re-
Gently who had been, until his day of
self-emancipation, member of twen-
y-eight boards. committees and So
cieties. Obviously, no one man could
do effective work in so many different
Even the apostles, trained
in the presence of Christ Himself,
were not equal to the burdens laid
on them by the rapidly growing
church.
One Man. One job
1--WE must save ourselves for our
highest work. said the apostles.
That is a good life rule for every