Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1916-02-24
|. Efficiency.


on what farmers chi business is,
or minister's, or the chief work Of
a church. Some people have a
great deal to say about church eff
aiciency, who don't know much about
it. Even church members do not
realize the change which has come in
twenty years. Scientists have re-
gently voted on the seven modern
wonders of the world. The list of
Gheir "wonders" shows what mark
ed change has come in our ideals.
This is an age Of specialization
One doctor knows about ears, another
about eyes, another about throats,
about stomachs, and so on.
One agriculturist is an expert on ma
Aures, another on cattle, another on
&rees, another on bees, another on ro-
&ation of crops. When the early
church appointed seven helpers to
look after the poor, it began to spec
salize for the sake of efficiency and
mas been at it ever since. Giving
&his work to a special group OF men,
left the other leaders free for a
more important work. 1t is too much
20 expect one man to know every
thing or that he is fitted to do every
thing. Yet many churches expect
their ministers to be combination of
Billy" Sunday, the apostle John, and
the Angel Gabriel, with bits of Peter
and Paul thrown in. And all on a
salary of, say $3.50 year! He must
buy books, attend conventions, sub
scribe for all causes, dress well, and
keep up with the times, all on
orincely salary which averages less
than that of union brick-layer in
New York, and know EVERY thing
about churches-and folks-and the
hereafter!
What our churches need, where
they cannot afford to hire men for
different types of work, is to divide
up the work among the members.
Some are fitted for one thing, some
for another. If these folks were will
ing, they might be used to make we'll
rounded service possible, by the
church, for the community. That is
the heart of the plan recorded in
Acts 6: IT. Read it-then practice
the principle in your church. Divide
up the work. Pass it around. Give
the preacher chance to preach, to
minister to the people outside the
church. Don't expect him to coddle
YOU all the time. Don't make him
merely money raiser, church ba-
zaar promoter, or a ticket agent.
ii. Fruitfulness
The Record says that "the number
of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem
exceedingly" One of the reasons
was that the MEN got on the job!
The apostolic command to the church
was this: "Look ye out. Men,"
There is ample proof that religion is
a mans job. It's big enough to call
out all man has in him. Big men
have not been afraid to tackle the job.
1t took Livingstone to Africa, Riis to
the tenements, Grenfell to Labrador,
Moody to the multitudes, and Lincoln
TO the side of the slave. You have
only to read their utterances to see
what motive stirred them, what Pow
er upheld them. 1t was the service of
God.
Today the church is undermanned.
1T turns too much over TO the min
lister and the women. God help us if
they failed on the job! The church
heeds the power in it's male members;
it needs as much Initiative as they
put into politics, or business, or the
lodge. If your church is not reach
ing and influencing men, it is because
the men already in the church are
not on their job. If fifty men in
your church would get together and
organize a campaign to call on one
hundred other men, it would start
something!
Ill. Standards.
In choosing committees, or electing
officers we are apt to pick out the
men who have Influence" in the COM
munity. This is proper if our stand
ard of Influence" is correct. Often,
however, it means to select some rich
man, partly in hopes that he will give.
How often do we choose the apostles
directed: "Look ye out among you
seven men of honest report, full of
the Holly Spirit and wisdom" Here
is standard for imitation; piety first
then wisdom. The Spirit of God pre-
pares man for christian business.
No premium is put upon ignorance.
A man poor in this worlds goods,