Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-10-13
BISMARCK PASTOR
ON EVANGELISM
Rev. J. G.. Moore Gives Interest
ing Lecture at Jamestown
Conference.
COMMERCIALISM HAS
INVADED THE FIELD

jamestown, n. D., Oct. 12.-"I d.
not discount evangelism or evange]
lists, but | have a profound conviction
that something is wrong RADICAL,
when churches report scores of con
versions, not 10 per cent. of which
take the obligation of church mem
bership and where the evangelist re
ceives from 80 to IS per cent of as
much financial support for three o,
four weeks as the pastor receives fol-
a whole year." declared Rev J. C.
Moore, of Bismarck, superintendent
of the Methodist district in his annual
report before the conference body
here Wednesday morning
Spirit Of CONNIE ciaIism.
'The fact is that the spirit of COM
mercialism has invaded the field of
evangelism. In my judgment the way
to meet this is not by multiplying
evangelists in conference or district,
but by eXalting pastoral evangelism
and where evangelists are engaged,
specifying the compensation they are
to receive and if possible thereby
make the stronger churches contr-
butte to the help of the weaker. Sew
eral of the pastors on remote and diff
ficult fields have been assisted in re-
vival effort. These men have shared
in the toll and privations common to
the frontier"
New Church for Dickinson.
'Plans have been secured and a
subscription is being taken for the
erection of a new church in the enter
prising city of Dickinson" said the
district superintendent. "PastOr and
people are enthusiastic over the en-
terprise. Bowman, Napoleon, Cleve-
land, Douglas, Fort Rice. Goodrich,
Mckenzie, Mott, Robinson, Under
wood early in the year reduced the in
debtedness on church properties. Het-
finger paid $3.50 on debt and met the
cost of renovating the interior of the
church building: Mott reduced the
parsonage debt $500, leaving the debt
at present $1,000, and jamestown has
paid over $4,000 on the church leaving
the entire property but with $4,000 Of
mortgage Indebtedness which amount
| is covered by good subscription.
About $1,000 has been spent on par.
sonage improvements and church
building equipment"
Parsonage Needed.
Several Of the charges in the dis
trict badly need parsonages as occa.
sionally a pastor has necessarily had
to live in the basement of the church.
Interest rates have been high and
while we have on some charges a
large Indebtedness we much remem'
Der that our people are making their
homes in a new country and that
present liabilities do not indicate un-
| wise administration or investment"
Sunday School Work.
Touching on Sunday school work in
the Bismarck district, DR.. Moore de-
clared that during the year special at.
tention has been given to Sunday
school work in public addresses and
through the quarterly conferences,
and that many of the pastors have
discovered that the Sabbath school is
rich in evangelistic possibilities.
"God pity the pastor who awaits
the coming of an evangelist to bring
his young people of his congregation
into church membership" asserted
DR.. Moore. Brother F.. L. Bell, a
Sunday school missionary, has re.
Gently been sent our conference by
our Sunday school board. He is a
trained Sunday school worker, is thor
oughly evangelistic and will do ex.
cellent work for the, Kingdom. We
could have upward of score of addi'
tioal congregations within the bounds
of the Bismarck district had a man
like Brother Bell operated in this ter
ritOry when the towns were being es.
tablished.
Fluctuations in Constituency.
"In many communities where we
have churches from so to 80 percent
of the citizens speak foreign Ian
guage. Whole counties have but one
English speaking evangelical protest
ant minister. The fact that we have
a foreign missionary field within the
bounds of our conference and in view
of our needs for church erection and
the support of home missionaries,
not a conference in Methodism should
be more loyal to the board of home
missions and church extension. Our
record as conference in this parti.
cular has not been the best. How
ever. l am pleased to report that this
year there has been a recognition OF
the fact that the home base has its
special needs. Bishop Berry re-
ports special gifts pledged at camp
meeting amounting to $1,000 for a
church in Porto Rico and Brother
Miles Mack of Bismarck has given
through our church at Bismarck
$4,000 for the work of church extern
sion.
Raps the Camp Meetings.
There are three inter-denOmina'
tional camp meetings operating with
in the bounds of the Bismarck dis
trict. ! attended one held in this
city. which is known and has been re.
ported in our year book as 'Metho'
dist Camp Meeting The attendance
was large and the management en-
cellent. The results cannot be tabu-
lated. Some were converted and
others protested the experiences of