The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1917-04-13
The Preaching Business


ministry is often very interesting to
both preachers and laymen, even though
every statement is not quite true
Here is an editorial taken from a re-
cent issue of the Iron Ore, published at
Ishpeming, Mich.
Under the title of "The Preaching
Business" the editor says:
eve often hear about people who
tell the editor how to run his business.
It's easier to tell him than to go out
and do it for him. Talk is about the
only thing that is cheap in these high
priced days.
'But we wouldn't trade places with
the preacher, not for fifty cents to
boot. We hear the preacher being
roasted much and because Of very
trivial reasons. We have concluded that
it's a mighty hard job for any man to
satisfy one thousand people in church
congregation. Talk of politics! Why,
there's more politics to the square inch
in the average church than in Bath
House Johns tea house. There are
more cllques, rings, jealousies and mar
row practices than you can stuff into
your hat. If the preacher tells the
truth right out loud he is sure to squeeze
the feelings of certain members of
his flock. If he fails to do this he is
accused of being mollycoddle and
afraid to express his honest convictions.
If he smiles more indulgently on one
than the other he is accused of favorit-
ism. If he overlooks the social position
of Mrs. Brown and talks abrasively of
bridge whist he is narrow. If he
doesn't soak the dancers and card play
ers he is too broad. If he goes to
show, he is, according to some author
tiles of his church, pointing the way to
hell for the youth of his congregation.
If he doesn't go he cannot learn what
sort of pictures are being shown and
be able to talk intelligently of them.
If he plays about like boy and takes
part in their games he isn't dignified,
and if he refuses to join with them he
is dubbed as being too good to do it.
If he doesn't oppose anything that
smacks of Sunday dissertation he is
neglecting his duty. If he does he is
interfering with things that he has no
business to be touching. If he talks
prohibition he hurts Brown. If he
doesn't he hurts Smith. He is not in
frequently charged with thinking too
much of some member of the choir.
Sometimes members of the choir are
sure they are being neglected. One
man can't see any sense in collecting
money for foreign missions, while an
other believes the heather should be
educated and placed on the highway to
everlasting happiness. One woman is
displeased because the minister has too
much to say about how the Sunday
School teachers shall conduct their
classes, while another complains that
he doesn't take more pains to instruct
them in proper teaching. One faction
knows he is too well paid while another,
and generally a small one, thinks he
should have better salary.
"Oh, we don't want to exchange
places with the preacher because he's
target all the time, and because, sal
airy considered, he has to take more
abuse than any man of which we know,
How a preacher can be of any use in
leading people along the trail to ever
lasting glory we cannot imagine. If it
we're us we'd be too blamed mad and
ugly to be of any use in that capacity,
and the chances are that we would be
steering them down the birthstone pike
to get even for their worry of us when,
in the meekness and kindness of our
heart we were honestly striving to do
something for their spiritual good.