Omaha daily bee., 1921-08-16
Church Record Surgery.
Bishop Stuntz Gives Good Advice to
His Iowa Churches About Members

(From the Northwestern Christian Advocate)
Bishop II. c. Stunz has issued a letter OF
greeting to his Iowa pastors that has ring
OF encouragement calculated to spur these
faithful leaders to a we'll rounding of the con-
ference year. The bishop touches upon one
matter that should have an even larger circle
of hearers than those to whom it was addressed.
We quote:
Please hear me while / exhort again that
neither you nor any committee OF your
church be permitted to perform rude surgery
Upon your church records We that are
strong ought to bear the burdens of the
weak, and not to please ourselves by drastic
cutting down Of membership with view to
reducing per capita quotas for this, that and
the other benevolence Again and again such
surgery will let too much blood, and the
blood is the life" Literally thousands OF
fairly loyal members have been hurt and lost
by such savage cutting of church records as
has gone on in some charges OF this area
within the last five years.
The bishop has touched a vital matter: There
is not little bungling in the matter of re-
vision OF church records and as the bishop sug-
gests, much harm has been done by the process.
1t is major operation and requires all the skill
and wisdom at ones command, and Divine aid
in addition. Indeed, an official board could
with profit resort to prayer tor divine guidance
before applying the knife to the records.
OF the pastor or members of the board is not
always that wandering ones fault. A refer
ence to the attitude of the Master in his deal
ings with men will be of profit here. More
than once had he to caution his impetuous dis
ciples who wished to call down fire from
heaven, or condemn a recalcitrant brother.
His predominant trait was patience, infinite pa
tience.
If strict enforcement of membership stand
ards had been applied in the days of the
Apostles, we doubt not that more than one OF
the disciples would have been ousted from the
fold. Peter himself would have stood slim
chance at at least one time in his discipleship.
And at the last supper did not the Master
permit Judas to dip his hand into the dish and
eat? The betrayer's plans were undoubtedly
known to the Saviour some time before their
elimination, but his patience persisted until
Judas literally betook himself from without the
fold 1t is we'll to study the attitude of Jesus
toward his followers, his patience, his for
bearance, his outgoing and ever-trailing love.
If the provisions of the Disciples regarding
changes of membership were more carefully
observed less trouble would be entailed and
were the church half as solcitous to cultivate
the cordial support of half-hearted members as
is the world of trade to retain even a chance
customer, a more clean-cut membership show
ing would result. Business has following
system that is almost irresistible. There are a
sufficient number of Methodists in the city OF
Chicago to stock several churches of respect
able congregations. 1t would be interesting
to anayze the causes creating these lost tribes.
Assuredly the local church would discover
itself to be partially reprehensible. What is
needed is better salvage methods.