Foreword.—Believing our full worker body would appreciate an accurate statement of the procedure lying back of the finished Sabbath school lesson product, we asked Elder Wellman, who has been one of the secretaries of the department for the last ten years, to prepare this informative article.—Editor.
Of all denominational manuscripts, none is produced with greater care than that which, quarter by quarter, is issued for our senior Sabbath school lessons. This is needful, for no other printed production has a wider circulation among us. As high as 166,000 senior Sabbath school quarterlies are printed for one quarter in the English language alone.
The choice of Sabbath school lessons is not left to chance. The departmental committee,* or the General Conference officers, or sometimes the General Conference Executive Committee in session, studies the needs of the world field and the subjects previously covered, and projects the course of study for the quarters ahead.
It is our plan to have the subject matter connected, to re-cover certain lines of truth or Bible history occasionally, and to bring into the line of study as wide and as helpful a range of subjects as are available to us in the Word. Topical studies are prepared on the life of Christ, on the acts of the apostles, on Old Testament history or experiences, on devotional and deeply spiritual subjects, on books of the Bible, etc. The apparent needs of the field and the wide range of minds, experience, and viewpoints of Sabbath school students are kept constantly in mind.
Choice of Lesson Writers
The choice of lesson writers varies. One policy has, however, always been followed by the department, —no author's name ever appears. The Sabbath School Department, with its appointed body of counsel, assumes full responsibility for what is published in all Sabbath school lessons. The reason for this will become apparent as the methods of procedure are further elucidated.
Where special subjects are chosen by the departmental committee, by the General Conference officers, or by the General Conference Committee, the writers are usually suggested by the recommending body. A number of names are sometimes considered before a final choice is made. In the past ten or twelve years the writers have ranged over a wide list, including evangelists, Bible teachers, editors, college presidents, conference executives, etc-Usually the choice falls upon those known to have studied widely and to have special ability in the presentation of the subject chosen_ Sometimes the writers are chosen from within_ the Sabbath school lesson committee, or front the members of the General Conference Committee. Almost invariably the writers are menu who are already carrying heavy responsibilities; that tax their resources in time and strength. Yet it is the man burdened with much work who usually does the ablest work in lesson writing.
Often suggestions and manuscripts are voluntarily submitted to the department from workers and laymen, and these are given careful consideration. A number of such suggested lines of study have been accepted and used either immediately or on later occasions
Procedure After the Assignment
After the writer and the general subject have been chosen, the next step in lesson preparation is for the writer to prepare a fairly comprehensive outline of what he plans to present. This outline is then studied by the members of the reading committee who reside in Washington, D.C. Occasionally the outline is submitted to General Conference officers of long experience for their consideration and suggestions. If it is approved, it is returned to the writer, with or without suggestions for alterations, and he is authorized to go ahead with the writing.
As soon as the writer completes his work,. he sends his manuscript to the Sabbath School' Department in Washington. The long process; of study, revision, restudy, and final adoption with corrections is then started—a procedure which takes from two to three months. Years, of experience have demonstrated this procedure to be essential to well-prepared, doctrinally safe, and spiritually helpful lessons. The process, step by step, follows:
1. The manuscript is edited within the department. Some manuscripts which are submitted pass through with ordinary editorial scrutiny. Others require a complete restudy of the subject and rearrangement of the material submitted. The surprising discoveries of the editors on lessons submitted and the amount of work necessary to put them in shape make interesting stories in themselves. Nevertheless, the great bulk of the manuscripts submitted are of outstanding worth, and after passing through the routine editorial work, they go out to the reading committee of seventeen members in substantially the form in which they reach the department.
2. After the editorial work is completed, the lessons are duplicated and sent to the reading committee just mentioned, several of whom reside outside of America. These members are expected to read the manuscript critically as to the doctrinal and spiritual content, and literary form, as well as to the logical composition and presentation of the subjects considered. Usually a month or six weeks is allowed for the return of the manuscript with corrections and suggestions for revision
3. At an appointed time the local reading committee at Washington site around a table in the Sabbath School Department, and there spends the time necessary to go through every lesson. They study, check, and revise in accordance with the suggestions made by the absent members of the committee, using their combined judgment in all decisions. One or more of the officers of the General Conference almost always sit with the reading committee. The time taken for this work varies from one to three days, and sometimes it is longer, according to the subject matter and the problems of revision. The decisions of this committee are final on all manuscripts. Should matters of vital importance in doctrinal presentation appear to demand wider counsel, this is sought before the lessons are released for publication. In one instance, on counsel with the full reading committee, an entire series of lessons was laid aside and never used.
4. The work on the lessons does not rest here. Immediately after the committee finishes its work, the departmental staff begins the work of coordinating the corrections and revisions.
5. The revised manuscript is then duplicated by mimeograph, and some fifty-five copies are mailed to all parts of the earth. Some of these copies are used by translators to prepare lessons in the various vernaculars, others go direct to our English publishing houses in America, Great Britain, and Australia to be printed for their English-speaking constituencies.
Time in Preparation
Some have asked concerning the length of time it takes for the preparation of the lessons from the time the topic is selected until the completed quarterly is ready for distribution. The time varies, but it usually takes between one and two years. The lessons you are now studying [1937] were first outlined in the winter of 1934-35. They were finished in the spring of 1936 in ample time for translation, printing, and distribution in overseas countries. We plan to start far enough ahead to allow sufficient time for the careful planning, study, and revision heretofore outlined. The Sabbath school lessons bear too important a part in the building of the spiritual life of more than half a million souls to permit of careless, hasty handling. Their influence is so widespread as to demand the best we can give.
We often ask ourselves the question: Have we missed a point that should be emphasized? Have we let some thought be inserted that would do a single soul harm? We realize that we are building for time and eternity in the Sabbath school lessons. As earthen vessels, chosen for service, we seek faithfully to carry the responsibility placed upon us. We welcome the interest shown, the suggestions, and the kindly criticisms which come from our people and our workers. We serve God and the field in the hope that He whose counsel we strive to follow may establish the work of our hands and make it a blessing to all the household of faith.
* The Sabbath school departmental committee referred to is composed of the officers of the department, the division Sabbath school secretaries, and an appointive group of eleven others. The lesson or reading committee consists of those of the group just mentioned who live at headquarters in Washington. D.C.. or close enough to be consulted by mail concerning the various manuscripts. The local reading committee consists of the lesson-committee members present in Washington and three other members appointed by the General Conference officers.