There has been committed to the Northern European Division a large belt of mission territory stretching across Africa, which contains fully 44 percent of the population of that great continent. Here are to be found nearly sixty-five million souls waiting for knowledge of a soon-coming Saviour. Ours is the task of carrying the advent message to every tribe in this assigned section. From these tribes, representatives must be gathered for the kingdom of heaven. The task of giving this message to them belongs, to a large degree, to the group of men assembled here in the Northern European Division Presidents' Council (Watford, England). In order that we may have some understanding of the responsibility resting upon us, let us briefly study our mission problem, thinking of the time, the task, and the resources.
1. The Time.—Seventh-day Adventists have been given the stupendous work of proclaiming the gospel message to the world in this generation. For years we have taught and verily believed that the coming of our Lord is near at hand. Events of the greatest magnitude are just before us. The night is far spent; the day is at hand. The work to be done in our mission fields can no longer be delayed. Soon it will be too late. The time demands our most earnest effort and careful study, for the Lord will hold us responsible for the millions who lie in darkness unwarned and unsaved.
"If every soldier of Christ had done his duty, if every watchman on the walls of Zion had given the trumpet a certain sound, the world might ere this have heard the message of warning. But the work is years behind. While men have slept, Satan has stolen a march upon us."—"Testimonies," Vol. IX, p. 29.
2. The Task.—From the map on the wall you can get a glimpse of the magnitude of our task. The territory in colors represents twenty-three countries of Africa stretching across the dark continent from East to West, besides two island groups in the Gulf of Guinea. Of these twenty-three countries, our work is established in but ten, while thirteen countries and two island groups remain unentered. There are twenty-two million people in these unentered fields, which I believe comprise the largest unentered territory of any division of the world. This area contains 2,700,000 square miles, which is more than 6o per cent of the African territory allotted to our division, and is nearly as large as the whole of the United States.
Brethren, how much longer will these millions have to wait for the advent message? Think of that vast area, the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, with 5,767,000 souls ! So far as we know, the message has never yet been preached there, and these people wait, and wait, and wait. How. much longer will it be before the standard of Prince Immanuel is unfurled before these waiting millions?
The French Guinea Colony, with almost as many souls as the Gold Coast and with about the same area, is still unentered. The Ivory Coast, with a larger population—nearly four million—we hope to enter soon. We already have some believers there, but where are the men and the means to open up this fruitful field? The Niger Colony, Dahomey, and French Sudan have over six million waiting souls, but there are no plans to enter these territories, and there is no money to appropriate toward beginning the work there.
We must have trained men in our African missions—educators, experienced evangelists, leaders who know how to organize our work and place it on a sound basis. Young men are needed, but they must have, first of all, consecration and a love for the black people of Africa, a love that is born of a deep Christian experience. They must also have a training that will fit them for the varied and trying problems they will face, problems which are even more perplexing than those in the homeland. In many of our mission fields in other parts of the world, our leaders are accepting only those who have a college training as recruits for their mission fields. Our needs are just as great as theirs. But where are we to find men with proper training in our division to answer the calls for workers?
Our task, however, is not only an African one. We have large problems here in the Northern European base. One problem at home vitally affecting the work of our missions is the adequate training of mission recruits. We must lay broader plans for our training schools at home, in order that our workers may attain greater efficiency for service. This training must be of a specific character. If the missionary is to teach—and most of our missionaries are called upon to teach in some capacity—he should have instruction in teacher training during his college work. Then he will not be a novice when he faces the problem. The same principle applies to evangelism, medical work, publishing work, and other lines of endeavor. Until this phase of our mission problem is approached in a more practical way than we are now approaching it, our mission work will be hampered for the lack of trained men who will get under the burden of our work and carry it forward to victory.
3. Resources.—The resources of the advent movement cannot be measured in finances alone. In fact, our greatest asset cannot be expressed in figures. This lies in the power of the Holy Spirit, working through human agents who have consecrated their all to the Lord. Truth is power. Therefore the God of truth and the convicting power of this message are resources that are worth more to our missionaries than gold. When the truth is fully believed and exemplified in the lives of our workers, both at home and abroad, we will have a mighty argument which none can gainsay.. Through this means, the Holy Spirit will work mightily and bear a powerful witness to all men.
But it is nevertheless fitting to examine our material resources, and see how the means entrusted to our care are being expended in our great mission program. This year's division budget provides a total income of £68,730. This is made up of appropriations from the General Conference of £21,156; tithe of tithe, £6,600; mission offerings £39,300; and the balance in sundry smaller items. This amount was appropriated as follows: £11,358 to General Conference funds; £15,414 to home unions in regular and bonus appropriations; £19,979 to our mission fields in Africa; £10,891 to general expenses in our division such as furloughs, Harvesting Ingathering, emergencies, etc.; and £7,850 to division administration. It will be noted from these figures that our mission fields are receiving about 35 percent of our division income in appropriations, above the amount passed over to the General Conference as our share of mission offerings.
As we look at the mission fields it seems that more money must be found if we are ever to extend our work into the still-unentered regions. There are just two ways, or perhaps three, by which we might find extra funds. First, there is the possibility of increasing our mission giving in every field, and thus making more funds available. Second, we might rearrange our budget so that the mission fields have a larger share of the available funds. Third, we might study ways and means of more economically administering our work, so that through the savings effected we might enlarge our present appropriations to the mission fields.
The second suggestion would probably not be welcome to this gathering of conference presidents who see mission fields in their own countries, and who could possibly tell a story of just as great need as we hear of in the mission fields abroad. But the first and third suggestions are altogether possible, and I believe they should receive our earnest study. If we are to advance in our mission fields, more funds must be made available. I believe that in every conference, if we really got under the load, a large increase could be made in our gifts to missions. I know that our people are poor, but there are ways and means of encouraging mission giving that do not in themselves impoverish the givers.
Brethren, the General Conference has entrusted us with a large mission task. Are we going to be faithful to our trust and send the light on into these dark fields of Africa? The answer to this question lies with this body of men. There is nothing that brings greater courage to our churches than to lift up our eyes on the waiting harvest fields, and help to gather in the ripened grain by giving and praying for missions.
